| Author | Message | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1779 Registered: 9-2002 |
Hi friends, as you know I have "Broomstick" as my crappy Squier Korean Jazz-bass. Beware ....I really love the instrument. The "crappy" is pure tonal My life-time plan to get rich once will get me eventually to buy a pair of Alembic Jazz-bass PU as replacement. I read somewhere that even electronical morons like me do that. Now I also want to defret her. Now THAT is tricky I guess?!?! I read an article in Bass-player magazine where the guy explained that he HEATED the frets by connecting them by wires to the powersource via I-really-don't-remember. Anyway: the result was that the fret heated and the glue melted so the frets were easy to pull (?????) out. Any ideas? Do I need dentist tools to ull or what plyer??? Will I need a hammer?? Do I need to take off the neck off the body for doing this??? Second: I think I will need to change the nut too? Wel ...at least file the slots lower???? Anyway ...tips and idea's and encouraging shouts are higly appreciated!!! Paul the bad one PS: oh ...huh...I forgot to say ..I found a new job! Well ...only for 3 months for starts. I am a copyxwriter in an advertising agency (mostly below-the-line projects). Me a copywriter ...HA ...I am closing in to the 2000 posts her ...'copywriter" ...yeah right! | ||
| elzie
Advanced Member Username: elzie Post Number: 325 Registered: 8-2002 |
Hey brother P! How about just getting a new neck? You can purchase a replacement neck in a wide variety of woods (tones) and have it fretted for free. We have discussed this place on the phone in the past, www.warmoth.com They stock a good amount of Fender necks, or you can choose to have one made for you  | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1780 Registered: 9-2002 |
Hey Good P, Warmoth is waaaaaaay over my budget. It's expensive stuff over here!!!! How is your project running?? Bad P yeeeks ...now we're p-ing | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 488 Registered: 3-2004 |
I don't mean to suggest sacrilege, but shouldn't you be able to find a similarly 'crappy' bass that is already fretless and either swap the necks and resell it as fretted or just sell "Broomstick"? You should just about break even on such a deal if you do private sales, and it will be a lot cheaper than trying to repair the wood chips you knock out of the neck or replacing it after you've done so. You might also find a replacement fretless neck on eBay for cheap and not have to buy the whole bass. I doubt you can find a 'crappier' neck than the one that comes on a Squier. Chances are that by going with something factory fretless, you even stand a chance of getting a fretboard that can stand up to fretless playing. Are you planning an epoxy coating to make this unimportant? I think Val put an ebony nut on his new super-bass. Something like that would probably give you the most consistent tone between fretted and open notes on a fretless. What's on it now? Do you think you'll hear the difference with the electronics you have in the bass now, or are you just concerned with action? Can anyone local and professional do the job for you? It should be much cheaper than a refret since they don't have to pay for fret wire, install it, or do anything to make sure it all lines up. Probably spending the money on a replacement neck if you've got it is a better investment, though. | ||
| elzie
Advanced Member Username: elzie Post Number: 326 Registered: 8-2002 |
My project is running well brother Paul! I am currently choosing the neck woods. Is that just a coincidence????? Then I can rout out the cavities for the electronics, yeeehaaa! Paul TGOP | ||
| rami
Senior Member Username: rami Post Number: 416 Registered: 6-2002 |
I remember that article in "Bass Player". They make the process of defretting seem pretty easy and straight forward. Of course, I'm too chicken to actually try it. I'd leave it to the pros. Besides, I don't have any Basses that I'm willing to experiment on! | ||
| jacko
Junior Username: jacko Post Number: 49 Registered: 10-2002 |
hey Paul. No idea how to Defret, I built my first bass as a fretless to start with. Anyway good luck with the job. At least it's a start and they might offer you a permanent post at the end of the contract. | ||
| mint_bass
Advanced Member Username: mint_bass Post Number: 207 Registered: 1-2004 |
Hi Paul i have just defretted an old squire p bass i bought for £30 it was easy the frets were not even attached with glus so i did not even need to heat the frets. I simply worked them out with a butter knife there was very little damage done to the fret board as long as you go slow. try here for more info www.musicplayer.com for a great pictre guide of fretless conversion go here heres the link: http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b335f074849f or simply do a search at google for "fretless conversion" its a fairly common procedure. It is a very satisfying job and the dresults gained were very good. (Message edited by mint bass on November 19, 2004) | ||
| mint_bass
Advanced Member Username: mint_bass Post Number: 208 Registered: 1-2004 |
P.S Oh yeah ive put up my plans for that squire bass i have its right handed and i am left handed so i am going to try making it more left hand suitable. Im probably going to make a mess of it but it will be fun. Its under the title right to left conversion under miscellaneous. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1781 Registered: 9-2002 |
I bought Broomstick for 100$. So ...there is nothing much to sale from the point of view that you want to make something of it to go fretless. I thought it was highly unlikable. So ...me too I just want to give it a shot. Now thanks for info everybody, I'll check some websites and for professional help, well, my former bass-teacher did it once for his Fender P-light and it was a dream to play. So maybe if I smile frindly he'll give me a hand. PTBO | ||
| mint_bass
Advanced Member Username: mint_bass Post Number: 210 Registered: 1-2004 |
PTBO I say go for it. It is fun and the results i gained were very pleasing it is well worth the effort and for the record i am a complete novice at anything like this. It is not that hard you can do it just give it a shot. | ||
| godoze
Member Username: godoze Post Number: 71 Registered: 10-2004 |
Stewmac sells a fret pulling tool. I have one and it really does work well, with a minimum of fretboard material waste. | ||
| the_mule
Advanced Member Username: the_mule Post Number: 333 Registered: 1-2004 |
Paul, for a lot of useful information you should clickus linkus proximus: http://www.gitaarnet.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36365 It's in Dutch, but that shouldn't be a problem ;-) and it inspired me to do the job myself with my old Guild B-301. It worked out great, as you can see in the same thread... Wilfred | ||
| joram
Junior Username: joram Post Number: 19 Registered: 5-2004 |
Paul, I defretted my bass too (cheapy yamaha rbx 260). Pretty easy. I wouldn't use wood cement, though. I don't believe wood cement works well on the long term, so I used maple veneer for my bass. It still needs a proper leveling job, though. I guess all (cheap) instruments could use one, especially after such an operation. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1794 Registered: 9-2002 |
Yep ...but where do you get those maple veneers??? Paul the bad one | ||
| jacko
Member Username: jacko Post Number: 57 Registered: 10-2002 |
Paul. have a look here.. http://www.exotichardwoods.co.uk/Index800.htm Look under veneers then select Knife Cut. they do several hardwoods in 0.6mm sheets. A square foot would probably do you. Unfortunately they're in england but i expect they'd ship to belgium for the right incentive. When I made mine, I used car body filler. Not as exotic as maple but it's held up pretty well for about 20 years. graeme | ||
| kungfusheriff
Advanced Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 212 Registered: 8-2003 |
"They make the process of defretting seem pretty easy and straight forward." Never, never, never will it be that easy. PTBO, it's like this: To lift the frets, you need a tool that's hard and pointed. I used the awl on my Swiss Army Knife. Very, very carefully, pull the fret out at an upward angle, like opening a door. If you try to pull the frets out through the fingerboard like a train through a tunnel, it gets ugly. The fret tange will make a larger tunnel. After filling the fret slots with Plastic Wood, a product we have here in the US that should have an analogue in Europe (Bondo should be OK), the fretboard must be dressed so it's hard enough to resist string vibration. If you're planning on using flats, urethane should do the job. The more liquid you can coax the wood to accept, the harder and better it will be. Roundwounds should be met with several coats of epoxy, the harder the better. Inquire at your local crafts store. The method of fixing frets into their slots with epoxy was first used by Roger Sadowsky, as far as I can tell, and hasn't caught on to the point where $100 "broomsticks" with an "F" on the headstock would use it, as it adds time and cost to the process of fretting. There's no easy and cheap way out...I defretted a bass similar to yours without doing it right, and you don't want to know what it sounded like. It can be done, but softly, as the Bard might say. | ||
| davehouck
Senior Member Username: davehouck Post Number: 1060 Registered: 5-2002 |
I'm assuming that the basses "with an "F" on the headstock" to which you made reference are not the actual basses with an "F" on the headstock. <g> http://www.fbass.com/images/spaltbn5headstock.jpg | ||
| kungfusheriff
Advanced Member Username: kungfusheriff Post Number: 216 Registered: 8-2003 |
Nooooo...I mean those other ones, which the world community of bassists won't string PTBO up for even suggesting homemade mods. The ones with "F" followed by a vowel, a consonant, another consonant, you get the idea. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1810 Registered: 9-2002 |
Well ...for me it will be a kind of "quest" ...something to do and to tangle. To make something better with my own bare hands. Maybe to understand better the value of instruments, and to understand where vital elements of sound are created in the instrument. Anyway Shawn ...I really appreciated your advice. I will take all precautions needed and keep you all posted in a real "Factory to customer" thread. Fun: than I can send quests for status to myself and answer myself that thebas is in the routing department ...HA Paul the bad one |
