Ghosts Over Japan Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 hmmm ive decided that because my ibanez is sitting round giving me evils i might as well turn it fretless would the rosewood on the neck be ok to use? or would i need to give it a light varnish coat or just replace the whole thing? thank you for any help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 [quote name='cai!' post='48177' date='Aug 21 2007, 09:41 AM']hmmm ive decided that because my ibanez is sitting round giving me evils i might as well turn it fretless would the rosewood on the neck be ok to use? or would i need to give it a light varnish coat or just replace the whole thing? thank you for any help[/quote] The rosewood should be fine, but personally I wouldn't use roundwounds on it - go for flats. As opposed to varnish, just use lemon oil for a natural finish. Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 [quote name='cai!' post='48177' date='Aug 21 2007, 09:41 AM']hmmm ive decided that because my ibanez is sitting round giving me evils i might as well turn it fretless would the rosewood on the neck be ok to use? or would i need to give it a light varnish coat or just replace the whole thing? thank you for any help[/quote] Yes, the rosewood would be OK. You can varnish it (as did Jaco) but you don't need to. Varnish will also change the tone but not necessarily for the better. You should be aware that once you defret a bass you wipe a considerable amount from its value whilst sometimes ending up with a bass you don't like very much because, for example, it doesn't have the same sound characteristics as a fretless as it had fretted. If you have enough money for a defret (£80-100) or a new board (£100+), and you really want to keep the bass in question, I would suggest holding on a little longer and getting a luthier to build a replica neck (£200ish) with a fretless board, that way you have a very versatile fretted/fretless bass. As long as the necks are identical and you play the same strings on both (and with similar action), you can swap them in about 5 minutes. Good luck Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghosts Over Japan Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 haha cheers guy about the value... its in pretty bad condition anyways so im gona have to repaint it (purple or use a dark wood stain on it ) and its an ibanez gsr200 but one of the older versions that only has three tone/pickup/volume controllers an you cant find them any where lol and i brought it for 75 quid as a first bass an i think i could make somethin pretty cool out of it with money because no one would buy it! hahaha wouldnt rubbing oil on the fingerboard affect the strings abit? and good advice on using flats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 [quote name='cai!' post='48186' date='Aug 21 2007, 10:10 AM']wouldnt rubbing oil on the fingerboard affect the strings abit? and good advice on using flats[/quote] Well, you don't want to use too much oil, just enough to soak in. As for your question, technically yes, but measurably and practically, no. Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhuk Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 (edited) Are you DIYing or paying for a defret? Baby oil is OK for the fretboard (it is mineral oil and 99.n% the same as lemon oil) although I shellaced mine and wet N dried with baby oil to finish. [url="http://www.geocities.com/charlesarms/"]http://www.geocities.com/charlesarms/[/url] [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=275139"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=275139[/url] [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3869850"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3869850[/url] [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291119"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291119[/url] [url="http://largemouth.wordpress.com/"]http://largemouth.wordpress.com/[/url] [url="http://fios.jefftrout.com:8080/fretless/"]http://fios.jefftrout.com:8080/fretless/[/url] Edited August 21, 2007 by mhuk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I've just finished defretting my £35 Wesley 5 string. pop out the frets, fill the gaps, sand down until level, good dose of lemon oil, new strings, adjust the action bob's you uncle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghosts Over Japan Posted August 22, 2007 Author Share Posted August 22, 2007 haha thanks hamster mhuk, im not sure after what delbothot said, if i were to d.i.y. it how would i remove the frets? like a chisel or something? because it sounds alot cheaper to do it your self thanks agen guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhuk Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 I removed my frets with nail clippers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 [quote name='cai!' post='48923' date='Aug 22 2007, 01:11 PM']if i were to d.i.y. it how would i remove the frets? like a chisel or something? because it sounds alot cheaper to do it your self thanks agen guys [/quote] Have a looky here - [url="http://www.geocities.com/charlesarms"]DIY defret guide[/url] Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhuk Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 [quote]Have a looky here - DIY defret guide[/quote] which is my first link in post #6.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 You see quite a lot of DIY defrets on ebay. They tend to ge very cheap due to splintered and uneven fretboards, porly filled slots and sometimes damaged finish on the neck. Like everything in life, it all seems easy when someone shows you how (Jaco made playing the bass look pretty simple), but it's a different matter when you do it. Although defretting isn't the most complex task, it requres good tools, a good working area where you can lock down the neck, and a degree of patience and diligence. If you have all of those, go for it Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_luthier Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 If you are going to do it yourself you may find it helps to heat the fret by placing a soldering iron on the fret then nipping it out with a pair of electric clippers, these help to pull the fret up aswell as pressing on the fretboard, therefore minimizing chips. I Here is a good site to show you how to get the frets out properly: [url="http://www.frets.com/FRETSPAGES/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Frets/D35Refret/D35refret1.html"]http://www.frets.com/FRETSPAGES/Luthier/Te...D35refret1.html[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghosts Over Japan Posted August 24, 2007 Author Share Posted August 24, 2007 [quote name='mhuk' post='49184' date='Aug 22 2007, 09:04 PM']I removed my frets with nail clippers.[/quote] HAHAHAHA thats quite amusing i wonder if it would go well for me doing it like that:P thank you so much guys the links are great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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