chewrocket Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I have an old Aria bass, bit of a heap of junk but it actually has a fairly nice sound. However, the frets where really done in so I decided to turn it into a fretless. I'v ripped the frets out, and they have come out quiet nicely without making a mess of the fingerboard. Its now fairly playable but is obviously not very complete. Now what do I fill the gaps in with and what coating should I use to smoothen out the kneck? Cheers Matt Quote
burno70 Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I've been thinking of doing this to my old Soundgear but never done anything like this before - how did you take the frets out? Is there certain technique to use to avoid damaging the fretboard? Quote
xgsjx Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 YouTube it. Pincers, insulation tape & a sodering iron are all that's needed to take them out. I'd link the vid, but can't at work. Quote
dlloyd Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I found the best method was to lever the frets up with a sharp chisel, watching for any bits of wood breaking off and sticking them down with some wood glue... fill the gaps with wood filler and sand back. To provide a hard surface, I used cyanoacrylate (superglue), spread on in a few layers with a piece of cardboard, then sanded back. Works amazingly well. Quote
burno70 Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 [quote name='xgsjx' post='1156647' date='Mar 10 2011, 02:14 PM']YouTube it. Pincers, insulation tape & a sodering iron are all that's needed to take them out. I'd link the vid, but can't at work.[/quote] Thanks mate, I thought of Youtube but can't access it in work and am far too impatient to wait til I get home! Quote
Wylie Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 There is a full lesson on how to convert a fretted bass to a fretless on the Simnett Guitars site. Google Simnett Guitars. This will bring up, among other choices, the UK Builders' Forum. Once on that site, use search words 'fretless bass conversion' for the step-by-step lesson. Sorry for the roundabout search method, but I am a Luddite who cannot reproduce URLs. Quote
Skol303 Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 Here's what I used in terms of filler and lacquer: Wood filler - [url="http://www.ronseal.co.uk/products/multi-purpose-wood-filler"]http://www.ronseal.co.uk/products/multi-purpose-wood-filler[/url] Polyurethane-based varnish (clear gloss finish) - [url="http://www.ronseal.co.uk/products/diamond-hard-varnish"]http://www.ronseal.co.uk/products/diamond-hard-varnish[/url] ... bought both from local B&Q, if that helps. Here's my own thread on the same topic: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=117094"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=117094[/url] Good luck with it! :-) Quote
paul_5 Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 I used 'plastic wood' to do mine. Then loads of varnish and really fine sand paper. Not only do I have a 'smooth as glass' fingerboard, but I also ended up with disproportionately enlarged triceps Quote
hubrad Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 [quote name='xgsjx' post='1156647' date='Mar 10 2011, 02:14 PM']YouTube it. Pincers, insulation tape & a sodering iron are all that's needed to take them out. I'd link the vid, but can't at work.[/quote] A soldering iron? [quote name='TomKent' post='1156683' date='Mar 10 2011, 02:46 PM']Jaco stylie. Boat epoxy.[/quote] +1 for epoxy - Araldite or similar will do, and you can put lines in using wood veneer (maple for light, r/w for dark etc) or plastic card. The first one I ever did, I used car filler.. bad idea, crumbly rubbish! Latest one i used epoxy mixed with oak sawdust ground superfine in the coffee grinder(!) Looks less 'liney' than veneers. Overfill the slots then sand back with progressively finer abrasives, ending up with superfine wire wool for ultra-smooth finish. I recently was put onto Abranet (abrasive net, basically) by my local woodturning supplies place in Birstall - brilliant stuff! Doesn't clog like sandpaper, plus you can get a vacuum adapter for pretty dust-free working! Quote
megallica Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 [quote name='hubrad' post='1156910' date='Mar 10 2011, 05:10 PM']A soldering iron? [/quote] The hot soldering iron held on the fret wire should melt the glue that holds the fret in place, it should make your life easier when you try to pull the frets out. Quote
hubrad Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 [quote name='megallica' post='1156955' date='Mar 10 2011, 05:36 PM']The hot soldering iron held on the fret wire should melt the glue that holds the fret in place, it should make your life easier when you try to pull the frets out.[/quote] Ah, right. I was shown a heat-free way using slimmed down pincers and a steady touch. Glue was never mentioned, but this possibly explains one of my early attempts being rather more messy than previous ones! Quote
xgsjx Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 You put a couple of layers of insulation tape either side of the fret to be pulled (to protect the neck), heat up the fret with the soldering iron (just until it's hot enough to put a groove in your finger) & then gently go from one end to the other with the pincers, slowly easing it up (applying more heat if needed). Took me about 15-20 mins to pull 24 frets out. Filled the neck with some filler & haven't had a chance to do owt else! Quote
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