Fretless Squier VM P/Telebass

[jakebeamish]

I plan to get a fretless neck (all parts, warmoth or something) to install onto my Squier VM P TB. I really like the thumpy tone the bass has (one big hum bucker right up by the neck), but I'm a little unsure as to how it will sound without frets. I can imagine that tonally, a lot of things change when you take of a fretted neck and put a new, fretless one in - but I don't know how. Do you guys think it would be a bad idea / have a way too warm tone? I notice that though fretless P basses are around, they are swamped by fretless Jazz basses - and I'm guessing that's due to the bridge pick-up allowing for plenty of high-mid 'mwah' - so an idea I had would be to cut in a new bridge pick up if things didn't sound too good. LSS, roughly, how do you think a fretless VM P TB will sound?

PS. happy new year and best wishes from a serial lurker

[HowieBass]

I've never seen one done but that doesn't mean you can't/shouldn't! I imagine it might sound rather more like a double bass than other fretless instruments which may or may not be the sound you're after. If you want the Jaco sound then the Squier fretless Jazz will get you a lot closer and you can get away with using roundwounds on the Ebonol fingerboard without undue wear.

[jakebeamish]

Actually a thumpier double bass sound is exactly what I'm trying to go for - I'm glad that's how you reckon it might turn out. Strangely, that nasal Jaco tone you get from rounds on a jazz bass really doesn't do it for me at all, and by the sounds of things I'm going the right way about having a fretless bass that [i]doesn't[/i] sound like that! Cheers!

[James Nada]

This is a bit off topic but make sure the neck is a suitable fit for a Telebass.
TB necks have a square heel profile, not a standard P or J shape.
Now, I've read that a standard P/J neck will fit in a TB body, albeit with a small gap where the P/J 'rounds' off but it's not a perfect fit.
Apologies if you already knew this.

Incidently, I have a Squire TB and have been thinking it'd be great for a fretless double bassy tone.

James

[Telebass]

The standard round heel will fit ok. It's when putting Tele bass necks on standard Precisions etc (a la Tim Bogert) that you need to get the chisels out...

[philw]

[quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1421134777' post='2657409']
The standard round heel will fit ok. It's when putting Tele bass necks on standard Precisions etc (a la Tim Bogert) that you need to get the chisels out...
[/quote]

I can confirm that having just put a tele bass neck on a Jaguar body. It was a very easy mod though to do though.

P