Why Fret?

[Graham's Cat]

In search of a little moo-wah into the tonal equation. Does de-fretting cut it or does it have to come preset? Opinions and costs? And was it worthwhile?

[ezbass]

I did one myself, which wasn't bad at all. I've also had one does professionally by The Gallery which was awesome. DIY only cost me in the plastic wood I used to fill the slots, glass paper and time. The pro job was just over £100 including a set of La Bellas, but that was while back. Worth it? You betcha (both times).

[Dood]

If it's a bolt-on neck bass that is a donor (of the Fender variety) then I would go for a replacement neck, hopefully a good second hand one. It *might* cost a bit more but at least you can pop the original neck back on, sell the fretless and get some money back if it doesn't work out. If you have a neck-thru bass, then a defret is the only option and I'd recommend having the slots professionally filled OR having the whole fretboard lifted. The latter being the better option as you can have a good solid and high quality fretboard added for fretless work - whereas I have heard that a few people have pulled the frets out only to find that the board wasn't suitable. It needed more work to level it on top of filing in the slots and a set up.

Your mileage may vary depending on the instrument.

If you're lucky, you can pick up a second hand fretless on basschat which ends up being a super little bass for the money, less than that of a new neck.. in the basschat marketplace.