Defret a favourite neck or buy a fretless neck?

[uk_lefty]

On 20/01/2025 at 20:07, Skybone said:

What about a cheap fretless from Harley Benton / Gear4Music / Vintage?

Yup! Get the Harley Benton "Jaco" style jazz, it's very cheap but excellent! Ok, it's not a US Fender but it is a very good quality fretless. Mine gets gigs regularly.

 

Or, trawl eBay for a fretless neck. Or if you really want to do a de-fret yourself I'm sure you will find plenty of cheap necks secondhand. Luckily your bass should have a fairly standard and common sized neck pocket so no issues there.

Edited January 23 by uk_lefty

[StickyDBRmf]

14 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

No frets = fingerboard, as on a DB.

Oh my goodness I forgot about the Double bass! The 8-string I made fretless. And my Chapman Stick. Which I had a luthier make...fretless. Fingerboard, fingerboard, fingerboard.

 

[Musicman666]

20 hours ago, StickyDBRmf said:

Oh my goodness I forgot about the Double bass! The 8-string I made fretless. And my Chapman Stick. Which I had a luthier make...fretless. Fingerboard, fingerboard, fingerboard.

 

fretless stick is hardcore

[Grooverjr]

I thought I'd let everyone know that I decided to......do neither! I put a 'wanted' for a cheapie fretless here on BC and the marvellous @alyctes very kindly sold me a 'Vintage' fretless for a no-brainer of a price. No basses or necks have been harmed and I've got a lovely new bass. Very much ejoying dipping the toe in the water. 

[LowB_FTW]

And now the thread needs updating with photos of said new bass. 😊

 

Mark

[sprocketflup]

Congrats! If its the one I think it is, you've got yourself a cracking little bass there

[Grooverjr]

18 minutes ago, LowB_FTW said:

And now the thread needs updating with photos of said new bass. 😊

 

Mark

 

Happy to oblige. Just a quick and dirty job so ignore the various crap in the background  It's got an unusual squat headstock and body that I like a lot. Neck profile is wide and slim, which fits nicely under my hand. I'll probably take out the J pickup and put a Roland GK unit in if I can get the proper installation kit. 

 

.

 

It sits very nicely on the rack as well - like a BCer's beauty contest lineup!

 

[Grooverjr]

32 minutes ago, sprocketflup said:

Congrats! If its the one I think it is, you've got yourself a cracking little bass there

I believe it was once yours....

[sprocketflup]

I see now that it is indeed that bass yes. Cracking little bass

[PaulThePlug]

Nice, Son has a fretless Vintage as he wanted 24 and unlined.

Edited Wednesday at 20:33 by PaulThePlug

[alyctes]

1 hour ago, sprocketflup said:

Congrats! If its the one I think it is, you've got yourself a cracking little bass there

That's the one.  It deserved more playing than I was giving it, poor thing.

Edited Wednesday at 20:36 by alyctes

[Hellzero]

I you want to bin that crap Vigier on the right, I'll take it... 😂🤪😉🤔

[-asdfgh2-]

On 20/01/2025 at 13:22, Grooverjr said:

I fancy giving fretless a go, but I don't want to buy yet another bass. I have a Squier Jazz that I don't use and am keeping for sentimental reasons with a decent maple neck in it that I find very comfortable. The question is - get that neck defretted or buy a fretless neck and stick it on there.....

 

Considerations:

- cost (which is cheaper? I wouldn't want to spend much as it's the scratching of an itch rather than a necessity

- you don't see many maple fretless necks, is there a reason? Maybe that more bitey maple sound doesn't suit fretless?

 

The benefit of the considerable wisdom of the BC Hive mind shall be my guide (oh, fool that I am 😁)

 

A fretted neck is a combination of the wood at the levelling of the frets. Without the frets, it might need additional work to level to make it a good fretless neck. And if you make an error pulling the frets you end up with no necks. I'd buy a second neck or bass if I were you.

[Grooverjr]

19 hours ago, Hellzero said:

I you want to bin that crap Vigier on the right, I'll take it... 😂🤪😉🤔

Very generous, but I'll have to pass 😀 😀 Those 4 basses are all quite different to play and all absolutely wonderful. I don't think they are going anywhere, probably ever. And even if my arms stop working that Vigier (and the ACGs) would keep my eyes happy forever. Who needs pictures when you have beautiful basses to look at? That rack is right by where I work and it's a lot nicer to look at than the rogues' gallery of my colleagues on endless Teams calls.

[StickyDBRmf]

16 hours ago, Grooverjr said:

Very generous, but I'll have to pass 😀 😀 Those 4 basses are all quite different to play and all absolutely wonderful. I don't think they are going anywhere, probably ever. And even if my arms stop working that Vigier (and the ACGs) would keep my eyes happy forever. Who needs pictures when you have beautiful basses to look at? That rack is right by where I work and it's a lot nicer to look at than the rogues' gallery of my colleagues on endless Teams calls.

It's facing the wrong way we can't see.