Dolando

Yea looks like I'll be sawing them out at some point. Is it worth paying for a fret saw? Or is there a cheaper alternative. I will either be going for something subtle like a dark brown, but I might just hide it with a dark wood filler. I've looked into filling it with veneer, I'm not sure about doing it. I don't want to put too much, or too little veneer in. I have fret dots that I ould also fill with the same filler... I would like to try leaving lighter markers at the top. Not sure how yet though, would probably have to just mark them with something after.

I've just had another look, and it actually has plastic inlays as I can feel the ridge from a fret slot. Really looked like they were drawn on. So any ideas on where to go from here?

Thought I'd drop by and let you know that I got a set of rotosound swing bass strings and raised my pickups a little and wow, my bass has come alive! I'll just deal with the damage if/when it comes. It's exactly what I was after. The jazz bass strings were actually quite nice after I raised the pickups but you just don't get the bite you get with the swing bass strings. I've been playing it all day! I may still add a two band preamp some day but for now im very happy with it. Thanks for all the help!

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1355123109' post='1894245'] I guess you should be able to sand the lines off with fine paper. An alternate might be gentle application of paint stripper - small amount on a cloth?. Rather than lines, why not insert side dots at the fret positions. You can get away with positions 1,3,5,7,9,12 etc. [/quote] I did thik about oing it with fine sandpaper. Indont have s rsdius block, so would it be ok if I did it lightly with fine sandpaper? My idea was to actually get rid of the lines in the front and leave the overhang on the top side of the fingerboard as a reference. Kind of a middle ground between fretless with and without lines. [quote name='rubis' timestamp='1355123550' post='1894247'] Could you stain the lines? [/quote] I did try stain the lines with a dark brown dye, left it on for a couple of minutes, but it just wiped off didn't do anything at all! [quote name='GuyR' timestamp='1355127988' post='1894278'] Whatever you do, don't saw fret slots then fill them. It will be detrimental to the sustain and tone. Best to sand or strip the lines off. [/quote] I'd never thought of that, why ruin a nice whole bit of ebony word!? I might try use a little sandpaper on the overhang underside and see how that goes..what do you think?

Hello, Sorry to high jack this post but I have a lined ebony fretless neck and the frets on it are painted on white, so have no existing fret slots. I would basically like to hide these lines a little and make them darker so they're not so obvious. I currently have no fret slots, so if I made a fresh slot would that be ok to fill with filler? Or actually, if anyone knows a way to get the white frets off without damaging the wood that would be ideal. Thanks, Adam

Hello, I have a lined ebony fretless neck and the frets on it are painted on white, so have no existing fret slots. Oh, Is there a cheaper alternative to a fret saw, or is it best to use one? I would basically like to hide these lines a little and make them darker so they're not so obvious. Any advantages in using veneer over wood filler? Or actually, if anyone knows a way to get the white frets off without damaging the wood that would be ideal. EDIT - I've just had another look, and it actually has plastic inlays as I can feel the ridge from a fret slot. Really looked like they were drawn on. So any ideas on where to go from here? Any advice or experiences on this would be really appreciated. Thanks, Adam

[quote name='WarrenD' timestamp='1354704600' post='1889270'] Hello Sir, I've used Elites Player series strings and a few times and they're very decent, possibly the best nickel strings I've played. [/quote] I agree, i have been using Elite Player strings for 4 years. I always think there might be another set of strings i would like, but ill stick with what i know. I even got my original bass teacher into them, and i think he'd been using Ernie Balls for like 15 years.

Any suggestions on Gauge string for swing bass strings?

Thanks for all the replies, I Wasn't sure where to start with this....here goes. [quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1354785398' post='1890254'] For strings, DR Sunbeams are very nice, and are a pretty gentle on the fingerboard. [/quote] I hear good things about these strings, just don't think i want to splash out on £30 on a set of strings. Im not an aggressive player and for how much ill use it i don't think the swing bass will be a concern. I have nearly got a J-Retro on many occasions, so might be something i buy in the near future, but i did think a simple 2 band would be quite nice. [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1354792134' post='1890356'] I have Wizard Hammers in my J fretless. [/quote] I did look at these and was very intrigued by them, so if i were to swap out my pickups, i would be very tempted by these, sound like what I'm after. But my current pickups might be ok with a height adjust...we'll see. [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1354792553' post='1890362'] Not sure what you mean by "wmeat"... [/quote] Its a new word, didn't you know!? HA was obviously meant to be 'eat'. I think i have some experiments to do. Im pretty sure i'm sold on rounds though! So as i said, my first experiment is raiding the pickups, and getitng a set of swing bass srtings and see how that goes. Thought i'd also attach a picture of the bass in question that was my first build and was finished and built myself. its the same now, I've just added a babicz bridge. Really appreciate the help!

Thanks for the info, it's helped loads. People talk about it like it happens really fast. But that sounds fine with me. So before pickups my first port of call is to get some rounds, and raise the pickups and give it another setup. And we'll see where I go from there. The jazz bass strings sound nice, just not what km after. For what I've got, I feel like I should have a better tone than I have. So will get on the case and let you know how it goes. If anyone has any other ideas then feel free to let me know. Thanks again, Adam

I did look to the swing bass stings. I heard that they wmeat up your fingerboard quite a bit. Do you know if thats the case? A friend has wizards in his classic vibe jazz, I think they did a set of 70s pickups for him. They sound really nice!

On paper they look really good. Not a bad price either. I just wasn't sure if a preamp like an aguilar 2 band would give me the tone I need. Thought I'd see what everyone else thinks.

Hi, I currently have a set of Tonerider jazz pickups in an ash fretless jazz with ebony fingerboard. I'm on the lookout for a different set of pickups. They just seem a bit lifeless on a fretless. I'm using rotosound jazz bass strings, so could be the string choice or even both... Any ideas on pickups (or strings for that matter) for a jazz bass fretless for a more modern rounded fretless sound with a hint of jaco mwah? Or, would a pre amp help with this? Ah help wood be great thanks, Adam

Just a little update.... All the parts have now been ordered minus a couple of electrical switches. Warmoth parts should be here in a few weeks, can't wait for that. Yesterday I ordered a custom nordstrand NJ5S in 17.5mm bridge spacing for my neck pickup. Aswell asthe pickuo, also on its way are black ultralite tuners, black A style bridge, hipshot knobs and hipshot string retainers, they should be here in about a month, wish it was sooner, but will be worth it. Its looking like a new year build, but will be posting plenty of pics, so don't you worry about that. Thanks, Adam

Yea I think you're right, just curious to how hard it would be. Sounds like a lot of fiddling about. It's a deluxe 5 fender headstock with 4 on one side and 1 on the lower side. Just wanted something light, as its a warmoth neck made from Wenge and ebony, so wanted to keep the weight down. Thanks, Adam

Yea, I hear nothing but good things about warmoth. Think I'm going to have a switch that switches between humbucker series, single coil and humbucker parallel. Gives me various options but not too many, I think you can easily over complicate things. No idea on the wiring diagram for the preamp and that kind of switching, cross that bridge when I get to it I suppose. Thanks Adam

Hi, I've looked at these tuners, but was wondering if anyone knows of slightly cheaper alternatives? Don't necessarily need to be Ultralite, but the lighter the better, and they need to come in black. I was looking at around £100 for a 5 string set. Thanks, Adam

Right, so do you know what finish they put on the black tuners?

Warmoth bass on order and I have the Nordstrand preamp and my nordy mm5.4 arrived today.

Hi, I have a chance to get a set of cheap hipshot ultralite bass tuners in chrome, I was wondering how difficult it would be to take these apart and get them sprayed black. Not sure if they'll contain lots of little washers etc. Has anyone repaired these or taken them apart for whatever reason? Cost of spraying is no issue, my girlfriends dad sprays cars, and has already sprayed a neck plate and screw heads for me. Thanks, Adam