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Defret


krazy_olie
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I was thinking about splashing out on a cheap fretless bass, as fretless is something I want to be playing but I live off a student loan so big spending is not an option. However it occurred to me that I could just have my Ibanez GSR-200 defretted for what I imagine would be less money. Would anyone recommend for/against having this done. Are there any major disadvantages to having a defretted neck? I would go for a lined one anyway so that doesn't bother me

How much would it cost? I could probably do it myself but I know I would just screw it up. Images of a hacked up fretboard spring to mind.

Cheers Olie

Edited by krazy_olie
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I have asked this question myself, and it seems the only issue is the unsightly lines of whatever you use to fill the fret grooves with. it is supposed to be a fairly simple task that one could tackle at home, and another option is filing the existing frets smooth - which would require more patience than skill.

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here's a link

[url="http://www.geocities.com/charlesarms/"]http://www.geocities.com/charlesarms/[/url]

the one above appears to be competent... I'm pretty sure I found a professional one somewhere hosted by Bassplayer, but that one is refusing to load...

there are one or two very scary "guides" out there... some with chisels being used to remove the frets...

there is a sticky thread about it over at TalkBass ducks... wonder if we have one...

hmmm we need one... perhaps this could be stickied?

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i did a pretty goood job on my old p bass copy but for my current bass i had it done by a pro cost me £70 which was not bad money cos he did an amazing job.

if you do it yourself youve got to watch out for the neck bowing as the frets help keep it straight and when removed it tries to fill the gap where they were.

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Machines has defretted his Vintage bass and said it was easier than he thought it would be. Also have a look at this link:

[url="http://www.geocities.com/charlesarms/"]http://www.geocities.com/charlesarms/[/url]

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Thanks for the link. Think I will definately defret it just an issue of DIY or shelling out a bit of cash. The Bass Gallery site says £70, which is a lot more than doing it by myself but at least I'd be guaranteed of a pro job and it's still quite a bit cheaper than buying a new bass.

Edited by krazy_olie
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It was a Yamaha RBX775 actually !

Defretting is indeed a piece of cake, making it a tidy affair however - is the hard bit. If you want it to look super neat and professional - i'd get a professional to do it.

If you just want something to knock about and try out fretless - save the cash and do it yourself.

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I'd say have a go and take your time, I did it to an old westone thunder II - and subsequently sold it on ebay for about £70 IIRC. As mentioned above, you need to fill in the fret gaps, I used strips of veneer from an antiques restoration supplier. They fitted the gaps perfectly.

I used a soldering iron to warm the frets and melt the glue a bit and then gently lift them out with a set of pliers

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