D.I. Joe Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Greetings fellow Low-End Lotharios! Having pulled the frets out of my cheapo Shine 5 string today, just wondering from your guys' experience what would be the best way fill (or otherwise) the gaps where the frets once were. According to the Fender Bass Manual you should use veneer strips, but could you just use wood filler? I could follow APA's method of applying a thin layer on top of the fingerboard, but this bass has funky planet inlays and I'd like to keep them on display if possible. What do we reckon? Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I used maple veneers from ebay stuck in with superglue, worked perfectly. I did use a radius sanding block from StewMac to flatten them off afterwards which was the most expensive element Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyf Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Bit of filler if you've been careful not to damage the slots as you've taken them out? Easy to smooth off and lightly sand without changing the profile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 (edited) The reason veneer strips the same thickness as the fret tang are used is for structural stability. There are those luthiers who, going the other way, actually cut their fret slots narrow so when all the frets are seated there is some natural backbow, taking stress off the truss rod. Without the veneer inserts in the fret tang slots, your neck is at risk of folding up like a pretzel, in spite of a good truss rod. Edited November 25, 2012 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.I. Joe Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1353802261' post='1878673'] The reason veneer strips the same thickness as the fret tang are used is for structural stability. There are those luthiers who, going the other way, actually cut their fret slots narrow so when all the frets are seated there is some natural backbow, taking stress off the truss rod. Without the veneer inserts in the fret tang slots, your neck is at risk of folding up like a pretzel, in spite of a good truss rod. [/quote] Really? I didn't think that the depth of the fret slots would be sufficient enough to make a real difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mentalextra Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 (edited) Yeah, I was surprised at how deep the frets actually go, and I found that I had to play with the truss rod once it had all settled down. Also, I used a small tube of wood filler from B&Q to fill the slots, which is surprisingly expensive as most DIY stuff is these days! I chose a nice dark colour to match my rosewood! You might end up playing with the "nut" height too. Also, for what its worth, get that neck as smooth as possible and highly polished as possible finish off with 2000 grit at least, it will sound better! Edited November 27, 2012 by mentalextra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.I. Joe Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 Finished it off yesterday and it worked pretty well! Went down the filler route in the end as I figured that veneers would be so much unneccessary time and hassle for what is a tear-up-a-£60-bass-and-see-what-happens kind of job. Got a tube of (rather suspicios looking...) darkwood filler from B&Q for the fret slots, left it to dry overnight and then sanded it off with a power sander - a few times over with 60p, then a couple of times with 100p, then a little 150p and finished off with a once over with wet and dry. Spent a good chunk of the afternoon sliding harmonics Pics to follow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apa Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 [quote name='D.I. Joe' timestamp='1354296604' post='1884627'] Finished it off yesterday and it worked pretty well! Went down the filler route in the end as I figured that veneers would be so much unneccessary time and hassle for what is a tear-up-a-£60-bass-and-see-what-happens kind of job. Got a tube of (rather suspicios looking...) darkwood filler from B&Q for the fret slots, left it to dry overnight and then sanded it off with a power sander - a few times over with 60p, then a couple of times with 100p, then a little 150p and finished off with a once over with wet and dry. [b]Spent a good chunk of the afternoon sliding harmonics[/b] Pics to follow... [/quote] Ha ha They are a bit addictive . Would love to see the pics. You ok with no lines but the side dots in the wrong place? I find them confusing. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.I. Joe Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 Seem to be having trouble uploading photos at the moment :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mentalextra Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 I know the wood filler you mean, I thought it was expensive actually, much like all DIY stuff these days . I found that it was much easier to use when warmed up a little. I did have to redo a bit after sanding due to small air bubbles having formed and showing themselves. Although I got mine down to 2000grit. But, I am quite happy with the noises my old Yam makes! But I am currently hunting down a squire jazz as a project as I want something that I can play around with the sound a little more. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 I've tried filler and veneer , the latter is neater , but as you say it's disposable bass to see how you get on. I dod once try a fretless in a shop , I think it was new and had unfilled slots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irvined Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Hi, Here's a pic of my £21 DIY fretless (hopefully!). I filled with veneer and then applied a really hard varnish. Using roundwounds and the fretboard is standing up o.k. (so far) Cheers, Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.I. Joe Posted December 7, 2012 Author Share Posted December 7, 2012 [quote name='irvined' timestamp='1354884619' post='1891578'] Hi, Here's a pic of my £21 DIY fretless (hopefully!). I filled with veneer and then applied a really hard varnish. Using roundwounds and the fretboard is standing up o.k. (so far) Cheers, Doug [/quote] Looking good! I still haven't got round to taking any decent photos of mine! I didn't even think about varnishing though... The bass sounds fine but I guess I'll wait and see how much serious use it gets before I varnish. Hopefully it won't need it with flats. Welcome to Basschat btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 I've done 3 with filler now, and 2 have had a little issue with only just enough adjustment on the truss rod. It could be just the basses though, as I had a fretted one of the same sort that wouldn't adjust far enough. Ended up replacing the truss rod on that one. I defretted a Vox standard and that was fine in every respect. The filler didn't seem to erode any more than the maple f/b. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irvined Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Hi, Thanks for the welcome, I've been lurking for far too long! Originally I put epoxy on the fretboard, but I managed to sand it all off first time I prepared the nex finish. Second time the masking tape leaked all over the bench. So sanded everything off the fretboard and then had to re-finish the back of the neck. Used danish oil for that, works quite well. I ended up varnishing as I was really fed up with the trouble the epoxy had caused. I used a water based varnish first and that lasted one rehearsal before eating up! The extra hard varnish I got from Homebase seems(!) to be standing up to the abuse. I only use the fretless for one song so it doesn't get too much use. Cheers, Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Good work Doug! I did exactly the same with an old Hohner Rockwood bass. Thought about using veneer strips, decided it looked too fiddly and opted for wood filler instead (used the same product you did). Was a bit surprised to discover that it dries a lot lighter than when wet, but on the upside it left clear fret markers which I've since found to be very useful! I put many coats of varnish on mine. Something like a dozen layers, all thinly applied, then gently sanded. To date I've seen no real signs of wear and tear (using flatwounds). I need to sort out the action on it sometime - and I've been planning on upgrading the p'ups and electrics on it too - but no rush. It's proved to be a great 'project bass' so far Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolando Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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