Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

setting up a fretless


sbrag
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi. Ive just got my first fretless which is a nice sunburst mim jazz. Only thing is the action is a little high for my taste especially higher up the neck. Im ok at tweaking action and intonation but just wondered if there is anything extra to be careful about with a fretless or is it easier as you dont have to worry about fret buzz? Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Im in the process of converting a fretted to a fretless, and ive found help in the guide below. There is a bit about setting up a bass later on in the document, so if it helps, brill - if not, im sure ill be posting the same question in about a week!

[url="http://www.bassdefret.com/book/bd_ebook_001/bass_defret_ebook.pdf"]http://www.bassdefret.com/book/bd_ebook_001/bass_defret_ebook.pdf[/url]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Setting the intonation on a fretless can be interesting, some people say the saddles are usually moved back a little further (increasing the string length) than on a fretted.

After a while I gave up trying to set my intonation scientifically and instead adjusted it until the higher notes were in tune where I expected to find them. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like Panamonte, I adjust the neck to be as straight as possible. I adjust the string height to be low as well and play with a light touch (most folks cannot play my fretteds the action is so low). I intonate the bass at the octave bar, although I have in the past set it at the 5th fret since a lot of playing tends to be there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Check the nut slots are deep enough so the strings are 'not far off' touching the fingerboard at that point, then you can work on the truss rod & saddle height, (+ intonation), to get a really low action. A 24" steel rule or even a proper straight edge is very useful for showing up high spots & the correct relief .

Is it a original fretless neck or a de-fret? The latter is likely to have the nut too high

Edited by KiOgon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi. Thanks for all the advice. Its an original fretless Mexican jazz not a defret but it is lined so hoping this will make doing the intonation a bit easier. I'll have a look at the neck relief but always feel more nervous tweaking a trust rod!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...