dazza14 Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 (edited) I've recently become hooked by my second hand Vintage 'Jaco' lined fretless bass, i'm playing it every chance i get and i'm loving the sounds and playability of the thing. BUT it's got me wondering how i can combine my new found love for fretless and long-time love for Squier basses... I watched a YouTube vid about Tony Franklin explaining his Fender sig bass and i likes it. A lot! I'm now toying with the idea of, when money is available, picking up a cheapo Squier P Special (i know you all know this but it's the one with the split precision pickups and a cheeky jazz bridge pickup) from The Bay, add a fretless neck and then hopefully, if the wiring isn't too difficult, add a selector switch - a la TF sig bass - and voila! a budget version of the Fender bass. I just like the idea that i could use this bass for more things than my current jazz style fretless. I currently play reggae, ska, country, rock and punk with my jazz and sometimes it lacks a little punch that i think a precision could give me. Plus also i like the thought of doing this. I'm a little surprised the Special doesn't come in a fretless version... Anyway, any tips on this? Has it been done? Is it a total headache to do? I can see the wiring as being the main sticking point, oh and getting a fretless neck that is good but doesn't end up costing a fortune! Edited May 14, 2013 by dazza14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 (edited) Do a Jaco - pull the frets out & fill it You could probably do a half reasonable job with tile grout & have the fret lines in whatever colour you like. I bought a Squier P-bass Special on here at a very reasonable price, intending to use it for a project. However it was such a good bass I hadn't the heart to start messing with it. I'll have to find another donor one day... Edit: Plus, de-fretting the neck means you still have a matching headstock Edited May 14, 2013 by Norris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza14 Posted May 14, 2013 Author Share Posted May 14, 2013 Thats a darn fine point! I actually didn't think of defretting it. I read somewhere that defretted necks are better than fretless ones... um, i can't for the life of me remember why though... I saw a rather nice looking granite coloured bass on ebay with a black s/plate, thought it was really nice and i don't think it sold for very much. Adding the selector switch might be an issue but this website is choc-full of resources and helpful people when it comes to advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 (edited) Feel free to give me a shout if you need help/advice if/when you want to fit a switch Cheerz, John PS: Now you've made me want to go play my Jaco Edited May 14, 2013 by KiOgon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza14 Posted May 14, 2013 Author Share Posted May 14, 2013 It's 100% absolutely certain that i'll be in touch IF i get the bass for the right money. I'm thinking it would be a three way switch (Jazz, Jazz/P, P) but i've no idea how these things really work and if actually it would be a five-way switch with different mixes of J/P. And THATS exactly the reason why i'll be in touch! Thanks KiOgon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Three's plenty. I did experiment with a push pull to wire the PJ in series with each other but ran into difficulty with noise so I removed it and went back to straight 3 way with vol and tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 I played a second hand de-fretted Squier P Special in a music shop years ago. It was very light and felt cheap and plasticy but played very very nicely and had a good tone. If you get the Squier cheap on eBay just whip out the frets yourself, or buy a cheap fretless neck from eBay or a parts website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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