fretless guitar...

unsane

unsane

Member
spur of the moment idea came to me to defret one of my old POS guitars and turn it into a fretless.

does anyone know where i can get a fret puller to remove the frets? i read that some end nippers with a flat head can be used after heating up the frets. i'm aware of the stewmac specialised fret pulling tool but i'm not really big on shipping it in for a one-off fun job. maybe if someone buys it off me afterwards ;)

some preliminary efforts with a soldering iron and to smallest pliers i could find didnt work out,the frets didnt budge. suggestions anyone? i'm not really concerned with chipping and such,its an old $100 guitar anyhow..
 
PLEASE BE concerned about any chipping - it could be crucial for the follow up fret job.

Heat the frets until u hear or see the glue under the frets starting to "sizzle"..then Use a pair of straight cut nippers (flush cut) to slowly work the old fret out - TAKE YOUR TYME...

The flush cut cutter is available at good sationary shops and can be used to also flush cut the ends of frets when putting in the nw frets. A good pair cost me $20 bot from rochor comlpex.

Lastly pass to me - I cun/cun defret for you for $30
 
thanks farid for the awesome job defretting my neck for me. just filled in the fret slots and resanded the board...here it is



fretboard01.jpg


this should be fun :twisted:
 
defret...

mr unsane... who did that 4 u? u got his no? how much did he charge u? and total cost of doing everyting.
 
unsane said:
thanks farid for the awesome job defretting my neck for me. just filled in the fret slots and resanded the board...here it is



fretboard01.jpg


this should be fun :twisted:
Click to expand...

read the previous posts for more clues :roll:
 
Dude she looks like she's coming along just great. But you might want to think about finishing the fretboard in a harder more useable finish. Have to remember the fact that the strings have to resonate afterall. I believe if they are just left on barewood they might not really sustain all that good.

Companies which have fretless options use brass and glass as far as I know, only Godin (Pronounced GO-DAAN) uses bare wood on their's, but the strings are nylon.

Vai's fretless on his triple neck monster is bare wood, but you have to remember that he's got a sustainer constantly vibrating his strings.

Nice work. :)
 
heh im aware of the sustain problems with bare wood fretboards.. will just be playing around with it as it is for now to see if there any practical usage for fretless in my playing.. i'll be doing an epoxy resin or hard polyurethane finish eventually heh. http://www.epoxyfretless.com/

looking for an e-bow too :wink:
 
Man I think that epoxy thing is the way to go!

8) Looks top notch! 8)

Jazz strings are mostly flatwound.

Dude I can't wait to hear how it sounds like. Just remember to tune up and get that intonation down :wink:

All the best man keep us posted!
 
heh i'm considering using flatwounds on it but they're expensive and i go through strings like nobody's business.
best part about fretless instruments is..if the intonation's off...move your finger :wink:
 
abt the intonation thing... well, you can move your finger but since you got your fretlines there, might as well adjust intonation so when you land on those fretlines, you are relatively in tune...

what do you think?
 
When playing a fretless instrument, it's best to develop muscle memory rather depending on lookin at the lines and using ur ears to "combat zero". Thing is, if u need to use ur ears to correct ur pitching, you're already out in the first place.
 
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