# Defretted my 6-string...how I did it.



## Shannon (Oct 18, 2007)

....and man, it's COOL! 

I picked up one of these a few months back. I've been wanting to get a fretless 6-string for my soon-to-be Primus tribute, but I just couldn't find one in my price range that I liked. Rondo does make a fretless version of this bass, but I wanted mine to be lined. 

I'm happy to report that it was a great success & it was easy to do. Here's how I did it...


Mask off each side of the fret. Pull the fret out slowly with each a set of flathead cutting pliers or toe nail clippers. Repeat until all are out.
Sand the fretboard using 200 grit sandpaper.
I then coated the fretboard with a coat of Lincoln Black Leather dye. Stay with me...I then sanded with 200, then 400. What this trick did was it brought out the grain of the rosewood much more. Instead of a basic rosewood look, I got the look of massacar ebony with lots of rich brown and the depth that the black shades provide. Very cool!
Mask off each fret & add white wood putty for the lines. Push the putty into the old fret slots until packed full. Wait for it to harden.
Sand the fretboard with 200, then 400 to even out the fretboard & the wood putty.
Mask off the entire bass minus the fretboard. Apply 3 coats of Minwax Polyurethane Clear Gloss in a spray can. For each coat, do this...spray, wait at least 2 hours (or more), lightly sand with 400, then repeat. On the last coat, sand lightly with 200, then 400, and finally a very fine steel wool. I used 000#.
Slao on some strings, adjust the bridge & nut as needed & you are in business! SIMPLE!
*NOTE:* I used orange oil to clean the fretboard after every sanding venture. 

In addition, I bought a jazz bass body from Rondo & plan to marry my now "lined fretless" Douglas neck to a Jazz body. Not only would a 6-string fretless jazz bass look great, but it I believe the overall bass would be much more balanced. The Douglas' current body is small and has a pretty short upper horn. This flaw adds quite a bit of neck dive. The jazz body's longer upper horn & bigger body should reduce the neck dive to a minimum, if at all. And did I mention is would just be COOL?!?!!

Anyway, this would a fun project and I'm glad I took it on. Anyone who's hesitating, just do it! I had a blast. I'm waiting for my set of Elixirs strings to get here & once I install them, I'll snap some pics. Now to get on with this body swap project, but first, I better go play some kick ass Primus lines on my new toy.

_"Jerry was a race car driver...."_


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## Naren (Oct 18, 2007)

Sounds sweet. But you know that you're missing something... PICTURES! I want to see what it looks like after reading all that.


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## distressed_romeo (Oct 18, 2007)

Naren said:


> Sounds sweet. But you know that you're missing something... PICTURES! I want to see what it looks like after reading all that.


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## BigM555 (Oct 18, 2007)




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## Desecrated (Oct 18, 2007)

BigM555 said:


>



+1


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## Shawn (Oct 18, 2007)

Nice!  Yeah, pics would be cool.


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## bostjan (Oct 18, 2007)

I love fretless bass. Our bass player once defretted a five string Warwick with a pair of pliers and a pair of nail clippers. 

Sounds like a great success, though Shannon!

I would have reccomended using a variable power soldering iron to help coax the frets out more gently, but hey, whatever gets the job done the cheapest and fastest without screwing it up is the best way, right?

Oh, and of course,


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## Leon (Oct 18, 2007)

once the pictures are up, you should repost this in the Tech section 

so, do you play more bass these days than guitar?


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## Suho (Oct 18, 2007)

A Primus tribute band? That SUCKS!

 

I have loved them forever. I have tried and tried to play Tommy the Cat with any semblance of how well Les plays it, but have always failed. I have both tab books of theirs. One teacher I had years ago could rip through their songs after only listening to a tape I brought him for like 2 minutes. That guy was amazing, and he mostly played jazz. 

If you can play Tommy the Cat with this, you are truly a god. Of course, on this thread you won't even be viewed as that if you don't post some pics. It seems like a rough crowd here!  

Good job with the bass, too.


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## B Lopez (Oct 22, 2007)

bostjan said:


> I would have reccomended using a variable power soldering iron to help coax the frets out more gently, but hey, whatever gets the job done the cheapest and fastest without screwing it up is the best way, right?



What the heck? Please elaborate 

I've tried like 10 different pliers and have had no luck getting a fret to budge.


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## Variant (Oct 22, 2007)

Now, I *really* badly want get another GTBD7 and use the 'Shannon-method' on it! Thanks dude.


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## TomAwesome (Oct 22, 2007)

That's great! Would've made a great picstory, though


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## Jason (Dec 3, 2007)




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## cadenhead (Dec 3, 2007)

Not the best pics. But it's mine now!


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## Apophis (Dec 3, 2007)

Awesome. I like the look of fretless


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## ibznorange (Dec 4, 2007)

i've been thinking of doing that to a guitar for a while.
i do want a fretless bass. if my 5er doesnt sell (its on layaway but the guy hasnt been paying to the shop), i might try it on there first.

and shannon, comeon, you're a mod, you know to post pics lol


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## Shannon (Dec 4, 2007)

Thanks for posting the pics, Marco. He can attest.....I've been a _bit_ busy.


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## B Lopez (Dec 4, 2007)

ibznorange said:


> i've been thinking of doing that to a guitar for a while.



Did it to one of mine 






Still trying to get the string height at the nut right though.


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## Desecrated (Dec 4, 2007)

B Lopez said:


> Still trying to get the string height at the nut right though.



It's frightening low isn't it


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## ibznorange (Dec 28, 2007)

B Lopez said:


> What the heck? Please elaborate
> 
> I've tried like 10 different pliers and have had no luck getting a fret to budge.



trying to do this right now. no go 
anybody else had luck with this?


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## Popsyche (Dec 29, 2007)

I have played it. Shannon's(now Marco's) is absolutely killer!


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## cadenhead (Dec 29, 2007)

Popsyche said:


> I have played it. Shannon's(now Marco's) is absolutely killer!



That's right bitches! Sounds better than my Ibanez 5 string.


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## twooos (Dec 29, 2007)

Im defretting my guitar right now, just because of this thread! \METAL/

What you do is use a nail clipper (a sturdy metal one) to pinch the ends of the frets, and pull hard. Then, use some pliers to pull the fret out. Voila.


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## ibznorange (Dec 29, 2007)

i got it, i just laid my leathermans pliers with the edge parallel to the neck, and grabbed the fret. then i just rocked it up to the tip. nicked my board a wee bit, but nothing too bad. i'll do a bit of touching up before i fill in the fretslots


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## Shannon (Dec 29, 2007)

Awesome guys. Let's see some pics when you're done!


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## ibznorange (Dec 29, 2007)

definately. i dont have any of the process, what with 2 hands, but i've got before and after ripping the frets, still have to dye the board and fill it in


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## Ruins (Jan 15, 2008)

great pics every one thanks for sharing. i am waiting for pics from you Shannon too


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## Jason (Jan 15, 2008)

Ruins said:


> great pics every one thanks for sharing. i am waiting for pics from you Shannon too




"His" bass is now marcos (cadenhead)


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## Ruins (Jan 15, 2008)

ohh... i see, thanks


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