Fretless guitar

[demetan]

Hi,

I have an Ibanez SC 620 and I would like to convert it to a fretless guitar. I've got some questions about this conversion.

1- Can we do that ? (This is the most important question )

2- Should I change all my fingerboard ?

3- Should I change the pickup or other stuff of my guitar ?

4- Can we replace frets by a white line (more easy to find the good notes )

5- Is it expensive ? Is it hard to do ?

Finally, If you have already done this transformation perhaps you could let your experience here.

Many thanks

CIAO CIAO

[rob]

You don't really need to replace a lot apart from the frets really! all you got to do is heat the frets (soldering iron is good) then pull them out using some pliers, be careful here though because the tang( thats the little barb that holds them in tight) might decide to rip a chunk out of yuor fret board. To do the wihte lines, as you call em', you get some kind of thin, light coloured wood thats just thick enough too replace your frets( I found chip forks are good for this) and glue them in using pva glue. Now just cut off what evers poking out and sand using a radiused sanding block, then ethier finish the board if its maple or use some kind of oil if rose wood or eboney.

Hopethis helps! Rob

[Roli]

A quite interesting writing here.

[soapbarstrat]

I would try to do it so it's reversible, in case you don't like it fret-less or ever decide to sell it, the buyer would probably prefer that the mod is reversible. I'd measure the fret tang widths (not including the "beads") then find a material that same thickness , so it can be tapped in the slots with a snug fit that doesn't need glue to keep it in there. Aluminum is my first thought, but plastic or wood would do too. I guess If you were to use wood, a LITTLE glue might be good. I would just put a dab of glue at a couple spots, so later most of the "filler strip" could be popped out and a saw or knife blade could get the glued spots out.

You can make the inlay strips by using thicker material and shaving it down. Would be best to sand one side of it dead flat, double stick tape it to a board (the flatter, the better), then use a router on raised supports to rout the material thinner. This might not work so good on anything harder than wood. Probably not good to use the router on aluminum, although, if you buy a bit that can handle it, go ahead.

Of course, if you decide the fret-board needs to be made tougher, then it's going to get a lot more irreversible, if you coat the board with epoxy.

Another idea is to put a phenolic fret-board on the neck. I'd look for a neck with a trashed fret-board and put a new fret-board on that. I saw an 80's Schecter neck on ebay the other day that had been scalloped. Something like that might be good (if it's cheap enough)

[krazyderek]

i like the idea in that article about just leaving the fret slots open, then u can feel ur way around the board. And that seems like the most reversible option so far. Also wouldn't u have to lower the nut and bridge by the height of the frets that are now gone to acheive ur previous action?