How do I take the frets off of my bass guitar to make it fretless?

Answer 1

Apply a soldering iron to the top of the fret for about 20 seconds (this will melt the glue under), lift from the side with a screwdriver and finish removing with pliers. This should be done fast but with care not to chip the fingerboard wood. You can fill the fret slots with wood filler (which is not the best way but cheaper) or with strips of wood such as maple. Apply a coat of super glue, which fills the slots and epoxy to finish. You will then have to adjust the truss rod so the strings won't buzz.

Answer 2

If it's a cheapie, yeah, go ahead, but remember that those 4 fat strings put a fair bit of tension on the neck of that bass. Removing the frets will leave 18-odd slots in the top, and the result could be that the neck warps. And you'll end up with a bass harp. You really want that? You'll look like a (....) with that harp. If you do it, that is. And a fretless bass is a whole different thing when it comes to playing. Good luck anyway.

Answer 3

Hi Ryan--

Simple answer: you don't. Pulling the frets out of a guitar/bass neck will ruin the fretboard, and it can't be fixed with wood filler. The reason is that even if you can exactly match the color of the wood filler to the fretboard, changes in temperature and humidity will cause the neck to expand/contract, and you'll end up with a fretboard that has cracked wood filler or gaps between the filler and the wood.

The best and cheapest alternative to this would be to buy a fretless replacement neck, which you can obtain from, amongst others, the good folks at Warmoth guitar parts for under $100 (not cheap, but definitely a better alternative than an unplayable instrument).

Best of luck.

Answer 4

you have to buy a fretless bass, you can not take out the ones you have in there now. maybe you could buy a new neck with out frets

Answer 5

see Tony Levins Bass Guitar it may be called a stick,and his music is sweet,exspecially with Bill Bruford