RE: OT fretless

["Goddard, Duncan" <goddard.duncan@mtvne.com>]

>>I see no reason to use epoxy,it's not removeable and will change the
resonant character of the wood,as it doesn't flex the same way If you
think you need a hard finish,a standard finish from plyuerathane to
nitro cullulose should work fine.<<

I can't speak for jaco, but many other bassists who've defretted their
instruments, especially ones that they like, are concerned about the
deleterious effects of roundwound strings on the unprotected wood. 
I have a few fretless necks myself where a couple of years of using r/w
strings has left it's mark on the fingerboard. eventually, this
interferes with the playing action, causing buzzes & so forth. 

I think jaco realised this when he acquired his first fretless bass- the
frets had been taken out by a previous owner ("it looked like someone
had taken a hatchet to it!"). his response was to try to get a finish
like glass, which with the roundwound strings he used resulted in the
distinctive bright sound he wanted, actually much closer to the sound of
a fretted instrument than some of the fretless basses that have come
along since.

so if I want my fretless rickenbacker (a professionally defretted 4001)
to sound like a regular 4001, with roundwound strings & no long-term
fingerboard damage, then epoxy is probably the way to go. the trick is
to stop the wood from soaking up too much of the liquid, & persuade the
coating to stay on the surface..... 

d.