Re: OT fretless

["jerry macdonald" <jjmco@sympatico.ca>]

i think jaco was more interested in glassing his brain,then his 
frettboard....MICMANUS
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Goddard, Duncan" <goddard.duncan@mtvne.com>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 11:27 AM
Subject: RE: OT fretless


>>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.