fretless adventure

[ninja fetus]

I have an ibanez sr 300 dx

I wanted a fretless ibanez sr 300 dx

I heated up the frets with a soldering iron for about 30 seconds each and pried them out carefully with a knife. Easy. Then I took a knife and ran it through again from each side to push out any glues or wood left behind.

Sanding. Using 180 grit sand paper I sanded down my fretboard, neck and head because I could. It feels much more smooth and elegant. I took the same paper to the plastic veneer on the top of the head and from sanding in one direction it gave a black brushed aluminum sort of look and I'm really surprised that I like what I've done.

I'll post some pictures soon after I go get a new nut and strings. All that's left to do is insert some wood strips to fill the gap where the frets should be, glue them in, and level the baby down.
Trouble is... 1/16" wide 4" long strips of wood are going to be incredibly hard to find!

 

[Anti-Trend]

If I was you, I would just use wood putty and stain it to look like your neck. Wood strips that small wouldn't add anything to your resonance anyway. You might as well go the easy route with wood putty-- easy to find, easy to apply, easy to sand & level. It'll still look "off", but with the right stain and a little care you can get it looking pretty natural.

P.S. - Flatwound strings will make a huge difference in playability and sound for a fretless. Get yourself a set!

 

[ninja fetus]

mm flatwounds, I'll pick some up on a couple months the ones I'm playing now still have life left in them.

I might resort to wood putty if I can't find thin wood

I am kinda wondering what I can do to my neck to make it a smoother surface like a finish?

Also, I know I should get a bone nut instead of this plastic one know of any online shops that might have one?