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Here's a couple pics of the fingerboard refinish on my L 2500. Removed the dots, added small dots at each old fret location. I used Min-Wax "Polyshades" in "espresso" tint for several very thin coats, then half and half with Wipe-On Poly Satin, followed by straight Wipe-On Poly Satin. Wet sanded to ...

i have owned an Icon 5 for almost three years.

I would not hesitate to buy another

Made in USA, a family owned company. Worth the wait.

I tried recently to lay down a glass sheen CA glue finish on a rosewood board that had previously been polyed. It didn't stick very well and I ended up chipping it off, damaging the rosewood a bit, having to fill in some dings, and then just today have started over with Min Wax Polyshades satin Poly...

I am considering doing an epoxy coating on the bass I defretted, and wanted to ask for input of any kind. Things like prep, what's the best brand of epoxy, what to do around the edges, what grit to do the finish sanding with, and anything else, I have a radiused sanding block that matches the 12 inc...

Remember to loosen the truss rod to absolutely straight before you do the final sanding with a radiused sanding block.

Hats off to all who have been brave enough to take the plunge into the de-fretting project!

When you cut off the tip, you have two ends of the original tip. Take a small round file and just barely dish the two cut ends. Bend then apart and make them kind of match the length of the existing fret you are about to pull. The dished end will help you keep it on the fret, and help make a good co...

I use DR Black Beauties on my defretted bass that has a rosewood fingerboard. I run a low action and am real easy on my basses. Elixirs aren't too bad, but the end up looking like they need a shave after a little while. There's also the squashed round wounds like GHS "Pressure wound" and I think Rot...

Another idea I used on a bass I defretted is to have a white marker at each old fret line, and the original markers that were actually between fretlines still there. Works for me. Your mileage may vary. I'd agree that you would want the 12th fret position to stand out, regardless of what you end up ...

.010" is where I ended up with two basses I defretted. .005" may be possible if you are very careful. Go very easy on it. And then some pencil lead (graphite) in the slots will help the string not bind as you tune up. You'll find that the straightness of the neck will have a lot to do with tone. I u...

On one of thew defrets I did, I carefully painted side markers at each old fret line with white nail polish.

Works very well for me, but your mileage may vary.

Another thing you might try is playing the dead spot note and pressing on the pick guard at various locations. I found a dead spot that way once. Any loose piece can do the same thing, so go over the entire instrument. Retaining nuts on the posts of the machine heads are another place to look for. A...

Boz Burrell on the early Bad Company recordings.
Stanley Sheldon with Peter Frampton in the same era.

Nowadays it's Brian Bromberg, Tal Wilkenfield, Roscoe Beck, and anyone who doesn't piddly diddly slappety whack through every last song they do.

On one of my defretted basses, with the filler material not visible as a line, I painted little square dots on the player's side at the end of the old fret slot, only visible to me. White nail polish was what I used, and it's really held up well. I've noticed that you can't really see lines on the f...

Hold the bass in playing position. Hold a string down at the first and 15th "fret" positions. Then look midway between at the gap under the string. Most fretless basses will play well with .010 to .030" relief. Always look at the relief first, before you adjust the bridge height. Once you get it to ...

What he said. I would add that I found it easier to adapt to fretless than I though it would be, as long as I stay focused. But I played fretted basses for years before I tried fretless. It also seems like vocalists sound more in tune against a fretless, providing, of course, that the bass player ha...