Fretless setup, line-markers causing "buzz"?

L

larrysb

Mar 23, 2020
399
595
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$ilicon Valley
#1
Ok, a simple question and a strange one:

What are your setup prefs for string height and neck relief for a fretless J-bass?

Typically on a fretted bass, I start with relief adjustment capo at 1st measured at 7, fretted at 17, then string action height above the top of the 17th fret and bottom of the strings to factory setup specs, then adjust to taste and set intonation.

I've heard varied opinions on fretless setups.

Also, I've got in my hands a fretless that the fretline markers are thin plastic inserts into the fretboard. There's a point as my finger slides up towards the line that I get a little tiny "fret buzz" right ahead of the line marker and I think it is the line marker itself. It goes away right over and past the line marker, until sliding up close to the next one. The markers seem to protrude ever so slightly from the rosewood in places. By slightly, I mean just barely sense it dragging a fingernail over it. Mostly evident on the small strings, (flatwound Fender 9050 .100-.045).

I think the fretboard might have suffered a low-humidity condition of the type that causes, "end sprout", which seems to have caused some of the lines to ever-so-slightly protrude above the board surface.

My inclination is to get a radius block out and lightly sand fretboard surface to make it uniform. Or do I just need to set the action higher than 6/64"?
 
#3
This is a cautionary tale: If at all possible, never buy a fretless where the fret line markers are anything but a similar wood to the rest of the fingerboard. They will come and go with the fingerboard with changes over time.

Plastic doesn't, as in this case, sometimes you even get fret sprout on a fretless ! It's more common on less expensive fretless axes, but always go with wood lines inlaid if at all an option.

Otherwise, you'd simply need to have the fingerboard, markers and all, leveled, hopefully by someone experienced. Once that's out of the way, then you work your setup.
 
#4
larrysb said:
Ok, a simple question and a strange one:

What are your setup prefs for string height and neck relief for a fretless J-bass?

Typically on a fretted bass, I start with relief adjustment capo at 1st measured at 7, fretted at 17, then string action height above the top of the 17th fret and bottom of the strings to factory setup specs, then adjust to taste and set intonation.
Click to expand...

In general the action will be lower than a fretted bass specs, and neck relief as flat as possible. But how low depends on what you’re looking for. If you want lots of “mwah” and for the bass to always sound fretless, get it as low as you can. If you want to have it sound like a normal bass and get a bit of mwah when you want by adjusting your technique, make it a bit higher. At one time i had two fretless, the only basses i had, so i had one setup each way and it was great. The fretless Stingray strings would be literally on the fingerboard if they were more than just a few cents flat, but it sounded awesome when i wanted that fretless sound (the nut from the factory was cut so low that there really wasn’t any other option for that bass than to use it that way).

Expect some trial and error on this as you figure out what you’re looking for and what height will achieve the balance you want.
 
#5
That can happen with plastic fret markers. Hopefully the fingerboard has largely stabilized and you’ll only have to do it once. Dressing a fretless board is best done with a long, flat beam with sandpaper following the string paths then working it across the board to even out the facets. It should be covered in Bruce’s thread linked above.
 
#6
Yes, a sanding beam makes more sense than my first thought of a radius block. It shouldn’t take much to level it.

Thanks for the setup tips.

Noted on the plastic fret-line markers. Next time, I’ll either go unlined or wooden inlays.
 
#7
MonetBass said:
Yes, fret markers on a lined fretless board can protrude, causing the buzz you have. Here is a thread from @Bruce Johnson talking about how to properly sand the strings paths on a fretless board: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/sa...or-fretless-conversion.1637547/#post-28136527
Click to expand...

Matt Liebenau said:
That can happen with plastic fret markers. Hopefully the fingerboard has largely stabilized and you’ll only have to do it once. Dressing a fretless board is best done with a long, flat beam with sandpaper following the string paths then working it across the board to even out the facets. It should be covered in Bruce’s thread linked above.
Click to expand...

Thanks, the sanding beam worked perfectly. Used a high grit since I didn't want to be aggressive on it and it didn't need but a few strokes to remedy the buzz. Used some of the dust and super glue to fix a small divot. Rosewood board actually looks better now after the light sanding, cleaned with naphtha and some fingerboard dressing on it.

The instrument was made in August 2023 per all the date stamps on the neck and neck pocket. It was from the national chain that's shutting, liquidation sale.

I'm going to start another thread on some issues I ran into with the setup.
 
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