good idea? bad idea?

[Frantic Slayer]

fretting my fretless bongo

thanks

 

[silverburst]

How much does that cost?

 

[Frantic Slayer]

I have no idea, im more concerned with whether or not it will mess up the bass

probably a couple of hundred

 

[silverburst]

Done right, it should be fine. But I think the fretless ones sell for about what the fretted ones do, so it might be easier and cheaper to sell what you have and get what you want.

Or find someone on here to swap with.

Then again, it might be cool to have a fretted bongo with no inlays on it.

 

[Frantic Slayer]

Done right, it should be fine. But I think the fretless ones sell for about what the fretted ones do, so it might be easier and cheaper to sell what you have and get what you want.

Or find someone on here to swap with.

Then again, it might be cool to have a fretted bongo with no inlays on it.

or one with a pau ferro fingerboard, but I do agree with you, not sure what I want to do yet

off topic question but, how exactly does swapping work, how does that play out.

 

[Colin]

dumb idea, sorry if that sounds harsh. it would cost a fortune and would be non reversible to it's original condition.

 

[strummer]

I think it's a dumb idea.
But it's not undoable, and not too costly either. All you need is a good guy doing it and all should be fine. Except you'll end up with the dots on the side of the neck in weird positions of course, and you'll need a new nut.
Id say sell the bass and get a fretted one instead.

 

[Colin]

I was saying to factory condition...

 

[Frantic Slayer]

if I sold it, it would be for a single H bongo 5, and I have no idea where I would get one of those for a good price without having to custom order it!

 

[Kirby]

I would not do it. I have seen some pretty awful re-fret jobs and the quality varies highly. The nut will need replaced as well. If you get a neck from the factory, you know it will be done correctly and the frets will be properly spaced for intonation. I would just go about planning a savings account so you can purchase a fretted one when the time is right.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[adouglas]

While it's not about refretting, this post sums up what BP has to say about modding your bass in general:

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/35811-bongo-5-replacement-pickup.html#post569064

Bottom line is that it's your bass, and you can do what you want with it. But IMHO it's better to leave well enough alone and save up for a new one. The fact that it takes some months to build just gives you more time to save for it.

Patience and sticking to a savings plan really pays off in all sorts of ways, not least of which is that when you do take the bass home, it feels like a true reward for a job well done. Instant gratification is vastly overrated.

Here's a plan for you:

1) Take the money your fret job would cost, add about $600 to it and buy a used Bongo to temporarily satisfy your fretted bass jones. Chances are you'll wind up with an HH, because they're the most common. (To ease the wait for my fretless, I bought the Small EQ Bongo from Jack, knowing full well that I'd sell it immediately after getting my 07 LE. Jack gave me a good price, and I sold it for exactly the same amount. Zero cost in the end, and I had a fretless to play while waiting.)

2) Start saving and DON'T TOUCH THAT MONEY! Open up a special account just for the purpose and, if you can, set up an automatic contribution to it so that you don't lose momentum and don't have to think about it. Whenever you have a little bit of discretionary money over and above your regular contribution, chuck that in there as well... no matter how little it is. It adds up really fast! Treat it like a game.

3) When you're within four months or so of reaching your target, order your H Bongo.

4) When the new bass arrives, sell the interim bass for what you paid for it (since you bought used, somebody else already took the depreciation hit).

5) Enjoy the sudden bonus of a brand-new bass built just for you AND several hundred bucks of spending money.

 

[fidooda]

if your signature is still correct, you still have a couple of balls to play while you could sell and buy a fretted bongo.

 

[Road King]

I would say not to do it, if only because it would take an unlined fretless out of circulation. They are hard enough to find as it is, and even if it were years before you decided to sell it, it is eventually available as a fretless. Of course, this is coming from a guy that playes only unlined fretless basses.

 

[oddjob]

you know what... no one here has to live with it (other than you). If you like the idea and trust the person doing it, by all means go for it. I would think that you have already thought about resale and value and it may or may not mean anything to you. Make yourself happy. I have hot rodded many a bass and while some of the mods may not have been the smartest things they have all made me happy with the end results.

Whatever decission you arrive at I wish you the best with it!

 

[phatduckk]

I'd suggest you sell it & buy a fretted one

 

[Duarte]

Do what I did...sell a P bass!

 

[oli@bass]

I'd suggest you keep it & buy a new fretted one

Fixed that for you

 

[paranoid70]

I guess it's better than un-fretting a fretted bass.

 

[five7]

Bad idea. I liked my fretless sub5 so I bought a fretted one. Do the same and you will have the best of both worlds.

 

[Dr Stankface]

Not such a good idea. Go with what these guys are saying. Just buy another one.