how to set up a fretless musicman

[sanderhermans]

Hi all. I cant seem to find anny info about how to set the strings on a fretless musicman bass...
i just converted my sub usa bass to fretless since it sounded a bit too similar to my classic sr4 and the frets where in need of a change annyway. So i removed them and filled the lines with wood filler. And oiled the fb with tru oil. Just need to get flatwounds for it now.
But the 2 main questions are how to set string height and do i need to lower the nut so the strings are already lower at the top of the neck? I have 0 experience with setting up a fretless so anny help is much appreciated.

 

[MrMusashi]

you should lower the nut slots approximately by the height of the frets you removed. this will make the bass easier to play because you dont have to press the strings so far down.
if it was a fretted bass it could make a difference in intonation too, but my guess is that you will have worse intonation problems to worry about

id take it nice and easy though so i didnt file off too much material. its a bummer if it gets too low and starts buzzing because of that (you can use superglue to build the nut up again if you take off too much)

as for the rest of the setup, its a good time to experiment.
make measurements so you know how it was before you started. that way you can go back to what you know

do you like the neck with a slight bow or straight?
experiment with pickup height. too high and it will pull on the strings choking your sustain (which is important on a fretless.. hehe.. mwah vs mwaaaaaahh )
the bridge might also need to come down a little bit but it all depends on if you are venturing into the higher registers..

its really not too hard, and if you pulled the frets yourself i think you wont be afraid to try for yourself either

best of luck!

MrM

 

[sanderhermans]

In this bass indeed i dare to do alot of work myself. I got it for a verry good price but it was verry well played. The finish and neck where verry tired and bumped alot wich is why i gave it a respray and sanded the neck. And the frets where half gone so there is really not alot that i could make worse then it was. This is why i try some stuff in this one. I really do need flatwounds first now. Really like those on fretless.

 

[MrMusashi]

the only thing you really cant redo is the nut.. as long as you are careful with that the rest isnt any problems

as for flats.. everybody should have a set of flats!
the thump they generate. its great! no.. make that GREAT

eb group III is my favorite tension wise.. resembles 45-100 fairly well

ps: no pictures, no bass!

MrM

 

[Golem]

`

You can't go too easily wrong nutwise as long
as you plan to have even the slightest relief in
your neck/FB. I use a bit of relief myself, cuz
TOO MUCH mwaah sounds kinda bogus. I cut
my slots almost fully down to the FB. I cannot
slide a bizcard along the neck underneath the
strings and get it all the way to the nut. I can
slide a thin piece of paper, like a register tape
or bank deposit receipt, all the way to the nut.
That difference in paper thickness shows how
close my strings are to the FB at 1st position.

 

[sanderhermans]

I have lowered the slots and the sadles and straightened the neck some more. Also put some flats on it. Plays verry well now. But i need to learn alot about playing fretless it is a nice adition to my fretted basses. And i guess some good practice for me.

 

[MrMusashi]

yeah.. fretless will give you better left hand technique on the fretted basses as well

have fun.. dig out the octave pedal and some old paul young tunes and pretend to be pino.. heheh

MrM

 

[sanderhermans]

here's some late pictures of the complete bunch and the new fretless. you can see the wood filler has gotten a bit into the fb where wood came off with the defretting, but this is very superficial and will be sanded off once the fb needs a first trimming...