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So, the second guitarist in my other band has a semi fretless (he has removed all the fretwire except for two of them near the nut and plays in the most screwed up tuning ever). Anyways, he asked me to make it fully fretless, so I was thinking of filling the slots to make playing it a bit smoother. Now, has anyone done this before? I know wood moves around a bit, so I'm not sure what material to use. All tips and tricks are appreciated!

Back when I was thinking about doing something similar, epoxy was the thing.

Is it worth finding a small piece of what ever wood the fretboard is, sanding it to create a powder that you can mix with glue/epoxy to fill the slots with?

Hyphen Nation wrote:Is it worth finding a small piece of what ever wood the fretboard is, sanding it to create a powder that you can mix with glue/epoxy to fill the slots with?

This seems like more work than it's worth. There's a ton of wood fillers with real wood fibers colored to match. That said, I would opt for a contrasting color, giving the effect of fretmarkers while being able to be sanded to a smooth surface.

IIRC, general fret slots are close to the general width of wood veneers (+/- .5mm, with the slots slightly wider). That and wood glue should get you there. I'm also pretty sure you can buy fiberboard (like what's used for purfling) in a wider range of thicknesses, but your choice of colors will be more limited.

I'd find out whether he wants the lines to be contrasting or close to the fingerboard wood, and work from there. I don't know that I'd use epoxy to fill the fret slots, but I have heard of it used as a finish for a fretless board.

I honestly don't think he gives a shit what it looks like

Epoxy sounds good! Thanks, buddies!!

Pics when it's done.

I've used wood filler and veneer strips, both with excellent results. My favorite wood filler to use is called PC Woody, which is expoxy based, so it cures quite hard. Veneer can look a bit classier, and it pretty easy to use, too.

Also, yes, pics when it's done.

You got it!

CyaNitrate wrote:

Hyphen Nation wrote:Is it worth finding a small piece of what ever wood the fretboard is, sanding it to create a powder that you can mix with glue/epoxy to fill the slots with?

This seems like more work than it's worth. There's a ton of wood fillers with real wood fibers colored to match. That said, I would opt for a contrasting color, giving the effect of fretmarkers while being able to be sanded to a smooth surface.

Love the contrast idea. a little maple color could be dope on a rosewood board or visa versa.

Throw a Fernandes Sustainer pickup in there while you're at it. Those things are awesome on fretless guitars.

Stewmac and woodcraft sell a brush on epoxy product that is self leveling for fretboards. Never got a chance to use it but looked into the stewmac version when my brother wanted a fretless neck.

When I made a fretless out of a junker in the day, I filled in the holes with wax, wish I was kidding.

Was great all winter but once left in the case in the summer....

Epoxy: you will need one with a longer setup time because you need to make sure you fill the slots all the way, you might need to do more them one pass.
Wood filler: same issue, I would never use any from the store, you can make your own by mixing wood flour [super fine sawdust] into a epoxy you trust.
Wood veneer: use this, this is what actual luthiers use for a reason, use a high grade superglue vs wood glue for better penetration.
Metal: I've played two basses with brass glued in, it was interesting.
Wax? dude!

It worked, I was in a very diy "what do I have on hand" mood!