Stop! Rewind...fretting a new Fretless Bass Guitar Ep 6 | A Tutorial in changing your mind!

[@tonymurphy2624]

For reference, the best approach to keeping heat localised is to have a lot of heat. It's why we need reasonably powerful soldering irons for electronics work like tinning pot casings for earth connections and circuit-board soldering, because the more powerful, the quicker it heats and the less time you need to keep the heat applied. It heats up a local area very quickly preventing spread of heat and subsequent scorch. I'd have gone with direct contact from the soldering iron.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you. This is good to know for next time.

[@joeblack375]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Also use the largest soldering iron tip you can find to maximize the heat capacity and reduce temperature drop on contact

[@MooCow2X2]

Heat dissipation vs input. Yep.

[@calinguga]

i agree. i believe the same thing applies to the quality of the thermal contact. that's why i always only put solder on the tip of my iron, and have done so for around a decade with great results. it only takes an instant for the hot liquid solder to flow where it needs to and then solidify, and i don't need the flux core that burns away (if i'm using flux core at all) because i put plenty of flux on the connection beforehand. on the other hand, touching the iron dry and waiting for the whole thing to warm up to melt the solder on the other side of the connection, as is common practice, can take seconds of slow cooking your components, and also requires an extra hand. obviously it depends on the application, but on small components near small traces it works really fast, the things don't get warm. and i never get cold solders. i'm curious what your opinion is on this.

[@happyraver1958]

I'm a bass player, it put a big smile on my face to hear you will be (hopefully) making more basses!!

[@Lordbaccus]

^^^ What this guy said x10

[@metalstingingmad]

First of all, let me congratulate you for the talent you have to do all that. The choice of wood was excellent, it is a very beautiful piece. At some point I heard that I would give that bass away, but even if I wanted to participate, it wouldn't be possible because I'm left-handed. greetings from Mexico.

[@leon_pp]

Defretting a bass while watching this seems... Balanced.

[@mikebrowne4289]

It’s the Thanos of bass building

[@DaveDickens]

Ouch after all that work with the brass inlays. Always great to watch, thanks Ben. Cheers Dave

[@444chains]

Personally I’m horrified that you’ve had to do this, especially after you spent so long putting those gorgeous brass inlays in. You’re a God amongst men Benjamin. I’d have just said “sorry, it’s a fretless bass, like it or lump it” but I’m not you. 😂

[@pwallace5921]

He said he would do it. Also, fretless is a pretty niche use configuration. Hopefully now with frets, the new owner will play this until the finish is worn off and eventually needs a refret or two.

[@444chains]

Calm down everyone, it’s just sarcasm. Why has the worlds population lost all sense of humour in the last few years?

[@Ekimmu87]

Came here to say the same thing. Hurt me to see the frets go in. Braver man than me that Ben, I wouldn’t have even offered in the first place

[@Ralf1erudd]

@@Ekimmu87 Likewise. If they wanted frets why enter for it. Ben has better things to do. Like teach us! God bless him

[@paulclement7975]

Of course you need to build more basses !! You’re doing an incredible job, love what you build !!

[@ianthomson9363]

Converting a fretted bass to fretless is fairly common- I did it myself a week after buying my first bass, but I don't think I've ever known of a conversion from fretless to fretted. Still, you did it very well and if it's the owner's choice that's fair enough. It's a shame about losing the glow in the dark fret markings though. How about a 5-string bass next time? And I ordered a steel ruler from Crimson- it arrived beautifully packed and has an air of quality about it. I just wanted to mention that.

[@jimdeguedine]

You got an "all hail the Crimson king" and a dog named Pippin? I love your work, now I think your a great person too 🤣

[@PatonMacD]

Fretted up to 7th fret then fretless up rest of neck. Guitar and Bass double neck both with this neck config. GET ON IT BEN! I have EVERY faith you can be the first. LOL

[@gregoryh4601]

Ben. Each Great Builded you Do always seem one to Two step ahead of the Last Guitar! Love to Hear you play the Guitar you make More. Thanks

[@VidosavStevanovic]

Cheers from France! Amazing work, amazing channel!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you.

[@dalgguitars]

That bass is beautiful!

[@MrOccamRazor]

Yes, build more basses, please!

[@MrOccamRazor]

As to a suggestion, I'd like to see you make a fan fretted bass, with beefy a musicman pickup, or two.

[@RandomTuber782]

gotta love the high end peavey headstock

[@aldomora3785]

It looks really great man! The frets gives that groove and modern look 👍🏽. The shape of the body and headstock are so great. Congrats. Greetings from Perú 🇵🇪🙋🏻‍♂️

[@CMRWoodworks]

Awesome work!

[@brittboyette8617]

That is a beautiful bass, perhaps one that Crimson should produce a kit of it or perhaps a production version.

[@Waggel86]

Winner here: I own a fretless bass, but it rarely gets played. It's just not my thing. Would be a shame if that happens to such a beautiful instrument. So when Ben offered to fret it... For what it's worth I deeply regret all the pain my heinous crime has caused the fretless community. Won't do it again 😉

[@gerbutt]

Congrats buddy :)

[@ingmeisterk874]

Congrats Frank!! This beauty needs to be played.

[@thahacksaw]

Dude, you did the right thing. It would be sacrilege to let her go mostly unplayed. Cannot wait to hear her with frets 🙌

[@theRandy712]

I had already decided should I win to have have it fretted as well so don't feel guilty at all

[@garethsnaim8174]

Well done, worth 60 quid!

[@Gorbyrev]

Beautiful. I have a soft spot for boutique set neck single cut basses.

[@myprettyselena]

We love all your work Ben!

[@tranka6112]

make more basses ... with more frets ;) I dig the design on this one, but I would also like to see one with two cutaways. I wanted to thank you for your building videos! I just love the pace of your content, and you are a great entertainer. This 40 minutes went by, and I didn't even realize it... I guess it's because of your relaxed and grounded nature... Some guys here on you tube could really learn something here - they seem to be a little stressed...🤔

[@Hotdogger808]

SUBLIME.......WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BASS......AWESOME WORK BEN!

[@steveherbert2921]

More Basses yes please Ben. Fan frets, headless, LED fret markers, thru neck.

[@dalgguitars]

Matt from Texas Toast Guitars did a bass that was fretted for the first 8 or so frets (forget the number) and was fretless after that. I always though that was a totally cool idea.

[@jamcam9]

Brown Guitar Factory has a model called "Fretted/Less" that has frets up to the 12th and then 13-24 is fretless. There're two recessed frets after the 24th so you can still slap. An interesting design.

[@edrosenquist6541]

Awesome job!!!

[@MrGul]

I'd absolutely LOVE if you took a shot at a 5-string multi-scale bass with fanned frets! That might even make me take out a loan so I could order a custom made one from Crimson Guitars...

[@KyleSevenoaks]

Please build more basses! Five string basses, six string basses, single cut, double cut, whatever comes to mind :D

[@lastweekslightning]

I'm sorry, but who would join a raffle for something they don't want?? I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to have this and play it the way it was meant to be! that's like telling Van Gogh that you want him to change something about Starry Night.... Man this hurts to watch....

[@dixieracer00]

I think an Ernie Ball Music Man style Bass would be a cool build to see!!

[@scottmartinezguitarandbass]

I would love to see you: 1) build something with a scalloped neck, 2) explain what and demonstrate how to do a roasted maple neck/fingerboard - or if it's just a simple matter of burning a finish like you have before. :) LOVE THIS CHANNEL!

[@redkingeye]

Would love to see you make a vintage inspired short scale bass next!

[@kennethluebberke8216]

BEN.....YOU SAID NO OTHER BUILDS UNTIL THE HANDTOOL ONLY BUILD WAS DONE!!! shame shame...... lol. Turned out beautifully

[@monsarad888]

Well done as always. Would very much like to see you build a Resonator style guitar. Great object for some sophisticated artwork here.

[@Kevin-nr9lj]

It looks so much better with Frets. Great video this week

[@caughtbynothing]

Mhhh, seems we don't get to see the glow-in-the-dark effect. Would have found that particular thing most fun to see. Weel, need to build it myself then ;)

[@jonahguitarguy]

It really does pop with the frets. Had to be gut wrenching to take all that brass inlay out after the hours of hand fitting every little piece.

[@firedog9113]

Love the guitars on the website, I know they are worth every penny but way out of reach for me. Still love the videos, make me wanta build a one piece bass

[@GilaMonster971]

I like the headstock design. Looks like a Peavey and I have always liked their headstocks. But Frank should have left it fretless and just had you build him a fretted bass.

[@steveeason2207]

I’d like to see you make a guitar with a faceted neck and faceted fretboard! I’m trying to design a guitar with no curves, anywhere, whatsoever! I’d love to see you do this. Keep up the awesome work Ben… thanks

[@Echo3_]

damn it Frank, lol. I have never played a fretless but I would learn if I had won

[@marctross69]

Winners preference obviously but seems like such a shame to me to remove that beautiful a fretless job

[@asterisk606]

Dang, I would have taken it as intended and as built if I won it. Making you redo all that work, even though you offered, is nuts. Part of what made it special was being fretless since it's not that common. Do you happen to have any pictures of what it looked like in the dark? I would have loved to see all of the glow in the dark accents, especially the fret markers. It must have looked great. How could someone have you remove something so cool? At the end of the day though, if it means it'll be played more often, so be it.

[@bradconklin2878]

Totally agree.

[@timothyshayvideos]

I'd love to see a 6 string bass next. keep at the content my friend 🤙

[@davidsparks3982]

I am pretty sure Ben could build an entire guitar with just a levelling beam.

[@medicallyunexplainedsymptoms]

And only out of levelling beams :-)

[@Atherax]

sad to see the wonderful frett inlays go but glad that someone will get to enjoy it the way they want it

[@SatanSupimpa]

I still want to see it glowing in the dark

[@JeffGillis-lv1rz]

Would love be to see a 7 string multi scaled instrument that has a 32” bass string scale length.

[@grantkoeller8911]

You must use a KORG tuner (or strobe tune)r when setting intonation.

[@tiktakkah7868]

i love to see a guitar or bass with zero fret! tnx for the content

[@FragrantVagrant69]

Oh man what a beautiful bass. One day....

[@jamesharris4521]

How about a neck-through 4 string Fretless bass that can play like a guitar or an upright? Active pickups and a foot-rod. Maybe a thumb rest or notch.

[@TheBorderRyker]

7:18 The very fact that a “Dental Chisel” is a thing disturbs me! 😬

[@SupRec]

Wonderful.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Many thanks!

[@radioking]

You ask what you should make next. How about an acoustic guitar? I'd like to see you build a big dreadnought or a J200

[@robertmansell3667]

Please make a thunderbird without the neck dive

[@IainThacker]

Next? More basses of course! Ideally neck-through, fan fret 5-String with a metal aesthetic!

[@Craftlngo]

A fretted bass is more familiar to me as a Guitar player. So IMHO it looks way better,

[@joeblack375]

Imagine that bass with EVO gold frets! Would have gone very well with the gold hardware and brass insert

[@alihaggis78]

That's pretty much what I did with my bass build. Gold tuners, brass nut, brass bridge, EVO gold frets, brass ringed abalone fret markers and optima gold strings. Never was much of a fan of gold hardware but for that bass it really worked.

[@joeblack375]

@@alihaggis78 how are those Optima strings? Have been considering trying them but they’re kinda expensive

[@alihaggis78]

@@joeblack375 they are pricey. I do like them a lot. I always used to use rotosound 66 stainless strings and the optima strings have a similar feel and sound. A little stickier but the tone lasts well. I try to change them every 12 months if the need it or not :)

[@danielegger6460]

LOL, eye protection for rather harmless stuff but when trimming the fretends off or when cutting the shim and metal pieces may spring all around: Nah, it's gonna be fine.

[@jamesh5460]

More Bass!

[@3dmodelstarter156]

Good decision!

[@M31292]

Make a RUSH inspired bass. You can go really weird designing it. Hell make it a double!

[@brixomatic]

I feel that offering to fret it was a mistake.. it should've gone to someone who actually likes to play fretless and appreciates the ideas for the board. All the work and ideas and fiddling for the unusual fret-marks for just for replacing them with the ordinary is kind of a waste.

[@andreambuter6806]

Make a (??fretless??) violin-style bass that has an endpin so you can bow it like an acoustic upright bass

[@garethsnaim8174]

looks better with frets!

[@GabrielDuqueMusician]

you should build one of those mini basses! like an electric ukelele bass

[@johnsidoti3215]

I have to say.. that makes me a little sad. I do wish I had won that one. I would have left it fretless and loved it

[@chriscutress1702]

I'd like to see you build a double neck six string bass with a six string electric guitar. Or ... a harp guitar.

[@alhadinon]

It hurts my heart to see Ben undo those hours and hours of fine work to fret this unique looking bass, costing several hours aswell! But he said it himself, that he would be willing to do it, if the winner liked to have frets instead. Great job Ben! 💚 Do brass colored frets exist? I don't know, but those would round things up with the brass hardware. And brass colored strings aswell. 😁

[@alihaggis78]

You can get brass fret wire which may be a bit soft for many. Jescar also do their evo gold fret wire which is harder than standard nickle silver but not as hard as stainless steel. It polishes up to look silver but then becomes a brassy gold after a short time. Really good stuff if you ask me.

[@joachimvanzoelen4236]

I very much object to this title! I exclusively play fretless, so... 😁

[@thahacksaw]

Ben, is that a Crimson King shirt? From the Dark Tower books? I knew there was a reason why you're my favorite 😉

[@kanakligu]

Ka is a wheel. Would love to see Sai Crow build a dark tower inspired build. All things serve the beam.

[@thahacksaw]

@@kanakligu dude, best possible response! Cheers Sai! A Dark Tower inspired guitar would be cool. Something that would look appropriate in the great halls of Gilead. How about it Ben?

[@wittypedia2177]

Separate to watching these frets go back on, I’m curious when we can buy raffle tickets to GGBO2022! Any updates on when that portion will take place?

[@haveaniceface7290]

Make a copy of Xyla Foxlin's bass.

[@Kweesh]

Headless guitar for next build

[@MixingGBP]

Ben: Make a bass with a hand-laid carbon fiber neck!

[@stuartgreenshields5591]

Could you have used an inductive heater to only warm the metal?

[@duncandisorderly]

Bit of a shame after all the time and effort you put into getting that fretboard as lovely as it was. At the same time though, I have to say I would probably have wanted it fretted had I won it.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Most people would want frets imo. I probably should have just done that from the start

[@VAXHeadroom]

O hey, look...a brand new fret saw. Know how I know it's new? Because his OLD one is in *MY* shop! :)

[@shaggymannnn]

dude!! build a cali4 type bass

[@wheresridgeville1]

Just a thought, but what would you think of a banjo build?

[@rennostirenny]

Well..lot of work to fix something that was not broken at the first place..great job although 🙂

[@marcusshutran-dg1bf]

I Do, I Do! =D

[@Fabric_unfolded]

I want to see an electric/ electro acoustic ukulele build.

[@interfecirelinquo1360]

How about an Handtool only jazz bass build in Predator or Alien movie theme

[@torind2000]

evo gold frets wouid have looked nice in that

[@grantkoeller8911]

Needs a string tree!

[@keldrean]

Scroll top short scale

[@streetmoto1384]

Just beautiful, one very lucky person!

[@voodoochili12]

How do you know that the depth of your fret slots is acceptable for the fret?

[@alpeterson]

I said in one of the previous videos that I thought it would be better with frets and I feel 100% justified in saying that now that it is. Do I hate fretless basses? Ok, yes. But we all know a fretted bass is going to get played waaaaaay more than a fretless one.

[@Waggel86]

The exact reason I ordered frets. Should maybe have asked for gold frets though. Oh well, maybe at the next refret.

[@grantkoeller8911]

no fret markers!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[@MarkLucasRev]

Is that a Daytona on your wrist?

[@MONARDAMUSIC]

Cheers from the UK! Loved watching this, Id LOVE to see you make another bass, and I have a suggestion. Can you make as close to a vintage custom shop bass build as you possible can, specifically, a vintage white 1961 precision with anodised gold pickguard With the ashtray covers. maybe some slight relicing on the hardware and the paintwork? That would be AMAZING to watch. :)

[@gerbutt]

I’d like to see you build a real top end concert Ukuelle. I think once folk see you do one you’d end up with loads wanting to do a course on it….. like me :)

[@bevo65]

Fret reassignment surgery?

[@chrismead4337]

There should be more fretless basses in the world. Not less.

[@johnyoung2828]

Had hopes we were moving forward not backwards, good to see you anyways

[@svendiagraham]

Paddle head stock without string retainers? I'm surprised you got a sufficient string break angle on the D&G. I also noticed the FB taping process was a bit easier with the larger fret spacing.

[@frankcouture428]

In a way, it's a shame, because it is such a lovely fretless bass.