Bass Defret - Fret Removal

How To Defret A Bass Guitar
Part 3 - Fret Removal

The Bass Defret Process

3. Remove the frets:

Starting at the first fret, use fret nippers to grasp the fret and gently rock the nippers to pull the fret out. Start at one end of the fret and work toward the other end. When you are somewhere between halfway and two-thirds of the way removing the fret, stop and grasp the other end of the fret with the nippers. Slowly rock the fret toward the center of the fretboard.

This will finish removing the fret and reduce the chance of chipping at the edge of the fingerboard. Take it slow on the fret removal process. The more patience you have, the better your bass de-fret will turn out!

Note: If there is some chipping of the fretboard after fret removal, use a dab of liquid superglue (the really runny kind works best) where the chip is and press the chip in place with a screwdriver handle. Because the chip is still in place with the tape it will just drop back in place and stick. I used this method on most of the frets on the Fullerton Bass de-fret project. The fret slots that I used super glue on came out better (less chipping) than the ones I left unglued (more chipping).