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Howdy,
I'm new to the site and have what is probably a very unusual electric bass retrofit design I'd like to build. I am an amateur, I have a wee bit of experience with Luthier work having when I made an electric-acoustic Ibanez classical guitar into a fretless which was fairly successful, not enough oomph for me even when amped though.

I'm starting with a fretless fender jazz bass. I like to play it with open "modal" tuning such DADG. I like to play some double stops, and 2 finger chords. I tend to play pretty far up the neck, and am not really playing a low traditional bass style. I like the harmonics and dark, rich tones I get out of it but would like to have it set up to play higher scale. If I put a capo on it, say about 5 to 7 frets up it is closer to what I want.

I am thinking i could bold on another neck which is shorter, and maybe set it up with 5 different gauge strings, still shooting for DADG or similar tuning.

I am on a budget, as I learned not to put many $$ into experimental projects that may not work out. If I had great success I might have a new instrument professionaly made.

Suggestions welcomed...thanks in advance. Markus

I won't go on writing too much before I find out if anyone has some suggestions, or interest in this esoteric project.

The problem with putting on a shorter-scale neck is that you would have to move the bridge forward to compensate. On a Jazz bass, it would probably end up on the far side of the bridge pickup.
You would likely need to have the neck custom made as I don't think such short scales are available as stock items. The capo might be your answer until you can spring for a custom instrument.
Good luck with whatever you choose!

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It's not the miles ahead, it's the stone in your shoe


In Markham,Virginia

don't THINK you'd need to move the bridge, but you aren't going to have access to the higher frets other than you have with the capo on a regular neck.

and if it's a fretless nack you don't need to worry anyway.

do allparts etc do unfretted guitar necks without tuner holes drilled?

fill the slots and sand over.

you COULD buy a scrap electric guitar (a Les Paul style with a tailpiece) and experiment with a new nut, 4 holes in the tailpiece and a carved block of wood as a bridge rather than trying to build a new tunomatic.

then take what you learn back to a bass.

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Thanks for the feedback guys.
Can I bolt a guitar neck on to my jazz bass?

If i can't do this i might try taking a beater electric/acoustic steel string guitar w/ truss rod, and defret it, or put on a new unfretted neck. If I did the latter what kind of strings and set up would give me some of the tonal quality, but with obviously higher register, of the jazz bass. (My bass uses Round wound strings and ebony fretboard for the rich growl that i like. The bass gets quite good sustain which is typically difficult to get this quality on a fretless guitar.

I tried a similar setup with a Ibanez acoustic/electric, defretting, epoxy slots, sand and lower action way down. The nylon strings sound kind of wimpy, even though i went w/ good quality Savarez and super hi tension D'darrio's. I had to run FADGCF tuning to give it some huevos.

Cheers,
Mark

you can bolt anything you like onto a Jazz bass.

it'd make it easier if the neck fitted into the pocket first........

as to strings, use what you're gonna use on the real thing.

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Have you tried a different tangent, like piccolo strings? You can get some from GHS that are 34" scale but tuned 1 octave higher,just like a guitar but huge harmonics and tone.No capo needed. You could also run a hybrid set to get bass and piccolo.
Good luck and have fun.