LeftyBassist.com

Super cool CIJ fretless jazz with blocks & binding. Blonde finish looks to be in mint condition. $799.99. Guitar Center Sherman Oaks CA.

Linky thing: http://www.guitarcenter.com/-i3448643.gc

WOW! Someone Buy This!

http://www.guitarcenter.com/-i3448643.gc

If I didn't just buy the 75 P I'd be all over this. 800 bucks seems like a bargain

$800 for a bass with the frets ripped out of it is a bargain?

I'd be cautious about that too especially since the block inlays may wear unevenly and effect the sound of glissandos. Looks like it was played upside down at some point with the strap button down low. As a personal preference I have all my fretless basses with blank fingerboards and side dots on right on the line. I think the block inlays and dots in between the lines would really confuse me.

frets ripped out ? Not sure if this bass was defretted or custom ordered fretless , but in any case a defretted bass when done properly shouldn't be a problem. Price to me is reasonable considering a CIJ fretless Jazz sunburst goes gor $1100. plus shipping if from Japan will run you at least $150. Plus GC has a liberal return policy if bass is not to your satisfaction. As far as the block markers I find fretless is best played with your ears and not your eyes. This may not be for everyone just thought it was a unique find.

It is a very cool and rare find at a great price. I wasn't trying to knock it and sorry if it came off that way. In fact if I didn't totally despise driving through Los Angeles I might have gone to Sherman Oaks and tried it out myself! (:^D

No offense taken. My response was directed more to the comment about " frets ripped out". With the binding I would think defretting this bass would have been very difficult which leads me to think that it was a custom order. Anyone interested could always call the store and ask.

Frets were definitely pulled... I'd bet on it.

Frets on production basses with binding I have seen usually have the tangs cut or sanded off where they would normally go into the binding in order to save money during the assembly process... so they wouldn't be anymore difficult to remove than any other frets.

This picture of the fretnipper tool on the StewMac site better describes what I mean...

Useful info Addison. Didn't know my post would create such controversy. In any case a good defretting job in my mind doesn't equate to frets being "ripped out" or devalue a bass . After all it is a FRETLESS bass. Just look what Wyman and Jaco accomplished after they removed the frets from their basses. Still think at $800. a great deal for someone looking for fretless tone.

removing the frets devalues an instrument period.
you can say, "to me it's worth even more", and for all intents and purposes (aside from resale value) you'd be right.
but when we speak of value, we speak of RESALE value.

Didn't realize value could only be measured in resale dollars. My bad. Point being if you're looking for a fretless bass, value could be in the tone of the instrument. Don't want to beat a dead horse here. Jeez, sorry I posted this at all.

Here's the deal dudes. i have no vested interest in this CIJ fretless, merely thought I was helping out anyone who might be looking for a fretless.


Whoa, I need to have a cool drink and remember this is the internet and nothing to get so angry about.

Boobies

Thanks for the heads up on this, jersey bluesdude. (and for the heads up on that '75 Jazz last week)

Even if I disagreed with your opinion of the price, life would sure suck if I focused on that instead of the fact that you brought it our attention. It would suck even more if I took your opinion personally.

I consider you an asset to this board.

I second BBL. It's nice that people take the moment to log in and post links. I have won auctions and made purchases from little posts like this after checking the board. It's the thoughts that count!

What they said ^

In addition, this forum is accustomed to a much more measured and polite tone. It is regretful to see such outbursts for such petty matters. There are plenty of other internet forums available for those who want to call each other names and argue endlessly about nothing.
I guess the Washington DC cluster is giving wings to bad mannered peoples.