Fretless SB-2

[willyf]

Can anyone tell me about a frettless G&L SB-2? As in what era they were produced and if they are rare?

[Craig]

Can anyone tell me about a frettless G&L SB-2? As in what era they were produced and if they are rare?

Can you post a photo and the serial number of this bass?

See this post in the G&L Knowledgebase: Production List of G&L Instruments (USA)
for production dates and variations on this model, which, BTW, is still in production.

[willyf]

I will indeed post some photos, however I need to get a flickr account first. In the meantime just some further info about the bass. The pickups are directly aligned unlike the newer SB-2s I have seen. The headstock is also different from current SB-2s so I am guessing the bass is fairly old.

[KenC]

The first SB-2s had two single coil pickups (which look alike, but are slightly different lengths), a slab maple body, a headstock without the G&L "eye gouger", and no pick guard. They were made from late 1982 through 1984. By the end of 1984 this model got body contours and a modern G&L headstock, and was renamed "Lynx". A new SB-2 model was introduced in 1987, with a Precision-style split coil pickup in the neck position and the original single coil at the bridge, and a pick guard. Details have changed over the years, but the basic shape and configuration remains the same today. The second-style SB-2 kept the same headstock as the originals (unlike the Lynx) until some point in the 90s.

From your description, I would say this bass is a first-style SB-2 built between 1982-1984. These are extremely sweet instruments. They don't have the bottom end of an L-1000, but the upper mids are very punchy and full. IMO, the tone these get from around the fifth fret up through around the twelfth will beat just about any Jazz-type bass you could ever find.

I'm curious about this being fretless, though. G&L did make fretless L-series basses from 1980 onward, and was making fretless El Toros in '83, but they all had ebony fingerboards. One of the defining features of the first style SBs was that they all had maple fretboards. Anything is possible with early G&Ls, but I seriously doubt a fretless SB-2 would have left the factory before the switch to rosewood fretboards on the second style SBs in 1985.

I would check the headstock to be sure the neck wasn't swapped with a fretless L-series bass or second-style SB-2. Those could have had the same headstock as the first-style SB-2 (depending on the year). The second-style SB-2 may have a "by Leo Fender" decal on the headstock, but the first-style wouldn't. The second-style SB-2 has a 1 3/4" nut, whereas the first style was 1 11/16". If this does turn out to be a fretless first-style SB-2 (not a neck swap), it was probably a one-off special order.

Those pickups should sound incredible with a fretless neck and a good set of flats. One of the top instruments on my G&L wish list is a fretless Lynx. If I ever do come across one, I will be all over it.

I hope this helps.

Ken

[willyf]

Here are some photos of the bass in question. Any feed back would be appreciated.

[KenC]

That's definitely a first-style ('82-'84) SB-2. It was originally fretted, but at some point the frets were pulled. It looks like the slots were filled with something, but it's impossible to tell what it was from the photos.

As I mentioned in a previous post, these basses are really sweet. They tend to be pretty light, and the maple bodies work very nicely with those single coil pickups. They were intended as no-frills student models, but they had the same materials and craftsmanship as the professional basses.

I would be concerned about the fretless conversion on this one though. I play fretless myself, and converted an old Fender this way back in the 80s. The fret slots decrease the neck's stiffness, compared to a fretted neck or an unlined fretless fingerboard. This can result in having extra relief for the truss rod to work against. That problem can be overcome by filling the slots with hardwood inserts, or potentially by filling them with epoxy if it's done carefully enough to avoid getting it onto the surrounding wood. A bigger issue for me would be playing fretless on that maple board. Maple needs to be finished (unlike ebony, rosewood, or other common fingerboard materials). Maple is used on a lot of low-end upright basses, but it is always saturated with an "ebonizing" finish. Even with soft flatwound or tapewound strings, you're likely to see that fingerboard develop grooves in the finish (and then the wood) pretty quickly. Roundwounds will eat right through it. Be prepared to put a lot of effort/money into maintaining it over the long run.

Personally, I would consider refretting this bass if the slots haven't been epoxied and then looking elsewhere for a fretless. I believe every other G&L bass model (aside from the first-style SBs and probably the Interceptor) has had the option of a fretless neck. They are out there if you look. These old SBs are the only models that didn't have options for the fretboard wood (i.e., maple boards only). Or, if you go with a converted one then find it with a rosewood or ebony board that will stand up better to string wear. There weren't a whole lot of these SB-2s built. They aren't rarebirds, but they also don't turn up every day and the prices seem to be heading up. I can't tell about this one from the photos, but many of these had significant flame in their necks and fingerboards.

Ken

[willyf]

Thanks for the input KenC it is very much appreciated. However the frets on this bass were not pulled out I suppose it just looks that way from the photos. Haha
The marks on the board were just drawn on by the makers of the fretboard.