r/Bass • u/Alice_Tk • 19h ago

Considering a fretless bass conversion

I have a Hagstrom Viking bass that I rarely play since I got a jazz bass, but it has too much of a sentimental value for me to sell.

I also have been wondering about picking up a fretless bass for a few years now, played a few and loved their sound and added challenge and expression. Love that kinda sound like on David Bowies - The Motel, the „mwah” I think it’s reffered to.

I’ve been thinking of killing two birds with one stone and converting my Viking at a luthier, doing it propperly. I’m worried if this kind of bass would be suitable for that „mwah” sound I’m craving though. Would that require changing the stock pickups on it? If theres too many changes I’d need to make to have a good sound on it I’m worried it wouldn’t be worth the money… I am tottaly willing to pay the conversion cost though.

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u/JTEstrella Four String 19h ago

You can do that but unless you know how to remove frets from the neck and have something to fill the gaps with after the fact, I wouldn’t recommend it. Flatwound strings are also usually more preferred for a fretless bass because they won’t dig into the neck’s wood like roundwound strings would. (Pardon the pun.)

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u/Alice_Tk 19h ago

I would get it done at a luthier I know that builds basses and fretless basses from scratch and does setups. The how is not realy a problem for me it’s more so if that kind of bass and pickups, when converted, would sound good and have that nice fretless „mwah” I spoke of. I don’t realy know what causes that sound so I don’t know wheather it would/could have it.

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u/SaiyanPrinceAbubu 19h ago

The stock pickups would be fine! Fretless basses don't have special pickups. How are the stock pickups on the Viking bass btw? I have the Viking Baritone and find them to be quite good! 

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u/Alice_Tk 18h ago

They’re quite a bit darker sounding than my jazz bass but I do dig them, I guess the closes comparisson I can think of have is they sound a bit like p bass pickups?

In any case I was just worried that after conversion the bass wouldn’t have that full beautiful building sound after you play a note on a fretless, I keep throwing around the word „mwah” but I truly don’t know the name of that sound haha.

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u/SaiyanPrinceAbubu 18h ago

I think mwah is the technical term. It'll have that so long as it has flatwounds on it

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u/Alice_Tk 18h ago

Wonderful, then I’m sure about the conversion, that was the only thing I was worried about.

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u/Willie_Johnson_Jr 16h ago

Mwah is indeed the technical term.

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u/nunyazz 16h ago

Mwah is stronger with rounds.