Hi reddavid, would you like this one? [img:1ghpgq0a]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5FL65.jpg[/img:1ghpgq0a] I'm not sure if I really should do that. This Dingwall Fretless is something very special, it's really outstanding. It's an instrument you should never ever sell, if you are a fretless player. I'm not a fretless player. I'm a Dingwall junkie and added it to my collection just for the reason to own a Dingwall fretless. It has been stored for one and a half year now, and I'm wondering if I will ever start playing fretless ... If you (or someone else) are interested I will come up with the story and details. Oliver

[quote="DeepDee":1i16a6pl]Hi reddavid, would you like this one? [img:1i16a6pl]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5FL65.jpg[/img:1i16a6pl] I'm not sure if I really should do that. This Dingwall Fretless is something very special, it's really outstanding. It's an instrument you should never ever sell, if you are a fretless player. I'm not a fretless player. I'm a Dingwall junkie and added it to my collection just for the reason to own a Dingwall fretless. It has been stored for one and a half year now, and I'm wondering if I will ever start playing fretless ... If you (or someone else) are interested I will come up with the story and details. Oliver[/quote:1i16a6pl] first dw fretless 5 i have ever seen

[quote="joebar":3bir0dnj]first dw fretless 5 i have ever seen[/quote:3bir0dnj] You're wrong. It's an Afterburner [b:3bir0dnj]II[/b:3bir0dnj] from 2004.

[quote="DeepDee":fkbnk86g][quote="joebar":fkbnk86g]first dw fretless 5 i have ever seen[/quote:fkbnk86g] You're wrong. It's an Afterburner [b:fkbnk86g]II[/b:fkbnk86g] from 2004.[/quote:fkbnk86g] no, he isn't.... he said it's the first fretless 5 HE'S ever seen! LOL!

That looks nice. Reminds me of my first AB-II. Bubinga! I'm afraid if it is in Germany, the shipping would be prohibitive. What are you looking to get? I'd love to hear the story behind it!

[quote="reddavid":384nthxy]That looks nice. Reminds me of my first AB-II. Bubinga! I'm afraid if it is in Germany, the shipping would be prohibitive. What are you looking to get for it?[/quote:384nthxy] you should strongly consider this bass red; these are rarer than a solar eclipse on christmas day at the north pole

I really don't think the shipping is going to be as bad as you think.

i originally thought-yeah, good luck finding one of those; and then boom! there it is. be careful what you wish for Red, cause you just might get it! and for the record-that is a BEAUTIFUL AB2

I love the old natural finished solid bodied ABII-5's. Man that's beautiful. It looks like it has a 3 band pre, which is rare for that era. [quote="DeepDee":5giienh4]Hi reddavid, would you like this one? [img:5giienh4]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5FL65.jpg[/img:5giienh4] I'm not sure if I really should do that. This Dingwall Fretless is something very special, it's really outstanding. It's an instrument you should never ever sell, if you are a fretless player. I'm not a fretless player. I'm a Dingwall junkie and added it to my collection just for the reason to own a Dingwall fretless. It has been stored for one and a half year now, and I'm wondering if I will ever start playing fretless ... If you (or someone else) are interested I will come up with the story and details. Oliver[/quote:5giienh4]

No, I won't do that, sorry! It took me one sleepless night and the advice of two good friends, who had the chance to play this bass. They both are experienced fretless players and they both told me that I should never give it away. Again, sorry for teasing! But there's a solution. If you want to own a Dingwall fretless and you can't afford to order a new one from Sheldon, here's my advice: Buy a used ABII and take it to a professional luthier for a fretless conversion. Keep your eyes on dark or red woods (body and neck). As you might know I drive a bass repair shop in Germany, and here is the story of my fretless. I found this beautiful ABII from 2004 with mahagoni body, pomele bubinga top and back, bubinga neck and wenge fretboard. It was equipped with an aguilar obp-2-band and blueqube switch. Thought this could be a good base for a DW fretless. [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv01.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv02.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv03.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] First step is removing the frets. This should be done carefully in order not to damage the fretboard. You need experience and the right tools. [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv04.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv05.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] Second step after cleaning and reslotting the slots is to fill them. I did this by glueing in black cherry veneer stripes. They should fill the slots completely down to the bottom, so I shaped them according to the changing fretboard radius and therefore gave them numbers. [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv06.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv07.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv08.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv09.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] After sanding, levelling and oiling the fretboard the work is done. It turned out that this is really a great fretless! [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv10.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv11.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv12.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv13.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] Later I decided to upgrade the electronics. Changed the pickups from FD3 to FD3-4L. Removed the complete electronics and built in a Glockenklang 3-band. Modified the mid section and made the center frequency switchable from 550 Hz to 250 Hz (this makes you almighty!). Made the pickups separately switchable between paralles/series. [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv14.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv15.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv16.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] And in the end changed the silver screws at the bridge to black ones and the old knobs to the actual Dingwall knobs. [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv17.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] [img:gk230i7i]http://www.bassklinik.de/Fotos/Forum/ABII-5_conv18.jpg[/img:gk230i7i] I encourage you to invest the money for a good and experienced luthier, it's worth that. If you really can't find one you trust, you can send me the neck to Germany. Cheers Oliver

Wow Oliver, awesome job.

Very nice! I really like the mild contrast between the dark cherry and the fingerboard, the lines are clear but subtle. The black saddle screws are a great detail. Saying farewell to a Dingwall would be very hard to do, especially one that you have spent modifying. Beautiful job!

Good story. Nice job on the conversion. I'm patient, and something wonderful this way will come.

Project in the works....

Great job DeepDee.. Killer.. Love what you have done with your bass.. Still searching a used dingwall for me.. So, I'll be doing the same.. Hope I get one soon..

Hi There! Greetings from Norway! I have an Afterburner II 6-string fretless that I might consider to sell. You can go to this adress for pictures: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f126/ding ... te-936916/ It's the guy I initially bought the bass from. I'm really not much into fretless these days and I think this beautiful instrument deserves a good home where it's played regularily rather than being stored in a warehouse. Regards Tor:o)

Thanks. I came up with a fretless 5-string.