always start with the last fret , that way if you decide to back out you only screw one fret and not fret #1 on the other end . But some frets are glued in , pressed in or if like Warmoth Epoxied in . If epoxy was used I would not try it , it'll take some serious heat and skill to get them out . But first step is the same , heat them up with a soldering iron to get them moving a little .
I use a knife to get them out , it worked better than any luthier tools I had here . Just work it in down the length of the fret and gently lift out . Apply heat as needed .
go easy , pushing down on the wood around the slot to help keep it from lifting and less fret barb tear out .
one by one and you want to use wood glue on each slot as you go on the tear out , little chips can be saved and glued back in right away , this will save a lot of work later filling any tear out .
so all this is for a fretless conversion , next step here is to cut Maple pieces and glue them in the slots . You'll need to shape the bottom to conform the the cut . Quick and easy here , just has to sit in firmly . I cut and test fit each one before gluing in .
glue in
next is letting dry , rough cutting down then sanding with radius block and finishing .
that's for next weekend .
