Dark stage tips?

Man with an Axe · #1 02-20-2007, 08:04 PM

Hey guys. I played my first bar gig a couple nights ago, and I don't think I was prepared for how dark the stage was. I couldn't see the side dots on my neck, and there aren't any inlays to help me out! Any ideas for making a bass fret marker easier to find?

Descent2Cocytus · #2 02-20-2007, 08:06 PM

glow in the dark stickers lmao, i really don't know, i've never had that problem, most of the places to play around here have pretty decent lighting on stage.

DemoEtc · #3 02-20-2007, 08:19 PM

You could try little stick-on dots or thin strips of tape, but on the back of the neck. That way your thumb will at least have something to feel as it slides along.

The stuff'll probably rub off after awhile so bring extra tape or dots.

Steve · #4 02-20-2007, 08:21 PM

Let me guess, you have a rosewood fretboard with little grey dot's just like I do. It's the one thing I would change about my Sadowsky.

They make
LED markers that can be retrofitted but, they're pricey.

I've been known to use White-Out at times. It lasts long enough and comes off without a bunch of BS.

It's kinda something you gotta learn to deal with. Even if the stage is lit, it's usually all front lit and tends to throw a nice glare right across the top edge of the neck where the dots are.

steve21 · #5 02-20-2007, 08:59 PM

Play near the lead singer, as there will probably be a spotlight near him.

velvetkevorkian · #6 02-20-2007, 09:04 PM

Practice with your eyes closed.

If that doesn't work, strips of brightly coloured tape on the back of the neck. Opeth's guitarists do this so it can't be cheating too much

ibnzneksrul · #7 02-20-2007, 09:16 PM

Wear a headlamp.

RAT TAT TAT · #8 02-20-2007, 09:19 PM

http://www.fretfx.com

deaf pea · #9 02-20-2007, 09:22 PM

What I did was ask my luthier to install rhinestones (costume jewelry fake diamonds - zirconiums) where the side dots are. It really works great . . . it takes only the smallest amount of ambient light to make them sparkle!
End of problem . . .

I got the stones (3 pt.) at a wholesale jewelry supply store . . . about $3.00US for each bass plus intallation . . . I think he charged me like $10.00US for each bass (and it was actually a lot of work to prepare the neck)

anderbass · #10 02-20-2007, 10:01 PM

I had the same problem.
These fret markers are stickers I had left over from a boat ID
number kit.
(the # kit comes with dots and these dashes)

They're highly reflective, cheap and really help on dark stages...

Alvaro Martín Gómez A. · #11 02-20-2007, 10:11 PM

That's one of the reasons why I think that developing muscle memory is so important. I highly recommend any player to work on that.

superbassman2000 · #12 02-20-2007, 10:22 PM

+1!

one thing that will make everything easier is to get a feel for the neck. learn to play without having to look where you are playing

tplyons · #13 02-20-2007, 10:56 PM

Quick fix: electrical tape on the back of the neck. Black tape on a maple neck, or you can find white tape for a dark painted neck. You can feel it with your hand, but it's not obtrusive. You can see it catching a bit of light, but it's not obvious to the crowd, and you can remove it easilly without taking the neck finish with it.

Eric Moesle · #14 02-20-2007, 10:59 PM

When I was young and learning, my instructor had me occassionally practice my exercises in a dark room to discourage "staring" and the neck. Turns out it was invaluable later in my bass career.

So many people aren't willing to learn to play their instrument and be familiar with the feel of where they are at on the neck.

About a year ago my band played a venue that was a very dark stage with intelligent lights preprogrammed on a computer, much darker than we were used to. I was fine and rolled with it. One of the guitar player's freaked and threw a hissy fit. Guess which person looked and sounded more professional.

driver800 · #15 02-20-2007, 11:01 PM

get a black light and set it on your amp. they're cool looking and provide just enough contrast to see on a dark stage.

Man with an Axe · #16 02-20-2007, 11:07 PM

hmmm. these are all good ideas. I'm especially thinking about getting the Fret FX on my bass

tplyons · #17 02-20-2007, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Moesle

When I was young and learning, my instructor had me occassionally practice my exercises in a dark room to discourage "staring" and the neck. Turns out it was invaluable later in my bass career.

So many people aren't willing to learn to play their instrument and be familiar with the feel of where they are at on the neck.

Yep, I practice as often as I can without watching my neck. A lot of times I'll either play with my eyes shut, reading something, or another method of blindness.

Enden · #18 02-20-2007, 11:33 PM

My first show was outdoors at this pseudo-woodstock thing my sleep away camp had back when I went there. My band was somewhat hyped because we were one of the only ones who were actually a band, not just people thrown together just for this show. So we were put at the end of the bill. I did not realize the end of the bill was around 9:30. I could not see ANYTHING besides the mic. It was terrible. We were playing on like a flatbed, really cramped, and i couldn't see my neck. luckily we weren't playing anything terrible difficult. But that one fill in the 2nd verse of Killing in the Name of was a pain.

NKUSigEp · #19 02-20-2007, 11:56 PM

Take a laser pointer and mount it to the headstock with a shoelace or whatever creative means are available. Angle the laser so that when you turn it on, the beam runs down the fretboard. Cheap, effective, and non-permanent.

If you want the permanent solution, just spend the dough to get lighted fret-markers.

And if anyone ever asks, laser is an acronym for "Light Amplification by Stimulating Emitted Radiation". Pretty cool huh?

Spoiled Grape · #20 02-21-2007, 11:22 AM

Muscle memory. Not all stages are dark.