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Replacement Side Dots

I play on a lot of dark stages, and all my basses have the treatment below. I play enough gigs that I may be an "expert" in the OP's eyes, but here's the thing that good players know: Anything you can do that makes you even a bit better, you do. Yes, I can play most anything I know with my eyes closed, but once in a while, I'm back there, it's dark, and I have to start somewhere up the neck. I'd hit the right note well over 90 percent of the time without this, but with this, I'm even closer to 100 percent.

What is it? White Rustoleum paint, Sharpie industrial or extreme (the ones with longer lasting pigment), and then polyurethane over the top. If you do it right, you don't feel the transition (although you might argue you could use that as another position cue).

Most of the stages I play on have overhead UV lights - when the stage goes dark, or in "unlit" ares of the stage, you still have those lights so people don't trip, and so the spike tape on the floor is visible so stage hands can place things in the "dark". With this scheme on a neck, I can see where I am better than even glow in the dark dots.

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Luminlay is super easy. The old dots will drill out easily and the hole will serve as a guide.

Drill 5mm deep, insert Luminlay rod with a dab of super glue. Cut the rod flush and hit it with fine sandpaper for a perfect smooth flush job. Luminlay is soft and cuts and sands easily.

Repeat. I had some of a rod left after doing a two octave neck with double dots at 12 and 24.

Less than an hour into it including removing the neck (you might not need or be able to go this) installing dots, cleaning the fretboard, and new strings.

And the Luminlay was inexpensive. Huge bang for the buck.
 

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Easy! I use stick-on fretboard dots. They are nice and fat and easy to see (And cheap!). Put them on so the top is just below the fretboard corner. I Clean the edge with alcohol first and then I roll them with something hard, like a pen and they stay forever, although you can peel them off anytime.

 
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View attachment 7080158


I tried to install tritium vials as side dots with mixed results.

If I'd been more careful the experiment would have been a success

The dots are quite visible in low light. ( scuze the bad picture... )

View attachment 7080159

Unfortunately I messed up the implementation and will be needing to seek professional help.

The victim will be needing the fingerboard replaced.

I finally got the frets pulled and the Mirror Coat poured and shaped correctly and proceeded to botch drilling the holes for the dots and ruined it.

I'll be looking over the winter after I recover emotionally for someone to plane off my teachable moment and redo.

Overall I think it was a good idea ruined by my lack of skill...
I’ll have to pass on trying these, after an email exchange with the mfg and getting this response. 👀

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I’ll stay with Luminlay
 
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