OK, question for you all, expecially those who have some skills with instrument building and repair. I have a Fender CS J bass that I really like, except for one thing, the side dots on the neck are very hard to see, especially on a dim stage. They are not all that different in color from the neck or fingerboard. Any easy ways to make them more visible? I have been on the waiting list for the side dot LED thing but still no luck. I tried coloring them in with black Sharpie but that wore off fairly quickly and it wan't that much of an improvement. Any easy ways to make them more visible? Any non easy ways? I suppose I could take to the local shop to see about drilling them out and replacing with something lighter in color but that seem a bit excessive. Any thoughts or things that have worked for you in the past? Mucho grassy ass!
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Side dots are hard to see
- Thread starter ivanthetrble
- Start date
Do like Prince.
His “One-Eyed Bass” had the fret markers extended to the back of the neck. If you see videos of him playing it and they get a shot of it from the back, it looks almost like black electrical tape, although I don't think it is. It is more likely the makers from the front wrap around to the back of the top edge of the neck.
His “One-Eyed Bass” had the fret markers extended to the back of the neck. If you see videos of him playing it and they get a shot of it from the back, it looks almost like black electrical tape, although I don't think it is. It is more likely the makers from the front wrap around to the back of the top edge of the neck.
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Honestly just get another bass that doesn't have this issue. I wouldn't want to mess up an expensive custom shop bass by drilling into the neck either.
You can get purpose made glow-in-the-dark stickers, but obviously they can start to slide around, and gunk up after a while - then you need to clean up, and replace them with fresh ones.
This is why I only play non-roasted maple fingerboards, with black side, and face dots (Music Man uses exceptionally large ones, which are always visible), or MOP block inlays and white neck binding with black side dots, on basses with rosewood fingerboards.
That's kinda what I mean. Some of the best sounding basses are not ideal for playing live because of poor visibility. I don't even install strap locks on my Vigiers because I don't want to change something that was so great stock (I use the Ernie Ball locking straps which work just fine). Sometimes, the best option is to just pick up another instrument for live purposes. Heck, this is Talkbass, where we show up everyday to ogle at basses we don't need.
I insisted that my upcoming Suhr custom shop bass with a roasted maple neck comes with luminlay side dots
I bought a bass that had "white out" tape over the fret markers. Works great. You can gently scrape the excess off with your fingernails so you have, more or less, a circle. If you want a darker color, check out these stickers: inlaystickers.com. They have some nice side dot markers.
Post in thread 'Look what the cat dragged in'
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/look-what-the-cat-dragged-in.1534938/#post-25758311
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/look-what-the-cat-dragged-in.1534938/#post-25758311
This will be either a temporary, but effective solution, or a permanent Luthier installation. I'm a repairman and Luthier. I do have a bass that I applied cheap, small craft store glow side dots on. They work o.k., but a better solution is my permanent one. I make my own side dots. I use glow powder- the green in my preference, and plastic hobby tubing. I mix the powder THOROUGHLY with long cure epoxy, and fill small sections of tubing with it, placing it on a board, and wax paper might be a good idea to put down first. Then, I drill holes very carefully, using a brad point bit, glue in the dots, then trim and sand them to size. Here's some photos.
Attachments
I was going to recommend Jockomo, too, in case they might fit the bill.
1/8
Small 1/8"(3.17mm) side dot markers for fretboards. 24pcs in a pack. They look like REAL inlay(Abalone & Mother Of Pearl) Available in 8 colors. Super-thin! 0.07m and Removable. Dress up your guitars, bass & ukuleles with our inlay stickers!
www.inlaystickers.com
Thumbnail / Half Moon - Fret Side Markers
Easy to apply & remove. No adhesive will be left behind after you peel off the stickers. They will not get caught by your fingers while playing. Super-thin 0.07m and Removable. The stickers can cover existing dot-markers easily.
www.inlaystickers.com
That sounds like quite the interesting solution!
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The OP has a nice Fender C.S. Bass and spent good money on it, I can’t see doing a cheesy cheap fix with stickers.
I had the same problem with the '60s vintage series necks Fender sold. The side and fret dots were modeled after the original tan color clay dots on early '60s Basses and they blend in with the wood in low lighting. These made my aging eyes harder to see.
I let a local luthier fix this properly by drilling out all the dots and use Mother of Pearl (MOP). Problem was solved and it looks great! I don't recall it being too expensive.
I wouldn't do this on a TRUE vintage Fender of course, but a C.S. or vintage reissue has limited value where if a mod like this was professionally done shouldn't hurt it.
I would suggest let a luthier replace the dots with MOP or plastic white which is even a bit brighter. If that doesn't help, maybe an eye exam and glasses.
I had the same problem with the '60s vintage series necks Fender sold. The side and fret dots were modeled after the original tan color clay dots on early '60s Basses and they blend in with the wood in low lighting. These made my aging eyes harder to see.
I let a local luthier fix this properly by drilling out all the dots and use Mother of Pearl (MOP). Problem was solved and it looks great! I don't recall it being too expensive.
I wouldn't do this on a TRUE vintage Fender of course, but a C.S. or vintage reissue has limited value where if a mod like this was professionally done shouldn't hurt it.
I would suggest let a luthier replace the dots with MOP or plastic white which is even a bit brighter. If that doesn't help, maybe an eye exam and glasses.
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If you have a drill and the right sized bit, you can do it yourself - make sure to try on a practice neck first, but if you are replacing existing ones, you dont need to figure out where to place the new ones!
There is glow in the dark paint used for gunsights. It worked pretty well on a bass I used. A tiny little dot about the size of toothpick head.
Stickers are the way to go. I’ve used them for years with no issues.
Doing it yourself is an option but IMHO, somethings are best left to someone more experienced.
For the OP, does your fretboard dots look like this? If so the top dots are typically matching. These are a tan like color to resemble the original clay dots on the early Fender Basses. They look cool giving the vintage look but they really don't stand out very well in low lights.
Here's a look at white plastic dots used in the later years. These do stand out and are used on many modern Guitars and Basses.
Here's my custom 1965 inspired Fender parts assembled Jazz Bass with an American Original '60s Jazz Bass neck just like the one in the 1st pic above. I had it done with MOP dots but I also went all out and had the fretboard replaced with Ebony so the fret dots really stand out.
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i use stickers/tape to temporarily locate best positions (fretless), and when i've zeroed it in i make things 'permanent' with highly contrasting color (e.g., neon pink, white/black, gunsight glow-in-the-dark, etc.). make a shallow dimple with a drill bit (1/16"-1/8" --- you can roll it with your fingers, no need for power) and fill it with something that solves the problem. coat (wipe-on poly, epoxy, tape and spray, whatever...
but the method used should fit your objectives --- e.g., if your ax is a keeper = commit to a solution and move on. easy peasy. good luck!
but the method used should fit your objectives --- e.g., if your ax is a keeper = commit to a solution and move on. easy peasy. good luck!
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