Hey all.  Just wondering what you might recommend for an easy but lasting fret dot.  I can't decide on whether to paint the dots, use stickers, paint a sticker then place, or do some type of inlay.  I was leaning towards using some simple round stickers then clear coating on top of that.  What do all of you usually do?

D

Views: 1410

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

I saw someone on the nation using a hole punch and some blue tortoise shell picks, looked kinda cool.If you have access to a drill press the ridgy didge fretboard inlays can't really be beat, they're not that expensive, and theres plenty of youtube videos covering the how to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQG078149CI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl7Q_P9_bdw

Goodluck

Brett
If I'm doing an old fashioned neck I'll use 1/4" dowels (you can get them at any craft store). When it comes time to finish the neck and dress the frets, I'll sand the surface of the fingerboard using olive oil. The oil seeps into the end grain of the dowel and stains it much darker than the rest of the fingerboard, making them stand out. Good contrast.

If I'm doing a high end guitar, I use MOP or abalone of some sort. Same process. Drill a hole but just much more shallow.
Brilliant!

Naz Nomad said:
Brass rod ... it's total overkill, but it's everlasting. A perfect match for a pack of Ben's gold fretwire too.

I just used a 1/4" paper punch on a black CD case on a build, and inlayed them with epoxy for the fretboard. And I drilled holes in the side of the neck and poured black pigmented epoxy into it for the side markers.

I have seen some necks here on the nation where the marked frets are just stained a lot darker with no dots. I have to say it looks really cool and I will have to do this on my next build.
Thanks everyone for the replies. I have scanned the site looking at all the pics of various dot inlays. They all look so good, so it is hard to choose. I really liked the darker stained ones the best. I am being too much of a perfectionist I think. Anyway, thanks again.

D
I'm currently working on my first build and I used fender tortoise shell picks cut with a hole punch I thought it worked great.

Douglas Eric Marsalis said:
Thanks everyone for the replies. I have scanned the site looking at all the pics of various dot inlays. They all look so good, so it is hard to choose. I really liked the darker stained ones the best. I am being too much of a perfectionist I think. Anyway, thanks again. D
Small nails, cut most of the shaft off, drill shallow hole size of nail head, tap 'em in.

Use for side markers also: http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/4-string-5-5?context=user
you can drill a hole, melt some solder in it, and then sand smooth. It looks really nice when its done.

I've used the hole-punch method to punch nice, round markers out of flatpick material. Get those big Fender triangular picks and you can do a whole guitar...
I used a Forstner bit (1/4") to drill the holes, using my drill press for precise depth. They look good and fit flush.

For the side markers, I use one of those hairbrushes with the thick plastic "bristles" with the little knobs on the end.
These are tapered, so I just cut them off, stick them into a 1/6" (or so) hole with some glue, and then cut them off flush with a razor blade when dry. They look quite professional....
You could use bullet casing ends, that's my favorite. 38 special seems to work the best for when you get down lower on the fretboard on the last few frets. Check out my page cause I couldn't figure out how to link up a picture. I get alot of positive reaction from those who see them used.

Good luck.

I'm looking at doing something similar for my first build but instead of .38 special I plan to use 9mm's and .223.

Do you just take a hack saw and cut off the casing ends? I've got a bunch of 9mm and .22 that I'd like to use.

RSS

The Essential Pages

New to Cigar Box Nation? How to Play Cigar Box GuitarsFree Plans & How to Build Cigar Box GuitarsCigar Box Guitar Building Basics

Site Sponsor

Recommended Links & Resources


Forum

crossover guitar.

Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 21. 11 Replies

Tune up songs

Started by Ghostbuttons in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 9. 5 Replies

Duel output jacks

Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 8. 6 Replies

How to Get Your Own Music on Spotify

Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 21. 2 Replies

CB Bass Guitar

Started by Mi Rankin in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Justin Stanchfield Jan 27. 5 Replies

Music

© 2024   Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

\uastyle>\ud/** Scrollup **/\ud.scrollup {\ud background: url("https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/963882636?profile=original") no-repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;\ud bottom: 25px;\ud display: inline !important;\ud height: 40px;\ud opacity: 0.3 !important;\ud position: fixed;\ud right: 30px;\ud text-indent: -9999px;\ud width: 40px;\ud z-index: 999;\ud}\ud.scrollup:hover {\ud opacity:0.99!important;\ud}\ud \uascript type="text/javascript">\ud x$(document).ready(function(){\ud x$(window).scroll(function(){\ud if (x$(this).scrollTop() > 100) {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeIn();\ud } else {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeOut();\ud }\ud });\ud x$('.scrollup').click(function(){\ud x$("html, body").animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, 600);\ud return false;\ud });\ud });\ud \ua!-- End Scroll Up -->