Thinking of DIY LED Fret Markers - any guidance??

[Jabba_the_gut]

Hi,

I'm thinking of fitting LED fret markers to the side of the next scratch built bass I make. Has anyone done this on their own builds?

I'd be grateful for any info on the best way to approach this, or any circuit diagram? I have seen a couple of different ways including one using op-amps of some sort. Could I power the LEDs from the pre-amp battery or should I keep the circuits separate due to noise and battery drain?

Any guidance would be welcome.

Cheers

J.

[lettsguitars]

optic fibre is a good way of keeping power drain to a minimum. You only need one led.

[Jabba_the_gut]

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1337118805' post='1655937']
optic fibre is a good way of keeping power drain to a minimum. You only need one led.
[/quote]

I was wondering about that, I've got hold of some 1mm fibre. What do you do - just have 10 strands running back to one LED?

Cheers

[lettsguitars]

Yea. You dremel the channels into the underside of the fingerboard (i'd probably use a small gouge). Never done it myself but i guess you'd do all the work including dot holes after the board is very closely rough tapered before you glue and trim, epoxy the fibres in place, glue and trim. The fibre ends are then just taped to the led. Or some sh*t like that .

[Jabba_the_gut]

Cheers for that. I'll find a scrap of something and give that a try as it may be easier that trying to install individual LEDs in the edge.

[MB1]

MB1.
If you dont want to be faffing about? Bassbunny found a company that provide a kit and a rather simple inexpensive way of lighting up the dot markers on a bass without actually drilling anything?
kinda reactolite painted dot markers you can charge up! might be worth a pm!

[Jabba_the_gut]

[quote name='MB1' timestamp='1337121005' post='1655981']
MB1.
If you dont want to be faffing about? Bassbunny found a company that provide a kit and a rather simple inexpensive way of lighting up the dot markers on a bass without actually drilling anything?
kinda reactolite painted dot markers you can charge up! might be worth a pm!
[/quote]

Cheers Martin, I'll drop a pm.

[wal4string]

[quote name='Jabba_the_gut' timestamp='1337118507' post='1655927']
Hi,

I'm thinking of fitting LED fret markers to the side of the next scratch built bass I make. Has anyone done this on their own builds?

I'd be grateful for any info on the best way to approach this, or any circuit diagram? I have seen a couple of different ways including one using op-amps of some sort. Could I power the LEDs from the pre-amp battery or should I keep the circuits separate due to noise and battery drain?

Any guidance would be welcome.

Cheers

J.
[/quote]
I would be interested in this also. Can you post any info/links here?

[Max Normal]

Try [url="http://www.auroraproject.co.uk/"]http://www.auroraproject.co.uk/[/url]

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a fibre optic unit that sticks on the back of your headstock:

http://www.zazdas.com/department/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcountry=218&idproduct=2741875&idcategory=0

You get the very thin fibre optic dots in a clear rubber type thing that sticks on the outside of the neck along your side markers, and this provides the coloured light source I think. You could of course use this to power your own permanent installation and stick it in the guitar body.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.fretlord.com/shoppingcart.htm

everything (including the stick-on passive glow dots), but in America.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, Bernie Goodfellow at GB guitars in Brighton does this, not sure if he does installations on other peoples basses, but he offered to install one of his active circuit boards in my frankenbass, so he might do.

Edited May 16, 2012 by Max Normal

[brensabre79]

Bernie does do fretlights as a retrofit for £££s as do Status I believe, but i think the OP wants to do it himself. I'd also be interested in the paint on option if anyone has any info. I struggle to see the dots on my rosewood board under stage lighting.

BTW - there's a company called Fretlord who do an optical fibre thing that you don't have to cut a channel for. It is the single most useless thing I have purchased. Basically its a mini LED torch that you blue tac to the back of your bass, with a length of optical fibre stuck to it. You sellotape (yes sellotape ) the optical fibre along the top of the fretboard and turn on the light for minutes of slightly off centre dots glowing fun before you realise it is complete and utter sh*te. Then the battery dies. Actually i never go that far because the strand of optical fibre snapped in half as I opened the packaging. But I did see enough to know that the dots don't line up and it looks pants.

[Al Heeley]

Aurora project are expensive, it involves removing your fretboard but they do (reportedly) a very good job.
The luminous dots are trouble free but entirely ineffective.
The plastic strips you can buy are cheaper, easy to fit, but not very bright and prone to a very fine wire breaking off if you are not very careful (you can buy these on ebay). I did some serious looking into this a couple of years ago for my warmoth gecko, but decided I wasn't prepared to pay for someone else to rip the fretboard off, and the cheap easy solutions were not really very effective anyway.
Unless someone knows of another method....?

[Max Normal]

In that case, the answers are already here - either use individual LEDs (in parallel, with resistors, maybe a trim pot at the start of the +ve bus and a 9v battery), or the better sounding make a trench and stick fibre optics in it and have one LED.

I'm assuming that the talk of op-amps suggest the use of some kind of logic-based oscillator to animate the dots? I don't see the point for just the side markers personally. If you wanted to do this though, a programmable PIC like an arduino would seem the easiest (and potentially most controllable) method?

[winterfire666]

jack phillips in bolton fitted my green front and side leds, did a great job, not quite sure of the techniques used but he claims he doesnt need to remove the fretboard.
if anyone knows exactly how this is achieved i would like to know too.

[Jabba_the_gut]

Cheers for the details and links. I'll do a bit more digging and maybe try a few ideas out. It seems like an expensive option to get someone else to retro fit (£200+ on some of those links).

Here's a couple of links I'd looked at previously including the one using an op-amp to run the LEDS

[url="http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2572913-My-LED-fretboard-inlay-project"]http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2572913-My-LED-fretboard-inlay-project[/url].

[url="http://www.diyribbonmic.com/ledfretboard/LED_Fretboard_Plans.pdf"]http://www.diyribbonmic.com/ledfretboard/LED_Fretboard_Plans.pdf[/url]

[wal4string]

I have used FretFX on 2 of my basses [url="https://fretfx.com/"]https://fretfx.com/[/url] and got on fine with them. Wouldn't hesitate to use again only I am looking to light up my Status headless bass and the on/off switch is stuck on the back of the head.

[discreet]

Anyone said 'don't bother', yet? No? OK, I'll leave quietly...

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='winterfire666' timestamp='1337184057' post='1656846'] jack phillips in bolton fitted my green front and side leds, did a great job, not quite sure of the techniques used but he claims he doesnt need to remove the fretboard. if anyone knows exactly how this is achieved i would like to know too. [/quote]

Look under the underside of the neck. If it's the "Sims" method, a small route is made along the length of the fingerboard. Depending upon how good the job is depends upon how "invisible" the job is. Anyway, this route enables enough space to put in wires. Once the neck has been fitted with LEDs, a small slither of wood matching that removed is inserted and glued into place. A quick rub down and a blast of polyester finish and a final polish... job done.

Have a look - I'd be interested to know if this is the method that was used on your bass.

[Jabba_the_gut]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1337213060' post='1657347']
Anyone said 'don't bother', yet? No? OK, I'll leave quietly...
[/quote]

Yep, have considered that option!!

Why am I looking at doing this? Just to see if I can!!

[winterfire666]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1337241206' post='1657474']
Look under the underside of the neck. If it's the "Sims" method, a small route is made along the length of the fingerboard. Depending upon how good the job is depends upon how "invisible" the job is. Anyway, this route enables enough space to put in wires. Once the neck has been fitted with LEDs, a small slither of wood matching that removed is inserted and glued into place. A quick rub down and a blast of polyester finish and a final polish... job done.

Have a look - I'd be interested to know if this is the method that was used on your bass.
[/quote]
iv had a look and can see no signs of this technique, so hes either very good or there is some other way.

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='winterfire666' timestamp='1337538383' post='1661631']
iv had a look and can see no signs of this technique, so hes either very good or there is some other way.
[/quote]

Indeed... even with the route technique, the results can be invisible. Hmm... wonder which way was used.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1337213060' post='1657347']
Anyone said 'don't bother', yet? No? OK, I'll leave quietly...
[/quote]

That was my first thought, but I didn't want to seem like a killjoy.

More constructively, LED display applications commonly use multiplexing techniques to minimise power consumption. Get the duty cycle right and you'll be able to save power and adjust the perceived brightness at the same time.

All of which is just a fancy way of saying flash them on/off so fast that the eye doesn't notice.

[Jabba_the_gut]

LED markers really do seem to divide opinion!! I don't want something that looks like a Christmas tree, and I'm not fussed about fretmarkers on the front of the fretboard. I'm only interested in markers on the side of the neck for my benefit when it's a bit dark.

I have managed to make a strip approx 2mm x 3mm x 550mm out of two strips of veneer and some self adhesive copper tape onto which I have soldered some surface mount LEDs (lousy picture attached). They're not the easiest thing to solder by hand, the first ones I tried were 0.8mm x 1.6mm so were quite fiddley!! I made another set with some 2mm x 1.6 mm and they were much easier, though still very small.

The LEDs have a forward voltage of about 3v so they are wired 4 groups of 3 in order to run them from a single 9v battery. Now all I need to do is route a channel 3mm wide and 2mm deep in the fretboard of the bass I'm making to install this.

The side markers will be made from 1mm fibre optic cable to meet up with each LED.

I'm considering this circuit in order to provide brightness control:

[url="http://torrentula.to.funpic.de/2011/08/07/555-timer-led-dimmer/"]http://torrentula.to...mer-led-dimmer/[/url]

Edited March 20, 2013 by Jabba_the_gut

[Grassie]

I know that Loki (on here) did front ones on his MM Sillhouette guitar years ago, might be an idea to PM him.

[loki]

Guys, I've done countless LED installs on guitars and basses, front and side. It's not as hard as everyone makes out. Yes it is a lot of work and a very high-risk job as you stand to completely ruin the guitar/bass if it goes wrong but it's definitely do-able with a half decent shed and some simple tools.

Companies such as SIMS are very good but they charge far too much IMHO - and the price goes up for each LED you add. I don't do that. LED's are just pennies each and it's just as easy to fit 12 as it is 10. I'm not knocking SIMS though as they do excellent work and have an excellent reputation.

Scott.

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='loki' timestamp='1339524652' post='1689947']
Guys, I've done countless LED installs on guitars and basses, front and side. It's not as hard as everyone makes out. Yes it is a lot of work and a very high-risk job as you stand to completely ruin the guitar/bass if it goes wrong but it's definitely do-able with a half decent shed and some simple tools.

Companies such as SIMS are very good but they charge far too much IMHO - and the price goes up for each LED you add. I don't do that. LED's are just pennies each and it's just as easy to fit 12 as it is 10. I'm not knocking SIMS though as they do excellent work and have an excellent reputation.

Scott.
[/quote]

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