LED side Fret Markers for dark stages .....??

[Mark_ii]

Has anyone got any experience or opinions on these ?

[url="https://fretfx.com/"]https://fretfx.com/[/url]

I know there are many opinions on the FRETEX website, however they're not really going to publish anything negative about their own product, so I suspect I'm only reading one sided opinions.

I have found dark stages can be a problem on the odd occasion and these LED's seem to offer a solution for the bassist or guitarist. I don't like front (mid fret board) LED's at all, I think they're just showy and look tacky personally. However, small side LED's seem to offer a discrete solution for the player to what I would consider is a common enough problem.

Any opinions ? Many thanks,

Mark

Edited January 25, 2013 by Mark_ii

[uncle psychosis]

I'd rather just get some small self-adhesive glow in the dark stickers, or, even better, just learn my way round the neck properly (its not *that* hard).

Unless you're playing a very unusual/futuristic bass LEDs just look silly, IMO.

[Mark_ii]

I know my way round the neck ok, please don't get me worng, however depending on the bass I'm playing (different feel from one to another) the side dots just give that assurance when you've gotta jump up 7 frets or so. I guess I find the side dots somewhat of a crutch that I like having there.

I fully agree with your opinion on LED's that are visible to the audience .......... however, the set to which I was referring are just visible to the player (upper edge of the fretboard only). Wouldn't bother turning them on unless the stage lighting was particularly bad.

Edited January 25, 2013 by Mark_ii

[Veils]

I loved having LEDs. I can see why people think they're kinda poncey, but I really felt I benefited from having them if I was playing on a dark stage in songs where there were some awkward chops.

[scannerman]

i used to have LEDs in my warwick, they ate batteries, (3x9v) and most of the time i just put black tape on the back of the neck. Good indoors, rubbish out doors/ bright lights.

Don't bother ...IMO

[MoonBassAlpha]

Why would you need them under bright lights though?

[al embic]

Both my gb basses have leds. The side leds are super bright,can be seen under the brightest of stage lights and give you the confidence on even a completely dark stage. 2 x 9v batteries last me around 20 gigs at least before i even think of replacing them.

[bobpalt]

Use them all the time. Absolutely invaluable on a dim stage. I cant see why anyone would criticize them, as they arent for show and cant bee seen by the audience?

[winterfire666]

the fretfx seems like a great product, i have done a bit of research on the matter as i was seriously considering getting some, however they have recently changed their manufacturing process so they can do more bulk orders so less options are now available
if you want a standard colour (1of3) for a standard scale length, no problem, anything else and they cant/wont do it.
and the batteries are specific too and quite hard to get in the right configuration over here.
iv been working on a simple home brew version which can be configured easily to any scale length any choice of colours and has a rechargable battery pack as standard. although im still looking for the right glue which is safe to use on natural/oil finish necks.

[mart]

I got these for one of my basses. The LEDs are very bright, and the strip they are embedded in doesn't get in the way at all. So functionally they are great. The fitting of the battery pack and the wire up to it is a bit amateur. It's functional, but if you care about appearances, you probably won't be happy with it.

I still can't make up my mind about their "switch" - you turn the lights on and off by removing the battery and inserting it in the other way round. It's either a triumph of functional purity, or a lazy-ass cheapskate option.

The service from fretfx was good. The order form on their website wasn't as clear as it could be; as you'll see, I was wondering them for a 24 fret fretless, and it wasn't clear how to stipulate both, but I fired off a few emails and got quick clear responses. And the LEDs came through from the states quite quickly.

And here are a few pics of them in situ:
[IMG]http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k455/mart206/Thumb%20Pics/P1030782b.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k455/mart206/Thumb%20Pics/P1030783b.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k455/mart206/Thumb%20Pics/P1030784b.jpg[/IMG]

[mart]

I've just read the comment about batteries, which puzzles me. They use CR2032 batteries, which are pretty common here. And they sent me about 5 with the bass, which ought to last a year or two.

Edited January 26, 2013 by mart

[Bobby K]

I've just put some Luminlay side dots on my fretless. See this thread here for details:

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/152461-luminlay-fret-markers/

They do the job nicely

[winterfire666]

[quote name='mart' timestamp='1359214024' post='1951693']
I've just read the comment about batteries, which puzzles me. They use CR2032 batteries, which are pretty common here. And they sent me about 5 with the bass, which out to last a year or two.
[/quote]that is cool if they sent you 5. How long do you get out if a single battery?
I enquired a while ago and unfortunately they dont do 33" scale otherwise i would have ordered.I also thought it would be cool to have 2 colours. Amber with green or red for 12th and 24th fret.

Edited January 26, 2013 by winterfire666

[Dr.Dave]

I asked for side LEDs installing in my Shuker - and they work very well. One thing I hadn't considered was how much they help at outdoor gigs when the sun's in your eyes too , so that was a bonus.

I'm thinking of having them installed in my Blueflower P too - but that'll be along with front ones and illuminated pickguard full mashings job - more of a stage prop pose than anything else.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1359157085' post='1951080']
I'd rather just get some small self-adhesive glow in the dark stickers, or, even better, just learn my way round the neck properly (its not *that* hard).

Unless you're playing a very unusual/futuristic bass LEDs just look silly, IMO.
[/quote]
I wouldn't have LEDs myself but I don't see how they're any sillier than having side dots at all.

I played with a guitarist who had glow-in-the-dark Tippex on his side dots.

Edited January 29, 2013 by EssentialTension

[mart]

[quote name='winterfire666' timestamp='1359216050' post='1951735']
that is cool if they sent you 5. How long do you get out if a single battery?
I enquired a while ago and unfortunately they dont do 33" scale otherwise i would have ordered.I also thought it would be cool to have 2 colours. Amber with green or red for 12th and 24th fret.
[/quote]
I don't know about battery length yet. The battery shows no sign of dying yet, but it's probably only had a couple of hours of use. The LEDs are so bright that I turn them off whenever I can.

Shame they don't offer two-colour options, or different scale lengths. In that sense, I guess they are pretty inflexible.

I did first wonder about stick-on dots, but wasn't convinced that any would stay on very long. I'd be interested to hear anybody with successful experiences of the stick-ons.

[alyctes]

I have some side LEDs on an Epiphone Tbird, which I think are Fretex (I bought the Tbird here with them already fitted). I think they're useful. I'd rather the end of the fitting (up by the 20th fret) was not so sharp, but that's the only criticism I have (and TBH I don't know if they are like that out of the box).

[shizznit]

I have only had one bass with LED's installed (Status Energy 6) and I found them to be really useful. That bass was also installed with a dimmer control, so I could adjust the brightness according to the lighting conditions and save the life of the LED's. Very handy as the brightness of those green LED's were so high it would hurt my eyes!

I never look at the fingerboard markers on a fretboard as I play because I wear my bass quite high and my eye-line can only see the side of the neck anyway. Never been fussed having them installed on the fingerboard for two reasons. 1st being that it would be a waste of money as I don't need I see the fingerboard itself and 2nd being the cost. LED's are terribly expensive regardless if they are retro fitted or not.

[mcnach]

[quote name='mart' timestamp='1359214024' post='1951693']
I've just read the comment about batteries, which puzzles me. They use CR2032 batteries, which are pretty common here. And they sent me about 5 with the bass, which ought to last a year or two.
[/quote]

INdeed, that's the battery computer motherboards use!
(and a few FX processors like the V-Amps etc)

[mcnach]

[quote name='Bobby K' timestamp='1359214657' post='1951706']
I've just put some Luminlay side dots on my fretless. See this thread here for details:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/152461-luminlay-fret-markers/"]http://basschat.co.u...y-fret-markers/[/url]

They do the job nicely
[/quote]

I did something similar on my Warwick Corvette $$ years ago. Only in my case I bought a small tester of various glow in the dark paints £6 for a few ml of 6 colours. Some very pretty, but the green one was the brightest and longest lasting. Then I bought some glow in the dark paint in powder form. Green and brightest too. It came in a white padded envelope and you could see the green glow through it!

Next I just mixed some paint with powder to make a very thick mulch, and I aplied that to the fret markers. A small blob on each.
This was useful in two ways: you could feel them easily without looking, and after shining one of those small £5 UV torches on them, they glowed for a long time. Just swipe the torch on the side, a couple of passes and you are good to go.

I'm considering repeating the operation now on my black Jazz. I don't feel I need anything on maple fingerboards, but on thsi Jazz on a dark stage, I made a couple of mistakes a couple of weeks ago. The fret markers are very small and they have become dark... so this would be a nice and easy solution.

I like the leds, as long as they are not very bright (I want them visible only by me, not the audience, they are not to look flash) but the cable on the headstock, battery compartment etc... it just looks pretty ugly to me.

[weepaul]

All my bass's have fretFX,the older ones used AAA batteries the newer ones use CR's.
Go for it mate,they're well handy and they come with a switch that gives you 2 options on how bright you want them. They're also pretty good on batteries.

Heres a wee vid of them in action.......

[url="http://www.metalireland.com/video/honey-for-christ/live-15102009-video_e315f9218.html"]http://www.metalireland.com/video/honey-for-christ/live-15102009-video_e315f9218.html[/url]

[JTUK]

I don't use mine on one bass as the other one doesn't have.
It goes thru batteries as well which also puts me off.

I just make sure the lights are configured well... and this sorts 90% of the problems

[mcnach]

I just took one of my basses to my favourite luthier to get new side dots installed. The original ones are rather small and did not contrast very well against the background. So I went for 3mm diameter Luminlay... The bigger dots alone will help a lot. The glow in the dark aspect may be cool. We'll see!

[mcnach]

and it looks like this...

[dand666]

Personally the LED's imo look gimmicky and tacky. But hey, thats just me!