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

[brensabre79]

I had a bass with a rosewood board and very small (2mm) dot markers on the side only, they were filled with some quite dark substance which meant I could not see them even on a fairly well lit stage. The bass hung in a slightly different position to all my others so often found myself going for the wrong fret.
I tried these:
http://www.fretlord.us/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=FRTOPTX
They were truly awful. I ordered two, the first one snapped before it got anywhere near the bass, the second one didn't line up properly and came unstuck before the bass left the house (it was basically a strip of sellotape holding a length of optical fibre connected to an LED) and then when the velcro holding the LED in place came off it pulled the whole thing down with it, and it snapped the optical fibre again. In the end I just used some reflective paint.

I'm not sure if the FretFX ones in the OP are the same (they look like a similar design) but I consider the ones I bought to be a total waste of time and money.

[loudandclear]

I have had a bass with Fretfx on for about 5 years now and have gigged a lot with it. They are really good, invaluable as a gigging tool. Most stages have coloured lights or variable lighting so really are useful. Batteries are normal CR's widely available. Not sure how they can look tacky as the audience cant see them but guess thats a personal opinion, I really loved them, the strip does not get in the way, they are completely removable if you dont want them anymore , leaving no trace, service is good. Cant go wrong in my opinion.

[KevB]

Don't like the look of them personally. Would rather spend more time learning how to play better without looking at the fretboard

[mart]

Those fretlord ones definitely look different to the fretfx ones: the fretfx have lots of separate LEDs and no optical fibre.

I'll agree with mcnach about the appearance of the wires and battery pack - that's why I put up the photos, so people can see how (un)tidy they can be. Personally I can live with it, but I'd understand people who can't.

As for brightness, on the ones I've got there is no way of adjusting this. And they are BRIGHT. I've had a few comments from people in the audience about how bright they are, so they certainly are not only visible to me. And that was with the house lights on!

[mcnach]

[quote name='dand666' timestamp='1361351819' post='1984814']
Personally the LED's imo look gimmicky and tacky. But hey, thats just me!
[/quote]

They only look as bright as that for a short time after charging. I'm talking about the photograph I posted, which is not LEDs but glow in the dark replacement side dot markers... Luminlay is a rod of glow in teh dark material, and you have to drill the old markers and glue and trim this other material... I let my luthier friend do it so that they look "factory installed". They only glow strongly like that for a few minutes after charging, but they are able to glow faintly for a LONG time, charged just by normal lights around. Even in a low light environment, the faint glow adds enough to the markers so that they are noticeably easier to see... but nobody else will really see them. It's a very cheap and non-obtrusive way to improve the visibility of your side dots, which look just like standard dots under bright lights and do not look weird in any way... I can see how a bright glow can look gimmicky to some, but it does not look like that unless you keep charging them (which is possible, it takes 5 seconds so you could do it from time to time between songs)... the faint residual glow is what it's about for me (can't photograph that 'though).

[Bobby K]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1361406372' post='1985664']

They only look as bright as that for a short time after charging. I'm talking about the photograph I posted, which is not LEDs but glow in the dark replacement side dot markers... Luminlay is a rod of glow in teh dark material, and you have to drill the old markers and glue and trim this other material... I let my luthier friend do it so that they look "factory installed". They only glow strongly like that for a few minutes after charging, but they are able to glow faintly for a LONG time, charged just by normal lights around. Even in a low light environment, the faint glow adds enough to the markers so that they are noticeably easier to see... but nobody else will really see them. It's a very cheap and non-obtrusive way to improve the visibility of your side dots, which look just like standard dots under bright lights and do not look weird in any way... I can see how a bright glow can look gimmicky to some, but it does not look like that unless you keep charging them (which is possible, it takes 5 seconds so you could do it from time to time between songs)... the faint residual glow is what it's about for me (can't photograph that 'though).
[/quote]

a massive +1 for the luminlays, I love mine
They glow for ages and are very discreet, well enough light to see where you're playing.

[blunderthumbs]

[attachment=128848:IMG_2867.JPG]
Get these installed. Sims Led's I don't give a shiny sh*te if they look poncey
I have had nothing but admiring comments when people see them.
Getting the Jaydee done this year. Bright blue front and side. Bring it on

[KingBollock]

I think LEDS look ace and I would love to be able to afford to get them fitted to all my Basses, though only side markers, not on the front. I like the look of them on the from of others, I personally, like either a blank fretboard or a really fancy one. I am considering getting some vinyl markers, either playing card suits or mudflap girls. I am considering the FretFX, in blue, for my Warlock and Luminlay, in green, for my Cort. I didn't realise quite how much I relied on the side markers until I got my Aria and found myself struggling a bit when moving around a lot because the markers are tiny and barely stand out from the colour of the fretboard.

If you're playing live and you ain't posing a bit, you probably ain't doing it properly...

Edited March 1, 2013 by KingBollock

[TG Flatline]

I've got side LEDs on my Shuker. Worth every penny to me. Particularly useful when there is someone with an itchy trigger finger controlling the smoke machine. I generally turned them off outside as they didn't really make a difference.

I chose white so they would just look like brighter fret markers, and unless you're looking at them straight on you wouldn't know they were there. I'm not a fan of the front-mounted ones, but that's just me.

Battery life will depend on the wiring scheme and LEDs used. I've only changed my battery once, and the only reason I had to do that was the LEDs accidentally got left on after packing up after a gig. Next time I opened the case was a good few days later, and they were still on! Very dim, but still on.

[mcnach]

Side LEDs would be nice on a bass or two, not a fan of front ones. Would love LEDs with a small trim control to adjust brightness and tame them a bit when appropriate.
If it weren't that expensive I'd definitely consider it. Luminlay is great, but it has a more limited functionality than LEDs

[Captain Codpiece]

i have side LEDs on my buzzard 2, and fretfx (old model) on my jag bass.

the fretfx are really easy to do and look ok, they are visible up close, if you are looking for the strip but if you don't have them on people cant tell they are there from the stage.

obviously the status is inbuilt and people freak out the first time they see them

[KingBollock]

I am looking at getting some vinyl stickers for a couple of my Basses. One set will cover all the original dots, so they won't be a problem, but the other one I only want on the 12th fret and I'd like to black out the other dots so only the 12th fret is visible. What is the best way to get rid of them? The fretboard is ebony. I don't want to do anything that will damage the fretboard. I am considering just colouring them in with a permanent CD pen. Might try it with something less permanent to start with.

Is it possible to get that Luminlay stuff from the UK?

[mcnach]

as far as I know only from Japan, but it's not expensive to post as it's so light.

[JimBobTTD]

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1362336949' post='1998595']
I
Is it possible to get that Luminlay stuff from the UK?
[/quote]

I bought some from the seller in Japan. It arrived in four days. No problems.

[Bigjas]

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1362374883' post='1999039']
I bought some from the seller in Japan. It arrived in four days. No problems.
[/quote]

Yep, I bought some from the seller in Japan 2 weeks ago and it also arrived in 4 days.

Jas

[Dr.Dave]

Had them built into my Shuker - very useful . I don't have front dots at all.

Bonus - if you do festival type things or other outdoor work in the summer months , like I do , they're helpful when the sun's in your eyes too.

[KingBollock]

[quote name='Bigjas' timestamp='1362402545' post='1999158']


Yep, I bought some from the seller in Japan 2 weeks ago and it also arrived in 4 days.

Jas
[/quote]
Cool. How much did they cost? My brain is a bit addled lately and I haven't the wherewithal to work it out for myself.

[mcnach]

about £10 or so?

[Bigjas]

They cost 2100 Yen which is roughly £14, posted. I got the SB30 side dots.

Jas

[KingBollock]

Right, thank you. Can't even afford that right now, I've just learned that we need to replace our car's windscreen.

As I don't play live at the moment (still love to believe that I might again one day) they aren't essencial. I have plans for the front of the fretboards on a couple of my Basses. I started a thread asking for advice, here: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/201421-fretboard-decoration Any advice on those questions would be ace.

[ZenBasses]

Just want to chip in.

I have recently acquired a Shuker 4 string Horn with side LEDs and they are a nice addition. And look really smart.

Maybe I can see the benefits of having them under dim conditions but the cost of these as an option has always put me off..

Now I have them.. I think I have used them twice at home. They look pretty but as I know where my hand is on the fretboard I seldom look down.

Nice to have bit now actually living with them I can conclude that nice to have but wouldn't spend the cash having them installed.

I give 2cents to the glow in the dark sticker option... Cheap and if you feel you need reference then they are perfect.

Only cool thing is when I pull the volume pot and put my bass into active I get a red LED at the 12th fret.. Silly how little things make you smile.

[sharkboy]

Rise of the living thread alert! I've been toying with a set of side LEDs for the old Stingray, and was considering going the Fret FX route. I checked their website and dropped them an email, but as I've not had a reply yet and their website looks like it was created about 10 years ago (all that was missing was a "look us up on MySpace" link!), I've got to ask- are these guys still in business? If not, is there anywhere else that does these quick to install LEDs?

[deepbass5]

Having been playing dark stages for many years, I was very happy to buy a Shuker 5 with side lights. It was the main reason for the purchase and it has now become my main bass. But personally would not want a bass with front facing lights

[gafbass02]

I have fretfx, in fact that's me in the background on the testimonials page. I rate them very highly indeed as a practical solution. Not keen on the newest battery box though.

[UglyDog]

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1409253287' post='2538055']
Having been playing dark stages for many years, I was very happy to buy a Shuker 5 with side lights. It was the main reason for the purchase and it has now become my main bass. But personally would not want a bass with front facing lights
[/quote]
Is that the ex-OldGit Shuker 5?