LED fretboard markers

[josie]

This morning I saw a good new British Country band with the bass player playing what looked and sounded like a pretty good through-neck Alembic - from the body shape I think it was a Stanley Clarke - but with red LED fretboard markers. Why? Strictly imho, it looked garish and distracting and completely inappropriate. Had a chance to chat to him later, and succeeded in having a pleasant conversation about Alembics and through-necks without mentioning the LEDs.

Has anyone else seen one of these at a gig, and what did you think? Some peeps must like them enough to buy them, or Alembic wouldn't make them...

 

Edited June 24, 2018 by josie

[Pea Turgh]

Let’s hope he’s not a Basschat member then... awkward!

 I really wanted LEDs in the 90’s.

[Actionmike]

My wife plays a Benavente with led fret markers, makes things a lot easier to find where you are in a dimly lit gig!

[T-Bay]

After playing in the pitch black last week I would have loved them! Looking at luminlay as we speak.

 

[Bassassin]

If I ever have a custom bass built, it will have colour-changing LED dots/inlays. I love the idea (that I just had) of LED (or maybe fibre optic) lines on a fretless.

Vulgar & garish? I should hope so!

[alyctes]

They make lots of sense to me.  Getting the colour right is maybe a little more awkward though?

Or maybe  they should be inlet by about half a millimetre?

[Actionmike]

I’m now working on fitting leds to two more of our basses. I’m going to use a “project “ bass first, then if that works, I’ll convert my wife’s Aerodyne. We’ve tried the luminous dots, but they need a lot of charging to last a gig, even after a boost with the uv torch. I’ll take photos, and try to keep a up date of progress.

Mike.

 

 

[therealting]

I had a strip of LEDs on my old TRB6 when I was doing lots of pit gigs, and my custom Conklin 8 string in the classifieds has them too. I also have Luminlay on my Sadowsky and both of my Dingwalls. Very handy when lighting conditions aren’t ideal!

[Woodinblack]

would love some!

Although only side markers rather than top.

 

Edited June 24, 2018 by Woodinblack

[SpondonBassed]

5 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

would love some!

Although only side markers rather than top.

 

Yes.  Me too.  I don't see much value in having them facing the audience.  I'd want the side markers for a sense of security should the lights go down.

[Christine]

They have their place like everything else and each to their own after all we're all different thank God I wouldn't want them but I have wondered what LEDs would look like fitted behind Mother of Pearl block inlays to give a dim glow

[lowregisterhead]

Many years ago, I had a custom bass made with blue LEDs in the neck edge dot markers. In practice, they were actually too bright on a dark stage and hurt my eyes! Maybe you can get them with dimmers these days...

I also had another bass with luminous side dots. Those were actually very useful.

[Pea Turgh]

I was just trying to think “when have I ever played a stage that dark?!” 

I remembered then - about 20 years ago playing a pub gig with a rock band, ALL the power goes out (amp too, so still no use for LEDs!).

The drummer being an entertainer through and through starts playing and singing at the top of his voice We Will Rock You by Queen. The whole pub joined in. Excellent.

[SpondonBassed]

2 hours ago, Christine said:

They have their place like everything else and each to their own after all we're all different thank God I wouldn't want them but I have wondered what LEDs would look like fitted behind Mother of Pearl block inlays to give a dim glow

I think that's a great idea and not unlike one I have been mulling over for a while.  PMd.

 

1 hour ago, lowregisterhead said:

Many years ago, I had a custom bass made with blue LEDs in the neck edge dot markers. In practice, they were actually too bright on a dark stage and hurt my eyes! Maybe you can get them with dimmers these days...

I also had another bass with luminous side dots. Those were actually very useful.

I'm glad that you confirmed that was the case.  I suspected that I might have problems with the intensity of neck mounted LEDs due to a couple of problems that are affecting my sight.  I want to set some time aside to play with fibre optics to see if I can get that space cadet glow.

[Dood]

Any excuse, here are mine:

 

[SpondonBassed]

2 minutes ago, dood said:

Any excuse, here are mine:

 

I only get a large grey rectangle Dan, no image.

Have you got another image source please?

[fretmeister]

I've had them in Status basses. Very useful on dark stages.

 

But neck LEDS are for amateurs. I want this:

 

 

[Dood]

15 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

I only get a large grey rectangle Dan, no image.

Have you got another image source please?

Try this one. Maybe Instagram images don't show, hmmm.. can anyone else see it?

[pete.young]

49 minutes ago, dood said:

Try this one. Maybe Instagram images don't show, hmmm.. can anyone else see it?

 

I can only see the same as SpondonBassed.

So can you get the indiividual LEDs to light up in sequence, so you know where to put your fingers?

[three]

I've had them in a couple of Alembics but only really use the side markers - very useful (IMO) for finding your way around in dimly lit setttings (including studios, rehearsal rooms and on stage).  I'm not a massive fan of LEDs in the front of the board, though yours Dood are extremely tasteful (testament to what can be achieved with some creative thought).  I have laser lights on the face of an Alembic - these really are super-bright and need power from the DS5 - it's not a bass that I spec'd and don't use them.  I too think that they're over the top.  The bass itself is outrageously good - a tone like no other (SII).  The lights in the board add nothing for me.  

[BigRedX]

It think it depends very much what stage lighting conditions your band plays under. These days most of the time normal white side dots and suitably dark fingerboard for contrast are perfectly sufficient. 

When I was playing with the Terrortones, because we wore sunglass on stage as part of our image, in some of the less well-lit venues it could be a problem seeing the side markers. I had Luminlay inlays fitted to my Warwick Starbass, but they were never bright enough in the conditions where they were required. In that case only bright LED markers would have done the job.

[martthebass]

Like BRX, I always where shades on stage so if it's dimly lit then I'm buggered.  I'd love some leds but don't like the uplift in price.......

[SpondonBassed]

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

I've had them in Status basses. Very useful on dark stages.

 

But neck LEDS are for amateurs. I want this:

 

 

Wow.

 

1 hour ago, dood said:

Try this one. Maybe Instagram images don't show, hmmm.. can anyone else see it?

Thanks Dan.  Nice neck.  Not too intense.

What's Instagram?  Heeheehee.  I suspect that instagram users will have some sort of root kit installed on their machines to allow access to their image store.

 

55 minutes ago, pete.young said:

I can only see the same as SpondonBassed.

So can you get the indiividual LEDs to light up in sequence, so you know where to put your fingers?

I believe you can buy instruments that do that but they'd be associated with things like Rock School which is a games console application.  I don't think it is available on "proper" instruments.  I'd be happy to be corrected if that's wrong what with advances in tech and all.

[EBS_freak]

2 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I've had them in Status basses. Very useful on dark stages.

 

But neck LEDS are for amateurs. I want this:

 

 

Of course, what these guys never tell you, is that playing the instrument is a complete waste of time - the colour changing and switching of the LEDs inject a whole lot of noise into the audio path. I have even challenged a couple of builder on Facebook to tell me otherwise... and without fail, all of them have admitted that the LEDs are pretty pointless if you actually want to play with them on and not wanting to hear a load of unwanted noise coming from the switching controllers.

The only person that I know have nailed it that I know of, is Bernie at GB and his electronic guru, Richard. - Even GBs don't use the addressable Neopixels that all these other guys are using... GBs are single colour LED... for this reason. No point iin having all the showbiz if your can't use it without a load shizz coming out of you speakers. Having said that, some people would argue a load of shizz comes out of my speakers - even when I'm playing a bass without LEDs.

These multicolour LEDs only serve one purpose - to get your brand noticed on Facebook.

Edited June 25, 2018 by EBS_freak

[Dood]

1 hour ago, pete.young said:

 

So can you get the indiividual LEDs to light up in sequence, so you know where to put your fingers?

It would be entirely possible, but not in this case.