Glad to see it's not just me that needs side dots (Guy Pratt content)

[Clarky]

I see Guy has put some big stickers or blobs of Tippex/similar to increase visibility of side dots on his famous Jazz bass Betsy. Not just me then that needs visual aids (as opposed to purely muscle memory) ... so does bass playing royalty!

[super al]

I don't think I've ever looked at those dots on my basses when playing 🤓

 

 

[ossyrocks]

27 minutes ago, Clarky said:

I see Guy has put some big stickers or blobs of Tippex/similar to increase visibility of side dots on his famous Jazz bass Betsy. Not just me then that needs visual aids (as opposed to purely muscle memory) ... so does bass playing royalty!

I currently have them on one bass. I first used them on an AVRI Precision because the dots were so indistinct. I now have them on a ‘70 Precision as the small white dots don’t stand out like the black dots of later years. 
I use these https://www.rosetteguitarproducts.com/new-page-2 and they made a huge difference on dark stages.

Rob

 

[Steve Browning]

I have gone down the larger dot and Luminlay markers routes.  I've been playing for 50 years but still find myself slightly panicking if I glance down and don't see the dots. 

[bigthumb]

I've been caught out on badly lit stages using basses with tiny side dots. Certain songs required a lot of moving around the neck and these would have saved a lot of bum notes! 

[LeftyJ]

Incidentally, at last Saturday's gig it occurred to me that I couldn't see the actual frets on my Status S2 Classic. I could see the side dots just fine, but on a darkened stage all of the neck is just BLACK and the fret tangs are lacquered over. Never bothered me before, but somehow it did now! 

[Clarky]

This is what I use

 

https://glowtec.co.uk/fret-finders/

[Steve Browning]

17 minutes ago, Clarky said:

This is what I use

 

https://glowtec.co.uk/fret-finders/

Thanks for the link. Do you add the blob of clear nail varnish too? I didn't use these when I was looking, fearing that they'd just come off over time.

[Happy Jack]

I find this comes in handy:

 

[Clarky]

17 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

Thanks for the link. Do you add the blob of clear nail varnish too? I didn't use these when I was looking, fearing that they'd just come off over time.

Nope just stick em on. Need to press hard to make them adhere properly or they can shift a little. Once in place they are pretty stable (they only move if you apply a lot of pressure and slide them or if you deliberately pick them off with finger nail). The pack comes with multiple sizes of dots and longer lozenge shapes

 

 

Edited January 14 by Clarky

[Stub Mandrel]

You don't realise how you use them until you can't see them. I do a lot of big skips up and fown the neck.

 

My AVII has clay side dots on the boundary between a brown rosewood fingerboard and an amber finished maple neck. Under stage lights they disappear.

 

I bought dots online but they were ugly huge things. Ms. S. kindly cut several sets of 3/32 dots out of high adhesive vinyl for me using her Silhouette machine.

 

They have lasted a few gigs without peeling so look like a good solution. No impact on value as I can get them off with IPA.

 

No point in saying which is before and which is after!

 

 

 

[Steve Browning]

5 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

They have lasted a few gigs without peeling so look like a good solution. No impact on value as I can get them off with IPA.

 

 

Would a light mild work as well, or maybe a stout?

[SICbass]

I was too cheap to pay for the proper fret finders, so used these. 
 

https://amzn.eu/d/c1aMocD

 

They are a bit on the chunky side and give the bass a bit of a Playschool/Telly-Tubbies feel. I‘ve just noticed that Fret Finders aren’t even that much more expensive 🤦

 

I would recommend painting over them with nail-varnish 

[Franticsmurf]

Big jumps along the fretboard, a particular liking for playing up at the dusty end (no dust on my end!) and dark stages (or stage lights glaring in my eyes) means that I have relatively large side markers. It doesn't affect the sound of the bass like a duff note would and most punters can't see them.

[Paul S]

I recently bought a couple of sheets of Decadry white dots, much the same as the old Letraset, which is a dry transfer - put the thing dot side down then burnish the back so it leaves the paper and sticks onto whatever you have stuck it on.  In this case the side of the neck.  Similar to the one ozzyrocks mentions above but massively cheaper (yes, I am a tightwad).  It is undetectable to the touch and seems pretty durable.  So far so good.  Maybe a quick lacquer would help, if necessary.  But it saves all that business with the UV pen which I found doesn't really work that effectively for long enough with glowdots or luminlay.

Edited January 14 by Paul S

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, Paul S said:

I recently bought a couple of sheets of Decadry white dots, much the same as the old Letraset, which is a dry transfer - put the thing dot side down then burnish the back so it leaves the paper and sticks onto whatever you have stuck it on.  In this case the side of the neck.  Similar to the one ozzyrocks mentions above but massively cheaper (yes, I am a tightwad).  It is undetectable to the touch and seems pretty durable.  So far so good.  Maybe a quick lacquer would help, if necessary.  But it saves all that business with the UV pen which I found doesn't really work that effectively for long enough with glowdots or luminlay.

You have a link sir?

[Paul S]

3 minutes ago, stewblack said:

You have a link sir?

 

The place I got mine from is out of stock, obvs, but it seems eBay has come up trumps!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285966903916?chn=ps&_ul=GB&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=285966903916&targetid=2361039923645&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9194237&poi=&campaignid=21697381820&mkgroupid=170109506289&rlsatarget=pla-2361039923645&abcId=10027101&merchantid=6995734&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAs5i8BhDmARIsAGE4xHxl3nhyi7PcPfFBUTxxKakp2RC-ApwwqpPj_tnMKsVWURunQbs0bVUaArHzEALw_wcB

[BillyBass]

I had the black dots on a roasted maple neck/fretboard replaced with Luminlay dots.  Bad idea; the luminlayr dots blend in to the neck, pretty much, so I bought some larger black stick on dots from Amazon, and these really stand out.  Looks rubbish though.

[Stub Mandrel]

Would anyone like to trial the small white dots?

[jazzyvee]

 

I bought some FretFx side Leds for my vintage bass. Works fine and much easier to see than the original dots on a dark stage.

[asingardenof]

Down by the nut I don't use them, but when I go up the dusty end I need them because I'm not used to that territory and any reference points are very welcome.

[Huge Hands]

On 14/01/2025 at 09:37, Steve Browning said:

Thanks for the link. Do you add the blob of clear nail varnish too? I didn't use these when I was looking, fearing that they'd just come off over time.

I bought some last year.

 

The ones on the fretboard are all still there, but the side dots have all gone apart from the 12th fret.

 

I think it was mainly down to the way I pick the guitar up when in a stand/taking it from the gigbag by the neck, my (probably greasy) paws were sliding them off.

[Hellzero]

Found another trick working very well:

 

[Hellzero]

And suddenly everybody will be looking at you and not at the singer anymore, a real win-win situation...

 

[Bone Idol]

I was thinking just the other day how small the dots were on my bass... It must be an age thing, as i had to do the 'Tippex' trick on my guitar amp a couple of years ago... Makes me wonder how I get through the day in one piece...