Fretboard dots

Posted by Jan Westphal on March 22, 2012 at 3:07pm

Hi all, I could use some suggestions on how to make dots for fret markers. I like making stuff myself rather than buying things if possible at all.

Bullets are cool but not available in this country, nails are not the same size and difficult to fit in properly...

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Email me when people reply –
Follow

Replies

  • Jan Westphal March 25, 2012 at 1:35am

    Unfortunately it is hard to find a small plug cutter over here...

    But I discovered something that might do the trick: knitting needles. There is a shop selling wooden ones in all kinds of wood - ebony, rosewood, maple, boxwood ... relatively cheap and they come in many different diameters. So I can cut small pieces and glue them in just like the side dot material.

  • Thomas "Duck" Petry March 24, 2012 at 11:47am

    Replied and hit the magic "disappear key" so I'll try this again. If you are frugal like me you can always take the cheap way out like I did on my first build, (a Cookie Tin...my next one is going to be a wood Cigar Box). It's fretless and as I have never played before I wanted the markings so I could find the notes. Did the fret lines and dots with a sharpie marker before I put the finish on the wood. Looks OK from ten feet and serves the purpose for my "learner".

    DUH!! Excuse the double post. The first one went where it was supposed to, I just couldn't find it. Another "senior moment".

    100_2564sm.jpg

    • Wiley Rutledge > Thomas "Duck" Petry March 24, 2012 at 12:01pm
      Nice build! That's more of what I usually see in fret less builds, hence my question. I DO love the effect of Charlotte's "fretted look alike" fretless build tho.
  • Thomas "Duck" Petry March 24, 2012 at 11:39am

    If you are really frugal you can always do what I have done on my first build, (a Cookie Tin body, the next one will be a wood Cigar Box). It's fretless, but I wanted fret marks so I can figure out how to find the notes as I have never played before, so I marked the fret lines and dots using a sharpie before finishing the wood. Serves the purpose and doesn't look too bad from 10 feet away. :)>

  • Randy S. Bretz March 24, 2012 at 10:09am

    Bone edge fret markers " Something Different" build-final pic`s

  • MadGomer March 24, 2012 at 9:57am
    Charlotte, that's really sharp! May have to steal that idea for my next one. Whatdid you use for your edge markers?
  • Charlotte Henry March 24, 2012 at 9:48am

    Jan, these are maple dots inlaid into an ebonized maple fretboard.  The fret lines are maple veneer inlet into the saw kerfs for my fretless Punch 4 string. Anyway, I used a 1/4" plug cutter and on the fretboard I drilled the holes with a 1/4" forstner bit.IMAG0392.jpg

    • Charlotte Henry > Charlotte Henry March 24, 2012 at 10:39am

      for the side dots I used black epoxy putty here but it isn't worth the effort since the side dot material from StewMac is $1.15 for a 6 inch piece which should easily do 4 guitars.

    • Wiley Rutledge > Charlotte Henry March 24, 2012 at 9:58am
      Beautiful contrast in the fretboard, but like many "fret less" instruments I see this appears to be fretted. I know many put fret marks in appropriate places, but these appear to be more than marks. Are these smooth to the fret board, (totally inlaid) or some other treatment?
    • Charlotte Henry > Wiley Rutledge March 24, 2012 at 10:45am

      This was going to be a discarded fretboard and I had already cut the slots for fretwire, but when I decided to do a fretless I knew that the flaws in this board would not matter i used it rather than throw it away.  The whole guitar turned out to be better than I had expected and is my favorite instrument to date.

      The fretboard is completely flat and smooth.  The lines are visible but you can't feel them on top or edge.  The board is not bound.  The fingerboard started out wider than the neck and when I trimmed it down to mate with the neck I left the wood unstained and just finished clear laquer on it.

This reply was deleted.