How much of a big deal are the lack of fret markers?

Maynehead

Board markers make it easier for me. Side markers are fine but when you're gigging in low light and your guitar is at an angle, it's not always easy to locate a fret based on the side markers.

It's easier just to slap your finger straight on top of a board marker. No thinking required.

WezV

I am okay without, unless it's a fanned fret.

Jalapeno

Dave_Vader said:

I have an acoustic with no dot on the 9th, it's on the 10th instead - gets me every time I look down at it.
So I don't look down anymore

Annoying isn't it !  - on one I had I took a black felt pen to the 10th, and a blob of tippex on the 9th.

Philly_Q

I only really look at the side markers.  Am I right in thinking older PRS guitars only had one side marker dot at the 12th fret?  I had an EG like that, it was more confusing than a lack of fretboard markers.

aord43

Jalapeno said:

Dave_Vader said:

I have an acoustic with no dot on the 9th, it's on the 10th instead - gets me every time I look down at it.
So I don't look down anymore

Annoying isn't it !  - on one I had I took a black felt pen to the 10th, and a blob of tippex on the 9th.

Is this common?  Why is that?

tampaxboo

it would bug me. but i'm self-taught and not proficient technically, so i need and like a failsafe. like emergency lights in a fire. side dots only useful if you have enough light to see them, but i like to play in a darkened rooms stages so not clear enough.

if you use a blues scale or a whatever scale you have a framework that doesn't need so many touchstones to get your bearings. but if you are kind of inventing strange scales for different songs you can get badly confused. just reassuring to have a big black dot like stars when navigating.

scrumhalf

I couldn't do without them, but then I'm crap.

Neil

Need them and want them.

Plus guitars (apart from classicals) look weird without them IMO. 

Sparky

Wow, I didn't expect opinion to be this divided!

boogieman

I've got an electric and an acoustic with just board markers at the twelfth fret. Side markers only work fine for me.

stickyfiddle

I'm absolutely fine without as long as I've got side dots. But a lot of guitars look odd without them

PhilKing

This one is one of mine, by our own @WezV. ; It's a 24 fret neck, but I was playing it last week and had no issues.  It's a neck through John Birch SG tribute.

FelineGuitars

TTony said:

I've just removed all the frets on a neck so that I could put fretmarkers in (and then refret it).

Never really considered going marker-less.

Maybe I should have tried it and saved myself some work.

I wish some people would realise what is involved putting large markers on a plain board. 

They often seem surprised that you are going to have to charge them for a refret as well

Voxman

I don't know is the honest answer - I've never played a guitar without fret inlays. Bit I think they look aesthetically 'naked' - and having only a 12th fret marker was a big turn-off re many of the Chapman guitars. I think I still rely on fret inlays - my Epi Sheraton II only has fret markers (& side dots) up to the 15th fret and I sometimes get thrown by having no guide after that. 

Perhaps I'd be fine with just the side dots -but would have to try it to be sure.