making side dots visible on dark stages!

mburekenge

Hey guys

When I was wasting time, browsing the new AZ Ibanez range, I saw that these new guitars have 'Luminescent side dot inlays'. Seems like a really good idea to me!

My rosewood board Bravewood 'S-type' has super dark clay inlays, and I play on a lot of really dark stages! (must be my horrible face) anyone got any good hacks to make them more visible?

Alnico

This maybe?

mburekenge

Alnico said:

This maybe?

nice idea, but I'm way to cack handed LOL

Jez6345789

You can buy the material and retrofit the dots they even do a torch to charge them up with uv etc. I lost the link but the stuff is on eBay and direct if you google.

WezV

The material is called luminlay.  

SNAKEBITE

Phosphorescent paint that is used on watch faces?

Either that or a Radium dial, but that might make your hair fall out.

viz

A bit off topic amd forgive me, but for me, deafness on stage is far more of a hindrance than blindness, it really is. Not being able to hear myself on stage has often resulted in me playing the wrong notes, but playing with my eyes shut, so long as I can hear myself, is never a problem.

I’ve recently re-jigged my live setup and it’s wonderful; now I point my amp to the back of the stage and mic it through the PA, and I run a 2nd passive wedge monitor from my amp’s 2nd output to my floor so I can really hear myself but the rest of the band don’t feel overpowered by guitar, and it’s amazing. I find myself looking at the audience much more. 

darthed1981

You could always buy a Chapman with the glow in the dark side dots?

I'll get me coat...

Kebabkid

OP - I share your dilemma

bluechargeboy

I just bought some glow stickers called "Fret Finders" and a little UV torch from a company called Glowtec, here. I haven't tried them yet

I play instrumental music with a lot of position changes so I need to be able to orient myself in the heat of battle!

Panama_Jack666

viz said:

A bit off topic amd forgive me, but for me, deafness on stage is far more of a hindrance than blindness, it really is. Not being able to hear myself on stage has often resulted in me playing the wrong notes, but playing with my eyes shut, so long as I can hear myself, is never a problem.

I’ve recently re-jigged my live setup and it’s wonderful; now I point my amp to the back of the stage and mic it through the PA, and I run a 2nd passive wedge monitor from my amp’s 2nd output to my floor so I can really hear myself but the rest of the band don’t feel overpowered by guitar, and it’s amazing. I find myself looking at the audience much more. 

That sounds like an interesting setup! 

Your stages are a bit bigger than the dog and duck though!

Hope you're well mate!

digitalscream

I retrofitted Luminlay dots on one of my Jadens, and it works brilliantly. The only slight problem is that I'm similarly cack-handed, so I messed up on a couple of them and they're *slightly* out of alignment. 

Branshen

Panama_Jack666 said:

That sounds like an interesting setup! 

Your stages are a bit bigger than the dog and duck though!

Hope you're well mate!

Exactly what I was thinking.

Branshen

To the OP: how about this? glow-in-the-dark stickers.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/200PCS-Stars-Stickers-Decal-Nursery/dp/B01HR30VNI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1519205157&sr=8-5&keywords=glow+in+the+dark+stickers

John_A

https://www.glowtec.co.uk/glow-in-the-dark-fret-markers.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQiAzrTUBRCnARIsAL0mqcwull1lkoUshnfX3c_l4sdSXPBzoUIzR2jcKmThMFP3pSU58d5SFGwaAtrkEALw_wcB

Got some and they work

webrthomson

mburekenge said:

Hey guys

When I was wasting time, browsing the new AZ Ibanez range, I saw that these new guitars have 'Luminescent side dot inlays'. Seems like a really good idea to me!

My rosewood board Bravewood 'S-type' has super dark clay inlays, and I play on a lot of really dark stages! (must be my horrible face) anyone got any good hacks to make them more visible?

Find a decent luther and get him to install some luminlay dots for you - I've got them in a guitar and they really do work

grungebob

I used to use glow in dark nail varnish, a little dab over the side dots worked well, before that I used to place electrical tape across the back of the neck so I could feel the positions without looking as I also sang and played guitar. 

matt.drink73

If you want to do it on the cheap you can order a sample piece of glow in the dark tape off ebay for 70p or something. Holepunch a some dots out and stick them on. They only last a few gigs but have saved my arse a few times. 

I am looking for something a little more permanent though, how much do you think a luthier would be charging to put in luminlays @webrthomson ? Clay 60's dots and dark flashing stages with little to no monitors isn't fun!

mburekenge

Thanks for the input

Sassafras

Plutonium maybe?

steamabacus

There's always the patented Dave Brock method for seeing whereabouts on the neck your hands are on a dark, stroboscopically lit and chemically enhanced stage