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So I'm building my first electric guitar, most of the hardwork is done, I'm about ready to install my feet markers or inlay to the fingerboard (in actual fact I should of installed it a couple of days ago before I radius end the board).
Now the premise for the guitar is to make it from as much native Uk materials as possible, so it got me to thinking, is there any other natural alternative to mop or abalone which would be suitable for fret markers?

I had considered the following,
Contrasting timber/veneer
Leather
Brass or Silver

Any thoughts or alternative ideas out there?


~Nil carborundum illegitemi~

Contrasting timber sound's good. If you are near the coast, perhaps you can find some shell or coral to experiment with.
I always search for shark's teeth at the Texas coast, but so far, my collection only contains one.
Dan

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I use more wood in my inlay work than I do shell. But for fingerboards, there is the concern of lighter colored woods getting dirty looking.

On my first guitar, I used slices of a sycamore stick (similar to your plane tree), although I haven't played that one much due to gluing the bridge in the wrong place and not getting around to fixing it... so it still looks clean. But I might try that again sometime, except using a maple stick so it starts out lighter, and drowning it in thin CA which should suck right up into the endgrain and harden it all the way through so it doesn't just wear off, and create a hard surface that can be sanded smooth so it doesn't collect as much dirt, and can be cleaned when it does.

I've also taken a liking to blank fingerboards lately... not quite as cool as artistic designs as markers, but a lot easier, and I like it better than using plain shell dots. Especially if the fingerboard wood itself has some interesting grain (e.g. rosewood with ink lines).

I think I'll try a dummy run with contrasting timbers tomorrow, another thought I've had is possibly to use glass, although how I'd shape it is another thing entirely.


~Nil carborundum illegitemi~

I use maple quite a bit for dot markers on rosewood or other dark wood. I like it a lot. I've had one of my guitars for 3 years with no issues with dirt or staining. If I was doing block inlay or something with a much larger surface area there might be a problem, but I don't think my fingers are going to hit those dot markers very often, if at all. If you play with a death grip you might have a problem, but with proper technique the string is pressed down to the fret, not the fretboard, especially with jumbo frets. I'd use wood (and do) with no hesitation. I'd worry more about the top edge of flame maple binding that sits alongside the fretboard getting dirty that I would the marker dots.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

You can use clay too. Fender did for years.

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David Morris

I've used 1/16" brass sheet for a logo...worked great. I'd avoid leather. Contrasting wood works. Big box craft stores up here have a variety of stone/simulated stone shapes & colours for making jewelry (got some that looked a lot like turquoise).

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Dave
Milton, ON

I punch my dots out of 100 year old piano keys. Works great, not ivory, and adds an item of interest.

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Phil

http://www.oleninstruments.com

"Those who tilt at windmills are only considered insane by those who can't see the dragon."