What's your fretboard inlay of choice?

[SchlazzGraft]

Just as the title says, what kind of fretboard inlays do you like best? I'm sure a lot of people go for the traditional dot, but I thought it was worth a shot.

I just got my first mandolin.. a Kentucky KM 805 with the block inlays, and I really like the look!

[mandroid]

Got a 2nd hand Lebeda , with 3 piece blocks: oyster/ abalone/ oyster. Fancy Jazz guitar theme.

I like the Gretch style marking, too , a semicircle along the edge nearest the player, particularly with an unbound fingerboard each piece is seen from 2 directions .
had my 4 string electric made like that. so that's the only one I had a choice ahead of time.

Oyster shell has a polarity and sometimes the dot looks dull from one angle and bright from another
depending on which way it's rotated., some round dots are like that.

might be selection of the pieces being used, bag of dots in ten gross, take them as they come..

[Jeff Harvey]

None. I'd rather have a totally clean fretboard!

[Big Joe]

I have 3 options:
No inlay whatsoever
Vine of life starting from a flowerpot
Single Leprechaun either middle of neck or on the f/b extension

[woodwizard]

First choice: Traditional dots or nothing ... Guess I'm a bit boring. Although I really like the look of the block inlays of say a Sam Bush model. But never cared for too much flash so vine inlays are a turn off for me.

[Mike Snyder]

I've always liked the looks of the Wayne Benson Gibson. If I (in my dreams) ever had one built from the ground up, I'd want that clean board with a stylized ringneck pheasant inlayed where Wayne has his name. My love of picking would mesh with my love of chasing birds. Ain't gonna happen, of course, but dreams are fun!

[Paul Kotapish]

No inlay at all is my preference--I love the look of simple, uncluttered ebony and fret wire--on both mandolins and guitars.

[Paul Kotapish]

On the other hand . . .

http://www.gruhn.com/features/fancybanjos/JE2851inlay.jpg

[Ivan Kelsall]

Quote from Jeff Harvey- " None. I'd rather have a totally clean fretboard! " . I have to agree.
If the mandolin has the side markers (dots),there's no need to clutter the fingerboard up with inlay. This is of course all 'personal preference',we're talking here. I've always thought that the un-inlayed fingerboards of Spanish Guitars seemed as highly professional as the Classical Guitarists who were playing them.
This one, as well as a 'look-alike made by Andrew Mowry,says it all for me as far as an 'elegant' looking instrument goes,
Ivan:cool:

[Dfyngravity]

I have always preferred to have no inlay, so that is what I am getting on my new Holst.

[Tim2723]

These days I prefer a very clean look. Maybe just simple dots if anything at all. In my youth I was enamoured of fancy stuff like Tree of Life, lots of vines, that sort of thing. Then I ran into a banjo that was about the gaudiest thing I'd ever seen. Man! can those things get tacky or what!? Totally put me off inlays.

[Joe Mendel]

None, the look is simple & elegant.

[250sc]

Everyone knows that MOP dots sound best.

[JEStanek]

Dots and maybe something interesting at 12 or so. I find the tree of life distracting. I like side dots too. I could probably get by with just side dots but I like them on the board. I don't like block inlay either... I don't like to call too much attention to my crutches.

Jamie

[yankees1]

Nyy nyy nyy nyy

[Kevin K]

None. No dots, no inlay, no blocks, just good clean ebony and good frets.

[KristinEliza]

Well, I'll be a stereotypical girl (and blonde) and say that I like the inlay (shiney!). Afterall, I do have a MK dragonfly.

While it is not necessary, if I had the choice, I'd have something 'tasteful' on my fretboard / headstock.

I'm not one for the full abalone fretboard though. That's a bit too garish for me.

But I'll take some gorgeous wood over inlay any time of the day. That's one of the reasons I'm so glad I play stringed instruments...they are so wonderful to look at! (and they don't sound too bad either).

[Ted Eschliman]

Block.

http://jazzmando.com/images/CJM_Fretboard.jpg

When you've had block, you'll never go... er...
stock.

[Perry Babasin]

I happen to love the look of tasteful, well done inlay against hardwood. Dots, blocks, vines, trees, dragonflys or whatever. Abalone or mop. I love woods used as inlay or binding although I'm not sure I've ever seen it on a fingerboard... Like it on the headstock, like it on the fingerboard.

Swimming upstream as usual................ Perry

[LeonEvans]

I like slotted diamonds, so that's what Steve Holst put in my C5.

Leon

[Dobe]

I Call those snowflakes. Here's one I tried a couple times (never on a mando). It's nice cause you don't have to cut perfection as each mountain is unique & the stars help reduce confusion. I guess the three best are (in no particular order):

Nothing
Dots w/ something else on 12
Whatever you like.

[BlueMt.]

Just dots for me.

[Bill Van Liere]

No dots or anything else. I love to watch fingers move about on a totally clean fretboard.

[Larry S Sherman]

Me too...blocks

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=42468&d=1242587840

Larry

[Patrick Gunning]

Small dots

[Pete Braccio]

Anything EXCEPT plain dots. I never liked the look of them. I like clean, blocks, vines, diamonds, etc. They are just decoration since I just use the side dots when playing.

Of course, the fret markers never stopped me from buying a mandolin that I liked or made me buy a mandolin that I didn't like. ;^)

Pete

[bigbike]

Nah, the fancier the better for me. Makes up for my lack of skill in playing;)

Seriously-it all depends on a cheapo instrument it makes no difference but on my various quality instruments I have fancy fretboard inlays/headstock. Helps to differenciate the cheapie instruments from the more expensive. Or maybe it just looks nicer.

On my Stewart banjolin I have a very nice elaborate inlay (stock from the company), on the mt. dulcimer I made I inlaid the fretboard with ivory "F" designs all the way down-but it fits as the soundholes I cut were also "f"'s. My best bluegrass banjo has a tree of life pattern on the neck. Most of the rest-quality instruments are just dots. But then again those are 100 year old quality instruments.

[Rob Gerety]

I've always wanted to do something like this:

[MLT]

It is a Lily and stars for me on Ebony

[Kip Welty]

Plain & simple, let the playing do the talking..............

[oldwave maker]

I like solid black when trying to get to sleep, otherwise a bit of sapwood, or ringed planets setting on a brazilian horizon, or minnows escaping the bass, or even blocks on the side where I might actually see them....

[frankenstein]

nice Hokopelli.

[Magnus Geijer]

I've been doing mine like this lately. I prefer it to the centered dots.

/Magnus

[SchlazzGraft]

I like solid black when trying to get to sleep, otherwise a bit of sapwood, or ringed planets setting on a brazilian horizon, or minnows escaping the bass, or even blocks on the side where I might actually see them....

HAHAHA I dig the bass bass

[Darryl Wolfe]

I think it may have been Jim Hilburn that put some dainty little Roman Numerals at the corresponding positions on a mandolin built a few years back. I thought that was one of the most tasteful non-detracting ideas since the traditional dot

[Ken]

From 3rd thru 7th fret.
Ken

[man dough nollij]

Paua abalone:

http://davidwallphoto.com/images/%7B74738F43-A44E-47C8-AD3D-10301863389A%7D.jpg

[Eric Taylor]

None. I'd rather have a totally clean fretboard!

Me too.

[Jim]

Nothing but side markers.

[JeffD]

As long as 5, 7, 10, 12, & 15 are clearly marked, 3 and 17 ok too.

I love side indicators, but I love the dots also. Blocks OK.

I am not much for the extra bling.

[Charles E.]

I am so glad to see so many votes for no inlay. Side dots are all I use. I like the look of pure Ebony.