Fret board side dots

[chipotle]

What do you use?
I have found what I need at Stew-Mac but I was wondering what folks use for the side markers on fretboards. MOP or other inlay material, binding type material, wood or some other substitute material?

Simplistic question I know, but my board search yielded no results.

Thanks in advance and thank you all for the free exchange of knowledge here. What a great place!

[Philphool]

My luthier took a scrap piece of ebony, shaped it into a very small dowel, then drilled a hole & stuck in the dowel (with glue) and cut off the dowel flush with the surface, buffed, etc.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it took him maybe 5 minutes and the one dowel served for all the dots.

[Steevarino]

For either white or black dots, I am now using the material that Grizzly sells. Very inexpensive, and it seems to work well.

I have also used brazing rod a time or two for that "brass" look. Also, on a parlor guitar I built for my wife, I used little mother of pearl dots that I just happened to have on hand.

[Jim Ayers]

I used toothpicks... I didn't have a drill bit the size of the tooth picks so I ground a 45 degree angle in a nail and drilled the holes with the nail. Then I glued them in, sawed them off, and sanded it all flush. Came out nice. I'd suggest you use what ever matches your position markers. I used a wooden dowel for mine and the toothpicks matched perfectly.

48737 48738

[pops1]

Stew mac sells little plastic dowels so to speak just for this in black and white. drill a hole glue in and cut off. Quick and easy.

[MikeEdgerton]

I've always used the Stewmac black and white rods.

[Lefty Luthier]

Depends on the binding. For white binding, try either abalone dots or a tiny ebony dowel. For tortoise or black binding, use pearl dots. Occasionally, on really top end instruments, I use small diamonds or rubies, they are not that expensive and really give a quality cachet.

[fishtownmike]

I have used copper wire at times for side dots and copper rod for fret board dots. It looks nice after then tarnish to that green look. I have also seen others use aluminum rod.

[Paul Hostetter]

I use 1.5mm and 2mm pearl dots. They actually pop in stage situations far better than plastic.

[chipotle]

Thanks for all the great responses! I opted for the little rods from Stew-Mac, I managed to fill out an order for a few other needed items as well to justify the postage costs.;)

I was wondering if people used dowels because I thought you would not want the end grain exposed.

Jim, thanks for posting the photo of that nice looking 2 point!

[fishtownmike]

Thanks for all the great responses! I opted for the little rods from Stew-Mac, I managed to fill out an order for a few other needed items as well to justify the postage costs.;)

I was wondering if people used dowels because I thought you would not want the end grain exposed.

Jim, thanks for posting the photo of that nice looking 2 point!

The first guitar i ever built i used wood plugs i cut with plug cutters. So they were face grain. I used maple. At the time i knew nothing of stew mac or LMI and had no idea where or what the inlays were actually made of back then. The rest of the parts i got at the music store but stuff like this i just winged it.

[Jim Ayers]

Thanks for all the great responses! I opted for the little rods from Stew-Mac, I managed to fill out an order for a few other needed items as well to justify the postage costs.;)

I was wondering if people used dowels because I thought you would not want the end grain exposed.

Jim, thanks for posting the photo of that nice looking 2 point!

Though I've started mandolins a number of times, this is the first mando I'll actually be pleased enough with to finish. #1... So obviously this one I won't sell. Its for me. I'm not really a purist and don't have the talent to be. So when I used dowels, it was for three reasons. First, this one's for me. Second, I like the look of end grain. And third, I really hate plastic.

I've had an affinity for the stuff ever since I was a kid and our neighbors put a plastic pink flamingo in their front yard. That made no sense to me so I confess publicly I took it out with an M80. I could certainly understand plugs cut the right way (no end grain) or using MOP. But I will never build a mandolin with any plastic. My preference only...

And thanks for the compliment. It actually looks better in person. Sycamore, Spruce and rosewood. Very pretty combo in my humble opinion (IMHO for those of you who read text-ese).

[Mario Proulx]

I use the SM dowels a lot, and pearl dots at times, also, but I also make little dots from leftover pickguard material with a leather punch. Easy as, well, easy as punch! TS plastic in a ivoroid bound fretboard can look really nice if you cut the dots so they show at least two colors.

For black dots, you can also just drill the holes, and fill 'em with black tinted epoxy or super glue and ebony dust.