Mandolin without marks on the neck

[Chris Daniels]

This place sells stick on inlays for instruments.
https://www.inlaystickers.com/
I’ve put a very nice looking alabaster rosette on a too plain uke. Looks very nice and is amazingly thin.

They do have fret board dots.

Here’s their side dot markers
https://www.inlaystickers.com/produc...t-side-markers

I'll third that the side and/or fretboard dots from this site are your best solution. Quality stuff that looks authentic under all but the most intense of inspections, permanent when you want them to be, removable without damage if not.

C. ~/:/~

[Jim Garber]

Post-it notes adhesive is the least damaging. You can just cut a small bit of the post-it note containing the adhesive.

I tried that on my 1904 bowlback but they came off too easily. There are dots I saw on eBay that are intended for classical guitar but I haven’t tried them.

[Prophetsnake]

I have a couple of old ones with no markers and haven't found it to be a problem. It takes a little getting used to, but only a little.
If anything, I think it's improving my overall playing.
I have found unmarked guitars a bit more of an issue, but even then, it only took a little longer to adapt.

[stevedenver]

This place sells stick on inlays for instruments.
https://www.inlaystickers.com/
I’ve put a very nice looking alabaster rosette on a too plain uke. Looks very nice and is amazingly thin.

They do have fret board dots.

Here’s their side dot markers
https://www.inlaystickers.com/produc...t-side-markers

I just bought these, for my very pricey deering banjo, which had tiny side markers, white against ebony. Unusually small. Elegant, but sometimes hard to see.

In dim light, and when capoed, sometimes i simply couldnt see them, and, at this point in my banjology, ineed em.

I like them. My banjo has a poly finish, I believe. Im not worried about adhesive reaction. Nitro, i dunno. For sure, at this price, they could be replaced yearly.

They are simply, a smooth thin plastic cut out, adhesive backed, easy peasy to apply.
Took me 2-3 minutes to do all side markers.
They do feel like a sticker, but as placed, they don’t interfere at all. Very smooth, but, raised.

Spend the $10 and order your favoritecontrasting color. I went pearl. Its silver.
Arrived very quickly, like a week from japan. Plenty ofdots on one sheet to do both side and board.
But, id buy 2, because i suspect that some polishes, and definitely fingerboard oil WILL loosen or disolve the adhesive.

If you dont like these, i have used red architectural line tape, sold at better art supply stores, cutting tiny square markers. Just as effective, leaves no residue. Had these on my fern to mark points at andabove the 15th fret.

[Mandobart]

My 1930's Regal resonator mandolin had no side dots on the white platic binding. I used a black sharpie to add dots. They rubbed off in a couple days. I used a 1/8" drill bit to make a shallow divot, then marked with a sharpie. This has held up for the last couple years.

[pops1]

I have often used white or black fingernail polish, depending on the binding color. A piece of masking tape with a hole punched in it to make the polish round and you are done. It lasts a long time, had one for decades. It will come off if you want to go back to a stock instrument. You can use an infinite amount of colors if you like that too.