Fretboard markers

[jklotz]

There seem to be a lot of guitars offered these days that don't have fretboard markers. How do you, as a player, feel about an unmarked fret board? Does it bother you? Are the top dots sufficient? Seated, standing? Does not having them mess you up?

[Saxonbowman]

My guitar teacher’s unmarked fretboards annoy the heck out of me. I am always counting the frets when I go back over the zoom recordings to see where he is.

[Dru Edwards]

I play up and down the neck so I prefer fretboard markers but I do have guitars that have none, just the markers on the side of the neck (Lowden F-25).

[Silly Moustache]

As a punter watching others, I'm a major "finger starer" as Stefan Grossman calls people like me.

The absence of fretmarkers mildy irritates me.

I have two guitars without them,

The first one is the 0028 that my wife had built for me in 1998. The deal was I'd see it "naked" then decide what trim to have added later. There were intination issues initially which distracted me and the builder and strained our relationship, so once he'd fitted the third bridge, I just forgot about inlays.
It has matured into a very fine instrument but I can't use it for teaching due to the absence of fretmarkers.

The other one is my Eastman archtop.

[Dotneck]

I like the clean look of no fret markers. I'm not a real accomplished player...even with fret markers I play my share of clams...so I'm not much worse without fret markers. Nobody would take lessons from me so that's not a problem.

[Rudy4]

As a player, the more you play the less you need them.

I've had a few guitars with no front markers, but always side dots. My Lowden had small dot front markers which were enough to get the job done. I like at least minimal front markers although they aren't strictly necessary. Side markers are more or less essential to assist the player with knowing where they are.

If the player is simply playing "Cowboy Chords" then markers are unnecessary.

[redir]

Having started playing classical guitar it doesn't bother me too much but I do like having the side dots on a steel string guitar. In fact I like one side dot on a classical guitar too. I do have a dred with hollow hexagonal abalone markings and they look beautiful but they are not necessary for playing.

[menhir]

I don't mind having no fret markers on the fingerboard, but if not, I would at least I like markers on the side of the neck.

Are markers an absolute necessity? No.
But they're still a nice convenience.

[Brucebubs]

My Gibson and Guild have lovely ornate fret markers that I don't see when I play them.
Side dots are more essential.

[warfrat73]

It doesn't bother me at all to not have fretboard markers, I only ever look at the side markers.

But it sure can make it harder to to follow along when you're watching somebody else.

[rstaight]

I have guitars with large markers, small markers, and no makers except at the 12th fret. Can't see them anyway.

The side dots are more useful to me.

[llew]

Originally Posted by rstaight

I have guitars with large markers, small markers, and no makers except at the 12th fret. Can't see them anyway.

The side dots are more useful to me.

Yep...I built a Adi/EIR dread at Wayne Henderson's School last year and intentionally left the fretboard blank. Out of seven apprentice builders two of us left the fretboard blank. Clean look IMO. If Tony didn't need 'em I sure don't?

[TBman]

All my guitars have fret markers and side dots except for my Avalon which only has side dots. I don't notice the lack of markers when I play it.

[The Bard Rocks]

My most recent have had nothing on the fretboard, other than something decorative at the 12th fret. I like that clean and elegant aesthetic. But I'd be lost without the side dots. And I don't want them tiny either.They have to be light dots on a dark background too.

[TRose]

I prefer side dots- that’s what I find most useful.
The presence of fret board markers don’t bother me but are not necessary, literally, from my perspective.

I’m certain that I won’t be giving any lessons.[emoji846]