Dots or lines? Greg suggested lines for better visibility, and set closer to the "leading" fret (the one that "stops" the tapped string and determines its length of vibration).

I agreed that a parallel strip inlaid close to the leading fret would highlight the fret itself, whereas the original centered dots accentuate the spaces between. I wanted each strip to run in a channel all the way across the board and have a substantial thickness so as to make their ends visible from both sides as well, especially from the bass side in direct player's view. The thin markers look pretty nice in various bold colored acrylic plastics, and they're in line-of-sight of the player, even over the Rail tips from an extreme viewing angle of 15 degrees or so (headstock inclined a bit inward toward the left shoulder in common playing position).

Some sets of strips are of a "glow" plastic material, absorbing light and glowing phosphorescent green in the dark. The glow fades away after an hour, maybe just in time for resuscitation between sets. By day they're a warm off-white, nice for Indonesian rosewood or charcoal black graphite. In the dark, just paint your fingernails a similar "glow" polish and you'll be color coordinated.

Currently available colors (click to enlarge):

Black Dark Indigo Blue "Turquoise" Stone Dark Green Jade Green Hot Green Cool Green Red Purple Copper Rust Silver Pearl Ivory Glow (green in the dark)

These inlays are now available on 8, 10, and 12-string Stick models. Suggested color combinations include:

• "Turquoise" stone on dark bamboo.
• Rust or copper markers on graphite.
• Ivory or silver pearl markers on graphite, paduak, or dark rosewood.
• Dark green, dark indigo blue, or purple markers on yellowish multi-colored tarara hardwood or dark bamboo.
• Red, cool green, or ivory markers on graphite or dark rosewood.
• "Glow" markers on graphite, rosewood, or padauk.

What do you think? Lines are, well, more linear. On an already linear instrument, circles and curves always seem to look good. That's why I added the rounded tip to the headstock in 1992 and the resting "butt" at the tail end in 1991. The impulse was already there when I designed the curved detail downward from nut to headstock surface in 1982, and the deeper curved ends to the rear neck bevels in the early '80s. Since the introduction of the graphite Stick in January 2001, I've been using the current set of four circular shell markers, all at a uniform 1/2 inch in diameter, and now available in all hardwood productions too. Lots of circles and arcs, wherever I could put them.

Thanks Greg for getting me started with linear markers. They have their advantages for viewing and "taking measure" of the fretboard.

Emmett