Nice Looking Inlay Colors for Roasted Maple Fretboard?

[davegardner0]

Hi All! I'm thinking about a new neck with a roasted maple shaft and fretboard, and I'm having a hard time deciding what type/color of inlay dots to use. I have a similar neck already with black side dots and fretboard dots. They look fine, but they're slightly less visible than I'd like due to the darkness of the wood. So to help me decide for this new neck, I'm curious, what do you all prefer?

I'm actually thinking of trying to build a neck vs. buying a premade one, so I have a pretty wide selection of inlay materials to use. Plain white plastic or pearl would be very visible, but might be a little too bright for me. One idea I have so far is to use non-roasted maple dots, which could provide a nice contrast while remaining subtle.:
https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Inlay_and_Pearl/Pre-cut_Inlays/Maple_Dot.html

I'm open to other options too!! Ideas are welcome. Oh and the guitar this is going on is a G&L Legacy from the early 90s. It has a a pretty standard-looking sunburst body and white pickguard. Unfortunately the original neck is bowed severely and the truss rod can't even come close to fixing it it.

p.s. hope it's ok to post non-warmoth related business, I just figured that you all are the roasted maple experts! 

 

[Cagey]

I can't imagine anything being easier to see than those black dots on a Maple neck unless you went to something like Ivory or MOP on Ebony, or something illuminated. You're already at max contrast.

 

[davegardner0]

I guess I'm not really looking for higher contrast. Black and white are both visible enough for me, I'm just looking for something that maybe "looks nicer".

The black dots on the dark roasted maple neck just look a little bland to me, whereas white is too much contrast.

 

[MikeW]

I went with MOP dots on the fretboard of my Roasted Maple neck and they look great. I wish I'd thought it through a bit more when I was ordering that one and got white for the side dots as well because, on a darkened stage, the black dots blend in with the RM a bit too much. They look great when you can see them, but unless there's quite a bit of light the side dots blend in.

My advice is, the lighter the better for Roasted Maple.

 

[Cagey]

Well, then I'm no help. More often than not, I don't put inlays on the fretboard if I can help it. Side dots have always been enough.

 

[spe111]

I also go no inlays if possible. I think it looks cleaner and classier. Not that I think inlays look bad either.

 

[bagman67]

I went with MOP dots on the fretboard of my Roasted Maple neck and they look great. I wish I'd thought it through a bit more when I was ordering that one and got white for the side dots as well because, on a darkened stage, the black dots blend in with the RM a bit too much. They look great when you can see them, but unless there's quite a bit of light the side dots blend in.

My advice is, the lighter the better for Roasted Maple.

Seconded on the mother-of-pearl.  Mike's roasted neck -- I've been fortunate to see it in person and play it -- is flat out gorgeous, and easy to see as well.

 

[davegardner0]

Ooh I hadn't thought of no front inlays as an option.... How do you guys like it when playing the instrument? I "know" that I really only use the side dots when playing, but I don't know if I really believe it. I don't think I've ever actually played an instrument with side dots only, only a classical guitar with neither which was impossible.

 

[davegardner0]

I went with MOP dots on the fretboard of my Roasted Maple neck and they look great. I wish I'd thought it through a bit more when I was ordering that one and got white for the side dots as well because, on a darkened stage, the black dots blend in with the RM a bit too much. They look great when you can see them, but unless there's quite a bit of light the side dots blend in.

My advice is, the lighter the better for Roasted Maple.

Seconded on the mother-of-pearl.  Mike's roasted neck -- I've been fortunate to see it in person and play it -- is flat out gorgeous, and easy to see as well.

Ooh got a photo of said neck?

 

[PhilHill]

I concur on no board inlays. I have an Alvarez acoustic which has side dots, but the only fretboard inlay is a diagonal line with a snowflake in the center at the twelfth fret.
After I got it and had been playing it about four months or so it occurred to me that the lack of inlays hadn't made any difference to me at all.

 

[rgand]

On roasted maple, and other necks for that matter, I choose the color of spots to go with the pickups, pickguard and hardware.

 

[DaveT]

Black sharkfin on roasted maple. I like it!
None is also a good option.

 

[guitarstv]

Well, then I'm no help. More often than not, I don't put inlays on the fretboard if I can help it. Side dots have always been enough.

Heh.  I kinda go the other way.  My preference is blocks. 

 

[Cagey]

Inlays are fine - I generally have nothing against them - but I tend toward fancier fretboards and it seems a waste to dig out some rare high-end exotic hardwood and replace it with...whatever. Be like painting gemstones or something :icon_biggrin:

 

[Strüb]

I don't think that 22-fret G&L is compatible with Warmoth parts.

 

[BroccoliRob]

They sometimes put up Roasty necks with creme dots and those look purdy sharp to my eyesballs

 

[MikeW]

I went with MOP dots on the fretboard of my Roasted Maple neck and they look great. I wish I'd thought it through a bit more when I was ordering that one and got white for the side dots as well because, on a darkened stage, the black dots blend in with the RM a bit too much. They look great when you can see them, but unless there's quite a bit of light the side dots blend in.

My advice is, the lighter the better for Roasted Maple.

Seconded on the mother-of-pearl.  Mike's roasted neck -- I've been fortunate to see it in person and play it -- is flat out gorgeous, and easy to see as well.

Ooh got a photo of said neck?

It's on the 8-Ball, my my face-melter for the blues band. Not the greatest pictures here but you can get a sense of it at least. I'll see about doing a couple better pics for you too.

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=30484.0

 

[TheElvis]

Found this recently and I think it looks awesome.
White Pearloid Stars.

 

[Cagey]

Already has tuners and an LSR nut! Those are big pluses right off the bat! Plus, it's pretty! What's not to love?

 

[davegardner0]

I went with MOP dots on the fretboard of my Roasted Maple neck and they look great. I wish I'd thought it through a bit more when I was ordering that one and got white for the side dots as well because, on a darkened stage, the black dots blend in with the RM a bit too much. They look great when you can see them, but unless there's quite a bit of light the side dots blend in.

My advice is, the lighter the better for Roasted Maple.

Seconded on the mother-of-pearl.  Mike's roasted neck -- I've been fortunate to see it in person and play it -- is flat out gorgeous, and easy to see as well.

Ooh got a photo of said neck?

It's on the 8-Ball, my my face-melter for the blues band. Not the greatest pictures here but you can get a sense of it at least. I'll see about doing a couple better pics for you too.

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=30484.0

Ooh yeah the light colored markers do look really nice! I think that's a definitely upgrade over the roasted maple neck I have here with black dots.