Rickebacher Electro Model B Bakelite Fret Marker question

Lap steels, resonators, multi-neck consoles and acoustic steel guitars

Moderator: Brad Bechtel

Post Reply
David Hayes
Posts: 60
Joined: 30 Dec 2011 9:18 pm
Location: California, USA

Rickebacher Electro Model B Bakelite Fret Marker question

Post by David Hayes »

I am looking at a post war Bakelite Model B and the dot fret markers (the dots at 3, 5, 7 . . . etc) are hollow - nothing in them? Are they normally filled with something? Could the fact that they are not filled indicate bad treatment or bad storage or other issues. If I get this should I fill these holes and if so with what? Thanks for the help!
User avatar
Joey Ace
Posts: 9792
Joined: 11 Feb 2001 1:01 am
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Contact:

Post by Joey Ace »

Don't know how they're made, but these pix of my '49 might help.

http://joeyace.com/panda.htm
User avatar
Rick Aiello
Posts: 4701
Joined: 11 Sep 2000 12:01 am
Location: Berryville, VA USA
Contact:

Post by Rick Aiello »

The dots just popped out ...

You can buy dots ... Or be creative.

I had a B6 that had one dot missing ... The others were an off white color ...

So I took it to a Burdines ( nice department store) ... Went to the Clinique counter ( nice cosmetics) ... And had the ladies match the existing dots with nail polish ..

Then just filled in the hole ... You'd be hard pressed to find the nail polish "dot" ... :lol:
User avatar
Erv Niehaus
Posts: 26797
Joined: 10 Aug 2001 12:01 am
Location: Litchfield, MN, USA

Post by Erv Niehaus »

Liquid "White Out" correction fluid with the little brush works great, also.
Ron Whitfield
Posts: 6895
Joined: 15 Nov 2002 1:01 am
Location: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
Contact:

Post by Ron Whitfield »

When I bemoaned my (probable stupidity of) throwing out 2 dots with the packing trash from my newly acquired Ricky B8 to my steel teacher, he did as Erv suggests, grabbed his bottle of white out and splooched some in. I love those two markers!
Raymond Jones
Posts: 116
Joined: 19 Feb 2009 3:06 pm
Location: British Columbia, Canada

Dot fix -

Post by Raymond Jones »

The most permanent and original looking I have found. I find the colour I need (model car paint) put a drop in a mix of two part 5 minute epoxy stir it up and fill the hole.This mix slows the set time a bit. Within a few hours you have no missing dots. White or any colour.
David Hayes
Posts: 60
Joined: 30 Dec 2011 9:18 pm
Location: California, USA

Post by David Hayes »

Where can I buy dots or material to fill in the holes? I can understand putting white out to color it but in mine there is a hole about 1/4 deep for each hole (all of them are missing the dots) so what do you fill the holes with (I assume not white out). Would window putty work?
User avatar
Rick Aiello
Posts: 4701
Joined: 11 Sep 2000 12:01 am
Location: Berryville, VA USA
Contact:

Post by Rick Aiello »

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Inlay,_pear ... nlays.html

Pearl dots ...

If you are replacing all of them ... Abalone or Gold Pearl ... would be real nice too ... :mrgreen:
User avatar
G Strout
Posts: 776
Joined: 3 Dec 1999 1:01 am
Location: Carabelle, Florida

Post by G Strout »

Stew Mac has the 3/16" dots..... light sanding and they popped right in mine. :D
Dennis Smith
Posts: 1161
Joined: 16 Dec 2003 1:01 am
Location: Covington, Georgia, USA

Post by Dennis Smith »

Hi
Mine is missing five of the dots. It has something in one of the dots at the 12th fret that looks like white out or something. How would I get that out? And about the sanding part which part of the dot are you sanding and did you glue them in? Do they all take the same size?
Thanks Dennis
Image
Post Reply