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Rickebacher Electro Model B Bakelite Fret Marker question

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 12:31 am
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!

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 5:32 am
by Joey Ace
Don't know how they're made, but these pix of my '49 might help.

http://joeyace.com/panda.htm

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 6:13 am
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:

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 8:27 am
by Erv Niehaus
Liquid "White Out" correction fluid with the little brush works great, also.

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 8:37 am
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!

Dot fix -

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 8:57 am
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.

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 10:58 am
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?

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 11:37 am
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:

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 3:16 pm
by G Strout
Stew Mac has the 3/16" dots..... light sanding and they popped right in mine. :D

Posted: 9 Mar 2012 6:03 pm
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
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