More than you ever wanted to know about Alembic side LEDs
by Mica
The absence of fingerboard veneers on the bass side of the neck is an artifact of how side LEDs were originally installed.
Basses with side LEDs would have 2 sacrificial veneers. After fretting, a small channel was routed under the tangs of the frets and through one or both of the veneers. Then, a thin strip of wood with the LEDs installed was inlaid in that channel.
The LEDs were at the bottom of a drilled well and there was no side indicator if they were not illuminated. It's only recently that everyone wants on/off switches for side LEDs, so these would be wired to just turn on when you plugged in the 5-pin.
These little wells could accumulate so much dirt that some people had LEDs and didn't know it until they excavated the years of grime. Also, since the light is at the bottom, the LEDs near the peghead looked less bright than the ones at the other end of the fingerboard.
The LEDs we use now have a built-in diffuser that makes the apparent brightness nearly the same, and there's no hole to fill up and obscure the light. Plus now we inlay a sterling silver circle around the LED so that when they are not lit, you can still see the position marker.
And that Bird's-eye Maple top on that bass is to die for - stunningly beautiful!
