Anyone used Fret FX add-on LED's?

[jazzyvee]

I'm considering getting a set for each of my guitars and basses I use live, SC DLX,  Europa 5 Orion Guitar, Strat.
The UK Pound/Dollar rate is good at the moment so they are at the right price :-)
 
Anyone used/fitted them & how do they shape up?
My strat is an Ultra strat with an ebony fretboard which is about half the thickness of the alembic Orion guitar so I wonder how well it would stick to the edge of the fretboard.
 
I wouldn't want them if they were so bright that it looked posey on stage but would welcome some for the ease of positioning fingers on dark dingy stages :-)
 
any advice, horror stories welcome.
 
Jazzyvee

[dadabass2001]

Jazzy,
I've got a set on one of my Epics and I love it. My second Epic has factory installed LEDs.
I can't speak to guitar setups however. They show some guitars on their website, including a strat. Perhaps another member will have some guitar experience to share...
Mike

[fmm]

I installed a set for a student.  We were both initially happy with the results, but they're kind of fragile.  You can't pick up the bass by the neck after installation; the LED strip is brittle enough that you'll crack it and permanently break the array.  My student found this out the hard way.

[jazzyvee]

Thats a 50:50 split. A good point though about not being able to pick the guitar/ bass by the neck.
 
My alembic guitar is very light so I may get away with it on that. However the basses are significantly heavier especially the SC and i do grab them by the neck when I pick them up rather than trust the strap. Maybe I should just try one on the guitar first and see how I get on.  
Cheers for the responses.
Jazzyvee

[palembic]

Hey Jazzy ..how are you my friend?
I installed Red fret FX on Bonnie!
There was no problem in taking her by the neck or whatever. It's spectacular for the audience (hey dude ...are you playing a runway?) because the LEDs are ON the side of the neck ...instead of IN the side of the neck when installed by construction.
HOWEVER!
I cracked the set by ...adjusting the nut of Bonnie!
I was not careful enough and the contacts broke when trying to adjust my nut height because the wire from the battery to the LED-ribbon is JUS in a critical point there!
So ...no Bonnie with red lights anymore.
Fragile ...yes!
Handy ...absolutely but ...BE CAREFUL!!!!!
For normal budgeted players it is not a big cost though!
 
Good luck!
 
Paul TBO

[David Houck]

Can they be easily removed?
 
The reason I ask.  It seems to me that if you ever decided to sell the instrument, some buyers looking for a high end hand made instrument like an Alembic are going to pass when they see the picture of the battery pack glued to the back of the headstock.  Of course I'm just guessing; I haven't seen enough sales to have any actual idea of the effect on resale value.  For all I know they may actually add to the value; but my guess would be that some potential buyers would pass and that the resale value would be diminished.

[jazzyvee]

palembic, are you saying they will be very bright?
I guess it's too late to change my mind now as I ordered one for my guitar yesterday and hope they get here soon as we start touring as of Friday next week.
Will let you know how the stand up the the rigours of on the road touring.
I hope they do come off easily as I would be really unhappy if they damaged the guitar in any way.
 
Jazzyvee

[palembic]

Moder Dave ...removing went very smooth. No leftovers.
Jazzy ...yep ...VERY bright though I had the option with the two position: half and full.
Also very visible also from audience point of view.
Not bad you know, not bad!
 
Paul TBO

[thebass]

I had the fretFX installed on my EPIC fretless (which has found a new home in Amsterdam a month ago). Had no problems with robustness but they are quite bright as Paul wrote too. I absolutely recommend the brightness switch. I always ran them in the half position as full brightness rather seemed like a stage effect or a search light to me :-)

[jazzyvee]

I'm off on the first leg of our 2007 tour next week so if they arrive in time I'll get to try them out on the road. The photo's on the FX ebay page makes them look really bright which could be a bit loud as all i want them for is a reference point not a light show lol.
I suppose at that price you can't have everything and I can always turn them off... lol
 
We are doing a USA tour this summer and also some dates in England and Europe so If anyone is around the area's we are touring this year give me a shout and if the band guest list isn't full I can try to get your name on.  ( Numbers are limited usually but .....hey) Other than that It would be good to meet some fellow Alembic owners.  
You can find the tour schedule on the Apache Indian Web site http://www.karmasound.com/livedates.asp
 
Jazzyvee

[David Houck]

I didn't see any US dates on the schedule.
 
[Edit] I just noticed in your post in the Gigs section that US dates had not yet been confirmed.
 
(Message edited by davehouck on May 07, 2006)

[jazzyvee]

As far as I have been told, the USA West coast/Canada tour is happening. We don't usually get the venues and dates till it's all signed on the dotted line. As I guess you know anyway. With the music business, everything is subject to change. :-)
As soon as dates, places etc come through I will post them.
 
Cheers
Jazzyvee

[lbpesq]

Jazzyvee:
 
I hope you're out here when I'm in town (I'll be on the East Coast this summer for a wedding).  I'd love to check you guys out and offer you the opportunity to try a Series guitar and some other cool stuff if you have the time.  Keep us informed of the schedule.
 
Bill, tgo

[jazzyvee]

Thanks Bill, that would be fantastic. If my Orion guitar is the Entry model guitar for Alembic, I cannot begin to imagine what a series guitar sounds like. I imagine I'd want one badly if I heard it.
 
I hope the opportunity materialises.
Cheers
Jazzyvee

[jacko]

There aren't any scottish dates either ;-(
 
Graeme