Invisible side dots

[bsee]

The side dots on the Excel I just picked up are nearly invisible in good light, and forget about it when it's a little bit dim. Has anyone used things like a silver sharpie or some kind of paint to create visible side dots? I doubt there's any way to polish the little silver dots back into visibility at this point.
 
If you use something like that, does it come off if you want it to?
 
Thanks
-Bob

[jazzyvee]

In the past I've successfully used those glow dots that come in a pack with stars and moons and other astral shapes and are normally used for putting on kids bedroom ceilings. I found them to be perfect for giving me visual confidence on dark stages as they only need a bit of light to get going and with the stage lighting they get charged up throughout the gig. Yes they are only bits of thick paper and come off eventually but they do stick around for a good while and were only a few quid to buy.  
Jazzyvee

[lbpesq]

You might look at a stick-on LED array.  
 
fretfx.com  
 
Bill, tgo

[lembic76450]

Bob,
I would second Bill's suggestion on the FretFx, I have them on 2 of my Alembics and they work great. The profile on the edge of the neck is very small and unless you are a thumb over guy you won't even notice them.

[jazzyvee]

I have one of those FretFx arrays on one of my Europa's and it is indeed a great asset.  
Jazzyvee

[mica]

I would just use white scotch brite or fien sandpaper to lightly sand the edge. There is no finish on the edge of the fingerboard so just mind the neck itself (you could mask with painter's/masking/gaffer's tape) and you should be able to see all they have got. It doesn't take much abrasion to knock off the oxide.  
 
Some Excels had bronze dots - these are almost impossible to see in the best conditions.

[FC Bass]

+1 for Scotch Brite, no problem seeing the dots (also the brass ones) after a slight rub :-)

[sonicus]

If I remember correctly I believe that I once used Flitz Polish for that. I  very sparingly used Blue masking tape for protection . I used a Q-Tip  as an applicator and then applied pressure in a circular rubbing motion .  It worked well .

[bsee]

Love my LEDs, but I don't think I'll go for the FretFX.  
 
Once they were cleaned, the dots are visible in regular light. Above the 12th fret, they are relatively visible. I think they're probably silver, so I will try to scrub them out a bit more.
 
I was looking for the glow dots since the house I bought most of 20 years ago had a wall with wallpaper that has a view of the earth from the moon with a little bit of moon-ground and there were those glow things all over the place. There's a set of dots specifically for this purpose on Amazon for $6 that I might try as well.

[mica]

You can get luminous zinc oxide paint or even nail polish for the purpose too.