what is the function of fretboard dots on the front as opposed to side of neck

PeachyDragon

I've been playing 13 years and I'm having a guitar built. It made me think, why on earth do we have dots and inlays on the front? A professional should be able to only look at the dots on the side, not tilting the neck back to see the front. Is it just enforcing bad habits? Personally I teach a trick of practicing while looking at your hand in the mirror to avoid bad habits like looking down constantly and for that is would help, but that's an exception.
What do u guys think? I would love some input on this.

Gearhead

This must then be for us mere mortals, to see from the third row just what mr. guitar professional is actually doing? ?

PeachyDragon

I thought about it now. More importantly it's important for jamming. I look at the guitarist and bassist to figure out the key and riff etc. Also good for teaching and I've even heard of saxophonists who would figure out the key from guitarists.

psyx

And sometimes the fretboard inlays are very artistic and add some beauty and variation to an otherwise monotonous fretboard...

Nicholas-L

Gearhead wrote: This must then be for us mere mortals, to see from the third row just what mr. guitar professional is actually doing? ?

lol that's me staring from the third row ?

PeachyDragon

psyx wrote: And sometimes the fretboard inlays are very artistic and add some beauty and variation to an otherwise monotonous fretboard...

I agree with this, but it's not reason enough to mark the frets. For aesthetic value alone we could
just put in dragons with their tails on fret 4 and a half and their wings on fret 11 etc disregarding the
actual fret numbering.

MikeM

Standards. Similarly to music notation. If you're teaching or jamming, it's invaluable. Some people take it to the next level in fact -

Gearhead

Imagine the string pull from those pups... Add to the Floyd and you've got about 2 seconds of sustain left ?

MikeM

I bet they're all ceramic too.

But with the amount of gain that looks like will be used, I suppose it might sustain a little longer.

PeachyDragon

Lol, Hilarious! If they put the magnets underneath like the mexican strats string pull might not be so bad.

MikeM

Lol.

Gearhead

PeachyDragon wrote: If they put the magnets underneath like the mexican strats string pull might not be so bad.

What do you mean ???

MikeM

Cheapie single coils use metal poles with ceramic bars underneath. Hehehehehehhhe

Gearhead

Regardless of where any magnet sits, in order to get a certain amount of signal into the coil you need a certain amount of Gauss on the string. So if you put more pups, you increase string pull unless not all pups have magnets in them. Somehow, I don't get the impression the builder of this guitar will be the kind that figures that one out...

PeachyDragon

Yeah, USA Fenders have magnets as the pole pieces in the pickups. Mexican pickups
have plastic pole pieces with magnets underneath the pickup. It reduces string pull
and has actually become desired in some cases.

A luthier told me Fender doesn't like the amount of USA/Mexico competition
their brand has with itself... mass production is just getting better and better over the
years.

evolucian

That looks like one of Nigel Tufnel's guitars... is it? Or is it just a fanboy's?

MikeM

Maybe I am missing something here, but my MIM tele had Alnico poles, my MIK Squier had a ceramic bar with steel pole pieces. Mind providing a link to what you're claiming Peachy?

Gearhead that is also why I like a slightly degaused A3 in neck position. Sounds very close to an A2 but has less string pull. Maybe I am being nitpicky, but hey if not, why not.

Evo, spot on. Well done ?

Gearhead

PeachyDragon wrote: Mexican pickups have plastic pole pieces

which would add nothing to extending the magnetic field into the strings ???

PeachyDragon wrote: It reduces string pull

???

Where did you get this wisdom?

PeachyDragon

MikeM wrote: Maybe I am missing something here, but my MIM tele had Alnico poles, my MIK Squier had a ceramic bar with steel pole pieces. Mind providing a link to what you're claiming Peachy?

Gearhead that is also why I like a slightly degaused A3 in neck position. Sounds very close to an A2 but has less string pull. Maybe I am being nitpicky, but hey if not, why not.

Evo, spot on. Well done ?

Which specific claim do you want me to substantiate?

MikeM

The construction of those pickups, specifically as to the magnet being on the underside of the pickup, and the plastic polepieces.