Fret Decals

CYN

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Anyone use fret decals or decals on their ukes to make them more unique? I see a lot on the web with decals instead of painting and wondered how artificial it looked or if it was worth doing.
 
I bought a previously owned ukulele that had stickers for the fret markers. I thought that they were real inlay for about a year. Then they started to fade. But they still look really good.
 
I tried some on a uke I had a few years ago, just to see if they got in the way. They did look like real inlay and gave the markers a cool look (mine were little turtles). They were very thin, so they worked very well. I was concerned with sliding up and down the fret board that I would feel them, or peel them off and they would get in the way and be more of a irritant. I was surprised they weren't. I could feel them every so often, but it wasn't bad, and they were stiff enough where my fingers did not peel them up. I had them on it for a year or two, then removed them. I only removed them because I thought stickers were cheesy, but that is my own OCD issues. It wasn't because they didn't look nice, and real. No one ever noticed that they were stickers until I told them when they mentioned how cute my markers were. They aren't for me really, but wanted to try them out. So, if you don't mind stickers, go for it.
 
I've put them on my uke and bass ukes, works very well, does not interfere at all and the ones I get from Jokomo in Japan are removable.

On this tenor uke the builder did not do the inlay between the 1st and 3rd frets so I used stickers, you'd never know.
Mandolele black finished 700.jpg


I added all the fret markers on this 24" scale bass.
Small P-bass done 800.jpg


Not only did I add the stickers to the fretboard of this bass uke, I also added a matching set to the leather strap, really wanted that gold bling.
Rondo blue & gold 800.jpg


This bass uke I actually cut out the triangles from a sheet of glossy white vinyl.
Ukenbacker done 700.jpg



8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. http://www.theukc.org
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I have the honu/turtle stickers on my Islander soprano. Same experience as Tudorp. They stay put & I can’t feel them. I added a bigger Honu turtle to the headstock..... looks nice.
 
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