Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

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StefanK
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Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by StefanK »

This Gadget lays out a chromatic fret/finger board. It is intended for guitar but it will work for anything chromatic from ukulele to electric bass. (just delete the extra frets for for dulcimer or other diatonic instrument). It can create standard/straight-scale or a multi-scale/fan-fret fingerboards.
FretboardUIscreen1.jpg
The board dimensions can optionally be based on string width at the nut and saddle, or fixed/specified by the width at the nut and 12th fret. It generates the fret board outline and the fret layout as lines or lines and slots. Options allow for a zero fret or cut line at the nut. Under Aspire is generates the 3D model for the fret board with no radius, fixed radius, or compound radius.
sample1.jpg
It seems pretty solid but I am open to questions, comments, suggestions, and bug reports. I started it for my own use but it became a learning opportunity and a tool to share.

Built for Aspire 9.5 and works fine on 10.0.
Attachments
Fret_Board_Maker-v1.00.zip
unzip to gadget folder or change zip to vgadget and install from the gadget menu.
(48.33 KiB) Downloaded 973 times

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Rcnewcomb
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by Rcnewcomb »

multi-scale/fan-fret fingerboards
Perhaps I'm not using this feature correctly. I set the Scale Length (Bass) to 27, and the treble Scale Length to 23, but I'm not seeing the difference on the bass vs. treble sides of the frets.
Attachments
Fret27_23.zip
(2.36 MiB) Downloaded 374 times
- Randall Newcomb
10 fingers in, 10 fingers out, another good day in the shop

StefanK
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by StefanK »

Up top, is Standard or Multi-scale selected?

StefanK
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by StefanK »

Rc

I see your file and it is a standard lay out. I cannot see what other parameters and options you selected because the gadget always displays what I used last, not what you used to generate the layout.
input parms.jpg
your bass.jpg
Stefan
Last edited by StefanK on Sat Sep 28, 2019 12:53 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Rcnewcomb
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by Rcnewcomb »

Up top, is Standard or Multi-scale selected?
homer-simpson-doh.gif
PICNIC error. The software works correctly.
- Randall Newcomb
10 fingers in, 10 fingers out, another good day in the shop

litzluth
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by litzluth »

Wow Stefan, this is a very cool tool.
If I could burden you with a few questions:
1) is there a mm option that can be selected?
2) what does the entry for "perpendicular fret" do? (the default is "8", what does that mean)
3) Does "Blind frets" mean the slot stops short of the edge of the board by the specified amount?
4) Does "enforce width" enforce the string width plus specified side allowance or the board width parameters?

Thanks again for sharing this very helpful tool,
Mike

StefanK
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by StefanK »

Mike,

1) is there a mm option that can be selected?
--------- It works in inches or millimeters. It will use and indicate whichever you have set in the job properties when you created it.
input_mm.jpg
2) what does the entry for "perpendicular fret" do? (the default is "8", what does that mean)
---------- "8" means eighth fret. This is only relevant for fan/multi-scale layout. It determines which fret (or point on the fret board as it does not need to be an integer) the scales fan/diverge. That is it sets the fret that is perpendicular to the center line or parallel to the nominal nut. Some call it the parallel fret but on a multi-scale fret board nothing is parallel. The frets fan from the perpendicular fret.

3) Does "Blind frets" mean the slot stops short of the edge of the board by the specified amount?
---------- Yes.

4) Does "enforce width" enforce the string width plus specified side allowance or the board width parameters?
---------- The latter. It forces the board width to whatever is specified for the nut and 12th fret. That is, the gadget either calculates the fret board edges based on the string width -- or uses the specified board width.
In the latter case, enforce width, the string width is calculated based on the specified board width and the string Edge to String values. The string width is only relevant for the multi-scale calculations. It makes no difference for a standard/single scale length.

Stefan

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sylvan356
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by sylvan356 »

Stefan
I have spent most of the morning playing and experimenting with your fretboard maker. What a terrific program!!! It is so cool and I will start using it in my day to day work. Thanks so much!
Sylvan

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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by litzluth »

Thanks Stefan.
I was going to send you a spreadsheet I put together that computes fret distances using both the fret constant method (using 17.817) and the 12th root of two method.
But then I looked at the results. For the two scale lengths that I use (25.34 and 24.84") there is less than 6/1000 mm difference for any, and the difference is typically 1 or 2/1000 (sometimes it is exactly the same).
I can still send if you would like it anyway.
Mike

StefanK
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by StefanK »

Mike,

The reason I started down the gadget path was so I wouldn't have to transcribe numbers from my spreadsheet into Aspire every time I wanted a different scale :wink:

It grew from there.

Thanks,
Stefan

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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by Holzarbeiter »

Rcnewcomb wrote:
Up top, is Standard or Multi-scale selected?
homer-simpson-doh.gif
PICNIC error. The software works correctly.
Ok, Randall...Im familiar with PEBCAK & ID10T errors......but Im stumped with PICNIC?
Joe

I have a chip on my shoulder....several more in my hair and lots more all over my shop floor.

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Rcnewcomb
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by Rcnewcomb »

PICNIC error

Problem
In
Chair
Not
In
Computer
- Randall Newcomb
10 fingers in, 10 fingers out, another good day in the shop

Holzarbeiter
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by Holzarbeiter »

Rcnewcomb wrote:PICNIC error

Problem
In
Chair
Not
In
Computer
I like it! Had not heard that version before. I've always used PEBCAK...Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard.
Joe

I have a chip on my shoulder....several more in my hair and lots more all over my shop floor.

StefanK
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Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2018 4:51 pm
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by StefanK »

Holzarbeiter wrote:
Rcnewcomb wrote:PICNIC error

Problem
In
Chair
Not
In
Computer
I like it! Had not heard that version before. I've always used PEBCAK...Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard.

In the old days we were sure it was a loose nut on the keyboard.. LNOC?

leonardo.afonso
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Re: Guitar fret board maker - Aspire 9.5

Post by leonardo.afonso »

Hi there,

I'm a luthier taking first spets on CNC machines and software, so please forgive me if this is a stupid question.. But would this gadget work with VCarve Pro also?

Thanks!

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