Hi all. I’ve been using the excellent fretboard gadget published by Stefan K many years ago for Vectric Aspire, as well as many of the Fretboard generators we all know and love, but I wanted all these features and a live preview in one place, so I built a new gadget from the ground up using a different approach. Here are the highlights:
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You start the design of the fretboard in the webapp to increase functionality and options. Build any scale, multiscale, bass, you name it.
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You see a live preview as you make changes, there are many default boards that can get you started, or just input your numbers from scratch.
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You get a bridge position line output, as well as a compensated bridge position, to aid in placing the fretboard on your complete guitar model. Bridge position is completely customizable.
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You can output common bridge drilling locations (Tune-o-matic, S-style trems, etc) or measure your own and place them in the design based on the scale and bridge position markers. Keeps all your measurements connected in one place.
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You can create dot inlays, block inlays and trapezoidal inlays, all customizable including size, side to side position, split positions, etc. Works great for multiscale inlays as well, which are a pain to layout manually.
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Create compound radius fretboards.
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Save your fretboard design (.json file) to recall all your design settings later, edit them, or create multiple variations.
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Finally, you’ll launch our Vectric gadget (available to download at the upper right corner of the designer webapp, already in .vgadget form) and load the .json file into the gadget. You’ll just verify if you want just 2D vectors or 2D and 3D output and voila, you have a fretboard design ready to build.
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If you like to build your models in other CAD software, you can export the board as a DXF with additional vectors drawn in to easily loft the shape of the board (just rotate each end up 90 degrees).
Link to my website where you can launch the designer, and then download the gadget: Fretboard Designer - Black Chapel Studios — Black Chapel Studios
Feel free to email me with any feedback or questions at matheson@blackchapelstudios.com
