Want to get a fretting printout for a 24" VSL

pattyfromor
@pattyfromor
4 years ago
9 posts

Thanks, Ken. I tried running the ekips calculator and couldn't get it to print onto my mac, even with adobe flash, but found a zip file of guitar templates on handmade music (not a secure site, apparently) in half-inch VSL increments. That should work!

Ken Hulme
Ken Hulme
@ken-hulme
4 years ago
2,111 posts

Patty -- you probably will not find a dulcimer fret calculator that includes all those plus frets.  The Wfret calculator does include 6+ and 13+ but not the 1+ and 8+.   This is the only calculator I know of which actually allows you to print out a template which you can then tack-glue to the fretboard for cutting.  All other calculators simply give you a list of fret positions in inches or millimeters.  Use millimeters, they're more accurate.

Simplest solution is probably to use a guitar fret calculator, which will have all the chromatic frets.  Then ignore the frets you don't want. 

pattyfromor
@pattyfromor
4 years ago
9 posts

Thanks for the info John, unfortunately that calculator doesn't appear to handle "+" frets. Also, we already have the calculations in inches, we are looking for a paper (or digital) printout. But thanks anyway!

John C. Knopf
John C. Knopf
@john-c-knopf
4 years ago
385 posts

Patty, have him go to StewMac.com, and on the home page, at the bottom, there is a link to a Fret Calculator (free).  Have him click on that, and it will take him to a page that he can fill out with pertinent numbers, and it will automatically calculate dulcimer fret spacings for him.  He might need to use the guitar template for all of those extra frets.  The output is in inches or millimeters, and will have to be measured out on the fretboard or paper.

pattyfromor
@pattyfromor
4 years ago
9 posts

My boyfriend (bless his heart) wants to make me a custom dulcimer for my small hands, and using Richard Ash's Diatonic book as a guide, printed out a rough layout for a 1-15 fret fingerboard, including 1.5, 6.5, 8.5 and 13.5 frets. However we're not sure it's accurate enough to use as a cutting guide. Does anyone know of a dulcimer maker who will sell us a printout he can use? Thanks!