posted 21 August 2000 11:25 AM         

Click here

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

posted 22 August 2000 05:56 AM         

2.What are your variables L and D?

do they represent the distance from your eyes to the fretboard?

3. it seems "parallax correction" would vary from moment to moment unless your head was in traction and your guitar was bolted to the same frame...

posted 23 August 2000 06:22 AM         

lighten up, fella.

it's not "stupid", just an oblique approach to a known issue. Perhaps ill-advised, but he put a lot of thought into it.

posted 23 August 2000 08:41 AM         

1. If we assume that some kind of visual indications are necessary along the fretboard, why not place these where they give the most precise indication? On the normal fretboard the player has to apply a different visual correction for every fret (the bar placed 'behind' the fret, 'on' the fret,'in front of' the fret). I am an engineer by profession, and I think from an engineering standpoint the normal positions of the frets simply don't make as much sense as parallax corrected fret positions.

2. The L variable is the free vibrating length of the open strings or scalelength (for example 24.25", 616 mm). The D variable is the diameter of the bar (for example 1", 25.4 mm). The distance from the eye to the
strings is the variable A. Please note that the spreadsheet has two 'worksheets', the first one contains a graphical representation of the variables.

3. You are absolutely right, but that is not different from the situation with a normal fretboard. It helps to have a small distance between fretboard to strings. On my steel this distance is about 8 mm (5/16").


Bob Kagy:

You are right, which eye is dominant is a variable. But if you know which one it is, the variable B can be properly entered. I have made possible to enter B for every fret, to take account of the turning of the head (if the players head position changes between playing on the low frets and the high
frets) or which eye is dominant.

I am curious what you mean by 'better' in your comment. I think I will make faster progress in my steel playing with parallax corrected frets, but you could be right if I someday got my hands on a dobro or steel guitar with normal frets. Then I would perhaps be handicapped. But I will then take a few measurements, fire my portable computer and printer, print an overlay with parallax corrected fret positions, stick it on with masking tape ..... ;-)


rayman:
You are also right - I can't play that instrument (lap steel) yet, I'm an absolute beginner. Among other instruments I play fiddle, with no visual indications on the fretboard at all, and I think I have a good ear. I am convinced that if I had the time to spend I would also be able to play steel
blindfold. But that will not be a goal for me. I don't know what you think I am missing, but it is surely not the joy of making sounds with 12 strings, a bar of solid brass, slants, slides, a G-Force guitar effects processor, ...
and a piece of paper with parallax corrected fret positions ;-)

Steelruss:
Perhaps the failure of the 'visually adjusted ' fretboards was due to the
fact that there was a price tag on it. Now it can be tried for free (well
almost free: 15 minutes, a piece of paper and a few pieces of tape)

posted 23 August 2000 11:06 AM         

I guess PSGs with no fret-linings at all would be quite a challenge

I don't see any advantages by your project, Peter, but keep hangin' on! Without people who question standarized things, where would we be? Maybe it turns out to be very helpful to you.

------------------
martin abend martinabend@yahoo.com
s-10 sierra crown gearless 3 x4 - fender hotrod deluxe

posted 23 August 2000 04:16 PM         

Instructions:
Carefully mask off the body of the guitar. Lay fret stencil on strings, spray on frets.

posted 23 August 2000 06:27 PM         

Enough "freewheeling"...now back to reality.

(Actually, I once had this idea for a curved piano keyboard, where all the keys would be equidistant from the player's bellybutton...they laughed at that one too!) ;0

posted 23 August 2000 06:54 PM         

quote:

---

"Dreamers constantly suffer ridicule and scorn. And often, their only reward is a glimpse into the future!"

---

posted 25 August 2000 01:28 PM         

The bottom line is that, as was mentioned before, you land on the correct location because of muscle memory and your ear. The visual fretboard is just a guideline. I think a parallax corrected fretboard would be really inferior because there would be no "truth", unless your head was aligned properly.

As fun as technical experiments like this are, I suspect you will reap far greater rewards by simply practicing!

Now, on to my pet peeve. How come emmons fretboards end where they do? Many times, i'll want to play harmonics with the bar above the 15th fret, and I find the lack of any fret markers a limitation.

posted 03 September 2000 09:11 PM         

As a side note, often I can be out of tune from the piano, etc, by a quarter note or more - but when your ear catchs it and you simply move your "benchmark" to one side of the fret or other.

posted 03 September 2000 09:11 PM         

As a side note, often I can be out of tune from the piano, etc, by a quarter note or more - but your ear catchs it and you simply move your "benchmark" to one side of the fret or other.

posted 08 September 2000 08:54 AM         

JB

[This message was edited by John Borchard on 08 September 2000 at 08:55 AM.]

posted 09 September 2000 12:03 PM         

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