Sometimes the need to earn a living keeps us away from the fun stuff! In my case, however, I've been able to soften the blow recently by combining my skills as a professional software developer with my love of guitar building.
Through frequenting the various instrument-building forums, I sense a growing trend in the lutherie community to measure, record and compare design changes from one instrument to the next. Some builders have gone to the trouble of cataloguing this information in one or more spreadsheets, while others seem happy with even more rudimentary paper-based methods.
Luthier's Journal is my attempt to provide a modern, easily-used software application which allows stringed instrument builders of all persuasions to document every facet of their lutherie pursuits. Whether they're operating on a commercial basis or are serious hobbyists, there are clear benefits in recording details of design features, materials, finishes, physical dimensions, weights and deflection measurements for each instrument's component parts.
For those who have turned professional, Luthier's Journal also provides the means to store customer and supplier details, record customer payments and keep track of outstandings at a glance. The Image Gallery feature is sure to be popular and allows linking of image files with individual instrument records.
Final pre-release testing is underway, but you can take a sneak peek on the Luthier's Journal web page.
With a little more work, I'll have the mechanisms in place to market this software product from my web site. Only then can I get back to the fun stuff!
Cheers
Pete
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