In the spirit of the recent patents thread, I'd like to start posting photos
of more of my tools here on the forum. Even if the threads die without
being useful to most members, at least it will get them "published" and
dated in effort to keep things in public domain.
When adjusting any aspect of a setup I like to rely on as few other
variables and inconsistent reference points as possible. When setting
initial nut height for example, I find it best to leave out variables like the
saddle, and as much as possible neck relief as well. Of course when you
are really fine tuning a setup that last 5% for a very discerning player, I
often find everything has to be tweaked as a package, delicately playing
each minor adjustment off of the others. To get good enough for most
however, excellent results can be gotten in the initial, relatively generic
setups for various styles (and at about half the time and cost).
Anyway, back to nut height. The method of setting the height by using
the string from nut to 2nd fret as a straightedge has been fairly standard
in the industry, probably for centuries. Although I know some people
measure height at the 1st fret with the string open, slight differences in
relief and saddle height put too many variable reference points in the mix
for me. Fretting past the 2nd and checking clearance on the first relies
only on the frets themselves being perfectly level, and perhaps very very
very minimally may factor in relief.
Setting height by eye is something I believe all technicians should be
fluent in, but when teaching I've always looked for a tool that could
actually quantify the height. Communicating through numbers and
measurements can drastically reduce the learning curve for many, as
opposed to saying "make it look like that".
I made these gauges for this reason, though I personally use them very
rarely. They may be a useful tool for those who do not have a mentor to
directly study under, but I would emphasize the importance of checking
by eye in tandem when using these to avoid needing them as a crutch.
I'll have to post photos in a new reply, due to a disagreement Safari
seems to have with the current forum software.
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