Official Luthiers Forum!

Is it better to measure the position of each fret slot from the nut (or zero
slot) or is it better to measure the position of each fret slot from the
previous fret slot?

I know which way I think would be right, but sometimes I find that
proportionality and the way scales are constructed sometimes surprises
me, so I thought I'd ask the folks who've done it a few times over...

I measure everything from the nut or zero slot. The other way, if you make an error on any fret it will be compounded for every fret after that. Does that make sense?

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

That is the same thing I read in Cumpianos book, to always meausre from the nut due to the possibility of compounding your errors.

Just curious, what do you use to measure, like a rule in increments of 64ths, or millimeters?

if you are going to manually measure fret locations rather than use a template, a rule in 0.01" or .05mm is a minimum requirement. if you are of a certain age an optivisor or similar will be a requirement as well.

a long vernier or dial caliper would be better.

there are also geometric methods of laying out the fretboard.

and yes, measure from the nut.

Jon, I don't actually measure fret slot placement. I use a template and cut the slots on the tablesaw. But, if I was laying them out by hand I would do it the way mentioned above.

_________________
Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

It's called tolerance stack up. If you could measure those distances to an accuracy of .005" or around .125mm (near impossible to do it that accurately), measuring from one fret to the next could conceivably net us an error of .100" or about 2.5mm by the time we got to the 20th fret! Most likely it would be further off than that. Yikes! So, like others have said, go from the nut and better yet, use a template.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

[QUOTE=crazymanmichael] if you are going to manually measure fret locations rather than use a template, a rule in 0.01" or .05mm is a minimum requirement. if you are of a certain age an optivisor or similar will be a requirement as well.

a long vernier or dial caliper would be better.

there are also geometric methods of laying out the fretboard.

and yes, measure from the nut.[/QUOTE]

Michael,

I have an Ibex fret rule as I am sure many here do.

http://www.touchstonetonewoods.co.uk/GIFS/98782nd_eps.gif[/IMG]

This rule has 4 different fret scales etched into one side. I note was a little concerned that these etchings seem quite broad, probably wider than .5mm suggested above.

Would any of you trust this tool to lay out a template for fret slotting??? I know that this rule has been used as a standard in many shops for a very long time but I am just curious how much faith is placed in this product, is it a precision tool, or is it just a close enough indicator?

Cheers

Kim

Oh for the freak'in edit button

Quick question as I just want to make sure I have a proper grip,

I have nearly completed 3 necks now, and 2 are the same length, and due to a mistake one is approximately 13/16" shorter than the other two. Would I be wrong in assuming that, theoretically I could still use the short neck for a similar scale length, but would wind up with a fret board that extends further into the body of the guitar?

MIght have been better to start another thread to avoid hijacking, but folks
here are usually pretty flexible.

You could use your short neck. If it was intended to be a 14-fret neck, you
probably have about a 12 1/2 fret. A bit unorthodox and it might look a
little strange to some, but it should work. Just be sure you adjust the bridge
placement (13/16" closer to the tail, if you're using the same scale ) to
compensate and make sure your bracing matches the bridge placement.
Also, your soundhole will have to move too.

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
_________________
http://www.patfosterguitars.com

[QUOTE=burbank]MIght have been better to start another thread to avoid hijacking, but folks
here are usually pretty flexible.

You could use your short neck. If it was intended to be a 14-fret neck, you
probably have about a 12 1/2 fret. A bit unorthodox and it might look a
little strange to some, but it should work. Just be sure you adjust the bridge
placement (13/16" closer to the tail, if you're using the same scale ) to
compensate and make sure your bracing matches the bridge placement.
Also, your soundhole will have to move too.[/QUOTE]

 

EXACTLY,

thanks, I just wanted to make sure that I was grasping these concepts. I mean what I am asking is basically your scale length will ultimately be determined by the fingerboard and fret placement upon the finger board, even if there are slight discrepencies in length of neck. of coarse your bridge placement, bracing, and sound hole would have to be adjusted accordingly. that is basically what i was asking.

See, 6 months ago, I would have never thought of building a guitar. I am 31 and have been playing for about 20 years, and am pretty good as a player, but always wanted more guitar in my life. I have always had a love affair with the guitar, then one night i saw a show on cable called, "How they build it" or something, and I said that was my calling. So here I am asking these questions. Thanks for the help.

kim, i have never used the ibex rule, so can't really comment on it.

jon, scale length is not dedetermined by the finger booard. in fact it is exactly the opposite.

in the practicalities of the design process, scale length is usually the second thing decided after body size/shape. the layout of the fret board is then mathematically derived from the scale length. the length of the neck and the bridge location are dependent on the body style(12 v. 14 fret, etc.) and the scale length.