Thread: Fret Spacing and the position of the bridge

hi peter

for fret spacing, i go to website like this

http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.u...calculator.php

and type in the scale length i want and number of frets ...

but if you were to do it manually i believe there is a formula which you can then use in an excel spreadsheet to arrive at the same values

guitar scale lengths are quite standardised ...i am unsure about dulcimers...so one generally knows the scale length before one goes about calculating the fret spacings

as for the intonation issue you raised, guitar bridges do come in adjustable form espc on electric guitars ...but on acoustics, they generally are not adjustable but installed at an angle to compensate for the intonation issue...the bass strings get a little more length...

Welcome,

we love photos here.....

Re fixed bridges, R3R has summed it nicely. There are couple of tools in acoustic land that help. See http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Nuts...es/i-4462.html I made one out of dowel and some scraps of merbau. For the actual location of the bridge on specific strings David Hurd has the best method I have seen http://www.ukuleles.com/Technology/compensate.html but a lot of plans will include the compensation from the original guitar the plans were drawn from.

Pete,
Wfret works great for guitars, I use it to set out all my fretboards,
First you need to chose your scale length, use wfet to print out a scale template. check for any printer scaling problems and adjust scale length input.
Print the template and stick it to the board and prick through with an awl at the fret locations, remove and use marks to cut slots.
For bridge saddle location, I use the stewmac fret calculator which will give you a "compensated" saddle position for High and low E strings

Thanks for the information guys. The Stewmac gadget looks very useful.
I will slip back to lurking and learning until I have another question.
Regards, Peter

The Stewmac intonator jig is a useful jig.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Sp...Intonator.html

When using the jig make sure youve cut nut slots to close to final depth. String height at nut will affect intonation.

As far as marking out fret slots go...using a template introduces another source of error. I measure directly onto fretboard with a ruler and scalpel. I mark fret slot location with the scalpel and then rub chalk into same so their visible while cutting the slots.