For a 12 fret guitar and 635 mm scale length this site is at odds with two others. Which is right?
The first three fret spacings (for brevity) from this site are 33.675; 65.461; 95.462
From the other two they are 35.640; 69.279; 101.031
I agree ths site specifies a three string instrument while the others assume a 6 string acoustic guitar or banjo etc., but the degee of variance is such that I don't want to start cuttting until I know for sure where to do so.
Any ideas? Tks muchly.
Replies
635 mm scale length is 25".
Based on the 12th root of 2 rule the first fret would be 35.64 mm from the nut. the 2nd fret would be 69.28 mm from nut. The third would be 101.03 mm from nut. Of course the 12th fret would be 635/2 or 317.2mm from nut.
I will be trying the fret calculator at http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/ for my next build.
Why?
3 reasons: I have access to a laser cutter at the local makerspace and this tool can output the file type that I need to layout the fret board by inscribing the cuts and cut the tapered sides for the fret board. I'll only etch the frets and finish the cuts by hand to the proper depth.
Secondly, I've already tried this with a layout for a 17 inch scale length fret board for a ukulele using a scrap board and it matches *exactly* with the template you can buy from CB Gitty. And I can add etch's for inlays or other things as i like.
And lastly... since each uke I make has a slightly different scale length depending on the box, it's super easy to vary the scale length, the overhang, number of frets, and FB dimensions.
I have used fretfind2d a few times using my basic printer. The program creates a PDF. You may have to be careful printing it out as last time I used it the browser used its own PDF reader and printed it like a screenshot (about half the length it should have). Using Adobe reader I had to change an option to print 100% rather than fit to page because Adobe reader's default shrank the printout just enough to get annoying.
it also depends on your printer. always best to compare the calculated measurment with the print. some printers are not 100% even when told to print 100%. page margins also interfere with propper printing.
this is the fret calculator i used too... it can do fan frets too! anyone ever done a fan fret CBG?? yes you do need flash to see the save buttons.
If you install adobe flash (don't ask why it's required) you can export the plans in DXF and SVG formats (others, too). The DXF format is used by a lots of CNC equipment. I've had no trouble with the scaling, either.
Hey Colin - from where on this site are you getting these numbers? Can you please point me to the tool / post / discussion? Thanks.
Ahhh! a problem solved. The CBN site is, as you know, at
https://www.cigarboxguitar.com/knowledge-base/fret-spacing-calculat...
I did as per instructions, entering 635 in the yellow box not realising the figures were not changing from the 600 value; not sure why but thank you for helping. Back to the workbench!
According to my calculations - the three you listed from this site are for 600 mm scale length. So something is off - somewhere.
well, another site is also at variance with CBN, manchesterguitartech.co.uk. I confirm using data of 12 frets and 635 mm. So I'm wondering why CBN is different to everyone else?. I am not arguing, I just want to know.
buildyourguitar.com says " If you divide any scale length by the constant 17.817, you will get the distance from the front edge of the nut to the first fret. Here is one example: a scale length of 25.5" (650mm) divided by 17.817 gives 1.4312173" (36.482011mm), which can be rounded down to 1.431" (36.48mm)."
Therefore if three sites give the same figures, why is Cigar Box Nation different?