I do not own micrometers and want to find a template I can just print, glue, and cut. Any good suggestions. I know of a few but most don't have printing options and the one on cigarboxguitars.com will print in every size but the right one.
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With an ordinary bone or plastic nut you measure from the face of the nut - if the string contact point is 1-2mm back then the nut is cut wrong! With a machine screw /bolt, measure to the centre (center) of the diameter of the bolt.
Some weigh in from a player: most guitarists fret notes to sound good. What I mean by this is that, no matter how accurate a fret calculator is, and just like CBJ's analysis of paper and printer vagaries, there are still gonna be compromises, minute though they be, and inconsistencies in hand work when fretting a neck. And most players, even though they may not realize it, compensate minutely by subtle bends and or vibratos to get the fretted note to sound good. Notice I said good, not necessarily mathematically accurate. Many players, especially beginners, place their fingers either too far behind, or right on top of, almost, the fret. It takes a little experience and practice to get notes sounding correct, even on the best commercially made instruments. I'm not arguing against accuracy from a builders' perspective; I'm just saying that the player comes into play, so to speak, too. There was an article in Guitar Player magazine a few months ago that discussed this very issue.
Coppa Penny > Ron "Oily" SpragueApril 8, 2013 at 4:30pm
where do you measure the frets from, With a square nut I measure from the front of the nut even though the string contact point can be 1-2 mm back. What happens when measuring from a threaded bolt ??
I have always used FretfinderD2. I had to keep an old Windows XP laptop to use it, because I can't get it to work on any Windows 7 computers. For my printer, I have to add about 1 1/2 inchs, in the program, for a scale length of 25 inchs, to get it to come out right when I print. Make sure you cut & tape on the Registry Marks around each page or you will get a wrong fret spacing. I just mark the scale length, fold them and keep them in an old cigar box, so I can use them again, and when my wife asks me why do I have so many cigar boxes? I say to keep all my junk in!
I just don't get it with the desire to print out fret templates - it's a sure-fire way of introducing inaccuracy right from the start. You have to rely on the stability of the paper that you are printing onto (paper is dimensionally unstable when subject to varying humidity, and it's relatively easy to stretch and distort it), the mechanical accuracy of the printer and the accuracy of the printer software to give you a totally accurate print.
I just use a steel rule and either a sharp pencil, or better yet a scalpel to scribe the fret positions, reading off the measurements from StewMac's fret calculator. I'm placing a degree of faith that their software is right in terms of calculating the fret positions, but I'd prefer to remove all the other variables and rely on the accuracy of my trusty rule and my own hand. I can easily get down to an accuracy of .1mm (4/100 inch) without really trying.
Craig Mayhem > ChickenboneJohnApril 9, 2013 at 9:07am
I use http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/ as well. I print off a new one for each neck I do because I use an xacto knife and straight edge to mark the frets before cutting. So far so good. I get my harmonics at the right places so it must work. I like it because I'm terrible at math and measuring. The printed template makes it easy for me. I don't think either method is superior as long as you end up in the same place.
I double check the measurements on the template with a ruler, for starters. For me a template is easier than measuring, and I can spot outliers when I measure twice, cut once. I work in smaller scale, so my paper template is less likely to stretch or warp enough to matter.
The reliability of the paper is better than the reliability of my measuring!
http://www.harpkit.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=... been usin this chart goin on 20 years now, scale lengths from 13" - 31", just pick a scale length lay your fretboard along the line and copy the fret slots. Works for guitar, banjo, mando, bass and dulcimer.Turned alot of builders on to this chart over the years.
Coppa Penny > Randy S. BretzApril 6, 2013 at 9:08pm
Figured out how to print template with WFRET. a very simple mistake.
Replies
With an ordinary bone or plastic nut you measure from the face of the nut - if the string contact point is 1-2mm back then the nut is cut wrong! With a machine screw /bolt, measure to the centre (center) of the diameter of the bolt.
Some weigh in from a player: most guitarists fret notes to sound good. What I mean by this is that, no matter how accurate a fret calculator is, and just like CBJ's analysis of paper and printer vagaries, there are still gonna be compromises, minute though they be, and inconsistencies in hand work when fretting a neck. And most players, even though they may not realize it, compensate minutely by subtle bends and or vibratos to get the fretted note to sound good. Notice I said good, not necessarily mathematically accurate. Many players, especially beginners, place their fingers either too far behind, or right on top of, almost, the fret. It takes a little experience and practice to get notes sounding correct, even on the best commercially made instruments. I'm not arguing against accuracy from a builders' perspective; I'm just saying that the player comes into play, so to speak, too. There was an article in Guitar Player magazine a few months ago that discussed this very issue.
where do you measure the frets from, With a square nut I measure from the front of the nut even though the string contact point can be 1-2 mm back. What happens when measuring from a threaded bolt ??
I have always used FretfinderD2. I had to keep an old Windows XP laptop to use it, because I can't get it to work on any Windows 7 computers. For my printer, I have to add about 1 1/2 inchs, in the program, for a scale length of 25 inchs, to get it to come out right when I print. Make sure you cut & tape on the Registry Marks around each page or you will get a wrong fret spacing. I just mark the scale length, fold them and keep them in an old cigar box, so I can use them again, and when my wife asks me why do I have so many cigar boxes? I say to keep all my junk in!
I just don't get it with the desire to print out fret templates - it's a sure-fire way of introducing inaccuracy right from the start. You have to rely on the stability of the paper that you are printing onto (paper is dimensionally unstable when subject to varying humidity, and it's relatively easy to stretch and distort it), the mechanical accuracy of the printer and the accuracy of the printer software to give you a totally accurate print.
I just use a steel rule and either a sharp pencil, or better yet a scalpel to scribe the fret positions, reading off the measurements from StewMac's fret calculator. I'm placing a degree of faith that their software is right in terms of calculating the fret positions, but I'd prefer to remove all the other variables and rely on the accuracy of my trusty rule and my own hand. I can easily get down to an accuracy of .1mm (4/100 inch) without really trying.
I use http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/ as well. I print off a new one for each neck I do because I use an xacto knife and straight edge to mark the frets before cutting. So far so good. I get my harmonics at the right places so it must work. I like it because I'm terrible at math and measuring. The printed template makes it easy for me. I don't think either method is superior as long as you end up in the same place.
I double check the measurements on the template with a ruler, for starters. For me a template is easier than measuring, and I can spot outliers when I measure twice, cut once. I work in smaller scale, so my paper template is less likely to stretch or warp enough to matter.
The reliability of the paper is better than the reliability of my measuring!
http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/
You can print a multi-page PDF, which includes strings and tapered fingerboard.
And it is Mac friendly. Don't think I ever got Wfret to work on a Mac, but I have not tried recently.
15" and 17" and 19".
http://www.harpkit.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=... been usin this chart goin on 20 years now, scale lengths from 13" - 31", just pick a scale length lay your fretboard along the line and copy the fret slots. Works for guitar, banjo, mando, bass and dulcimer.Turned alot of builders on to this chart over the years.
Figured out how to print template with WFRET. a very simple mistake.
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