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Fret spacing vs scale length

First cigar box guitar build. I bought a pre-fretted maple neck from cb gitty. The nut and bridge locations were clearly marked on the neck - 25" from nut to bridge. I'm basically done with the build except for installing the nut and strings. I was reading up on fret spacing and scale length and see that everywhere I look it says that the distance from the nut to the 12th fret should be 1/2 of the scale length yet when I measure the distance from nut to 12th fret on the pre-fretted neck I bought it measures only 11 13/16" (not 12 1/2"). Stopped by the local guitar shop and talked to a tech - he says that all I've read is correct, and that this neck, with the fret spacing as-is, will never work - at the fret spacing I have this should be more like a 23 5/8" scale length. I can't just move the bridge in to 23 5/8", there is a pickup already installed at that location. Is this a 'start over' situation? Was the scale length on the neck when I bought it mis-labeled?? Any advice?

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on December 14, 2012 at 12:34pm

I suppose it is possible that the scale on the neck is wrong, but if you got it from GItty, I kind of doubt it. Are you positive you measured correctly?

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/schools/images/e/e7/Guitar_scale_...

Basically, the scale is the length that the string is in the air and not touching anything, from where it touches the nut to where it touches the bridge.

You are correct, if the scale is off, then the rest of the stuff won't line up.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Slosson on December 14, 2012 at 1:41pm

Absolutely positive I measured it correctly (I'm an architect, so I'm pretty anal about stuff like measurements :) ). Actually bought 2 necks at the same time and passed one off to a buddy without directly comparing the two. I've checked his now, and it's correct for a 25" scale. Sounds like what I've read is correct - I don't see any way to correct what I've done to the box. I think I can start over on the box and re-use all the parts (including the neck) - but I'll have to plan on a 23 5/8" scale. That should then be ok, right?

Thanks for your response.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on December 14, 2012 at 1:58pm

LOL @anal architect...sorry, didn't mean to insult your intelligence.. :-)

If the distance to the 12th fret is 11 13/16 instead of 12.5, then I think I would take it one step further and verify that the frets are in the correct place for a 23 5/8 scale before I went much further.

You can use that online fret calculator to do that.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Slosson on December 14, 2012 at 5:35pm

Dan,

Thanks for your assist - didn't mean to imply that I was insulted! I can make fun of myself..... just frustrated because I'm basically fully assembled and the cb guit looked awesome! Oh well, do over!

I'll check out the fret to fret measurements as you suggested before I go any further. Also will try to get in touch with cb gitty to see what they have to say.

Thanks again.

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Permalink Reply by Mike "Katfish" Karash on December 14, 2012 at 12:44pm

A couple of suggestions... First a link to a very handy free online tool, a fret position calculator (sorry CB, Stew Mac offers it online free) http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator to verify what scale you have and what fret positions are correct, and which are not. Next if the only issue is from the 0 fret (nut) to fret 1, get creative and make a nut that has an offset (an L shape to move the nut edge back to the correct distance. I've done it to correct operator error. Last, get creative again, it's called a bridge! Make a bridge that partially "bridges" over the p/u edge to position the string saddle correctly (if string height allows). A photo of the problem might offer other solutions as well.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Slosson on December 14, 2012 at 5:36pm

Mike,

Thanks for your input.

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Permalink Reply by wormil on December 14, 2012 at 7:42pm

I would try exchanging it for a neck of the correct scale length. If it were your error then I would say work around it but since you paid for a kit it should be correct and I'm sure they will make it right.

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Permalink Reply by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker on December 16, 2012 at 2:20am

As best I can tell, it sounds like we made a mistake when slotting it. It sounds like we started at the second slot and skipped the first, which would have resulted in the shorter resulting scale length. I have checked our stock and I am confident that this was a "one off" mistake, out of the hundreds of necks we have made and sold. I have already told Roger that I will be sending a replacement neck, and I'm going to implement an extra "double check" step to the neck finishing process where the nut-to-12th distance is measured during labeling to make sure it's at 12.5".

At C. B. Gitty we work hard to get everything exactly right, but this is all done by hand and we are only human. When problems do occur, we do our utmost to make it right. The best way to bring problems to our attention is always a direct e-mail to cbgitty@cbgitty.com.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Woods on December 16, 2012 at 7:19pm

Maybe use a bridge with a rod piezo . Since you will have to move the pickup. ? only other alternative is to remove the frets and go frettless, drawing the fret locations in. - probably not the best .

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Permalink Reply by Roger Slosson on December 17, 2012 at 2:40am

Ben,

Thanks for your response. I also responded to you via your email address. I certainly do appreciate you making it right! Since this is my first build I was trying to confirm that I understood the concepts of fret spacing, etc... correctly before contacting you at cb gitty. I'll rebuild the neck once I receive the replacement, and then I'll be all set. certainly learned alot on this first build - can't wait to get it done and start on another one! A bass is next!

Thanks to everyone else for your advice as well.

Stay thirsty my friends!