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Permalink Reply by Nathan King on January 19, 2010 at 7:27am

First ya gotta figure out the spacing for frets on a 24" scale (there are a variety of programs floating around here that will calculate that for ya).

Then, the number of frets you use is pretty much up to you. It all depends on how much room you have on the fretboard/neck, how many frets you want to file (less frets = less work!), how it'll look with more/less frets on it...

Typically though, I'd say you want at the very least 12. On a typical, regularly fretted instrument, the 12th fret is the octave (where the notes start repeating, higher in pitch). If ya can fit 15 frets on there, go with 15. If ya wanna put more on, put 'em on!

As far as a dulcimer layout, I'm not sure. Maybe someone with more experience on that can shed some light... I'm not sure if people typically use 4 strings with a dulcimer, but I could be wrong. And of course, there's always a first time for everything, right?

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Permalink Reply by Tim on January 19, 2010 at 7:32am

just plug in say 30 frets and see how many actualy fit.

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Permalink Reply by Nathan King on January 19, 2010 at 7:34am

Yep, that's a good point. The distance between the frets will be the same regardless of how many you plug into the calculators.

Tim said:

just plug in say 30 frets and see how many actualy fit.

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on January 19, 2010 at 8:39am

Thanks that will get me going.
I used this calculator:
http://www.tundraman.com/Guitars/FretCalc/Index.CFM
I put in 30 and go figure you are right, not that I doubted you.
I can save the 30 calculation and it should cover anything I will build.
This calculator looked good as it listed the measurements in inches and MM, figure it will be easier to measure the itty bitty decimals in metric. Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on January 19, 2010 at 9:51am

just remember that if you change the scale then the fret spacing changes as long as you always build 24" scale these will work.

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on January 19, 2010 at 11:50am

Tim, good point to keep in mind, thanks
Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Martin on January 19, 2010 at 11:59am

Thats one of the reasons I seldom build fretted instruments.I cant get all the little calculations and all that measuring and marking in my head.
Plus I can build 4 or 5 fretless's in the time it would take me to build 1 fretted instrument. Since 1 fretted eats up so much time , I then have to charge more per instrument to get my time back.( time invested)
This market where I am wont stand paying more for an impulse item then say,,$100,so I try to keep my prices below that figure.Plus I mostly build acoustic,also to keep costs (to the customer) down.But they have the option of buying our clip on mics and a honeytone Amp if they wish to make more noise.
My average price for a fretless 3 string is $77.95 plus our idiotic Tenn. state tax.That puts the customer laying out about $85.55 before he/she actually gets out the door with the instrument.At that price in the summer months I can sell em as fast as I can build em.
I cant build a fretted for less then a $100 (retail), so as a rule it doesnt happen often.

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Permalink Reply by O-DAD on January 19, 2010 at 12:35pm

i laid a metal yardstick on my telecaster and les paul ,then cut notches in the yardstick and measured /marked the bridge position on the yard stick,now i have a template that comes in handy,even when i am cutting the neck to length.i am still trying to find some shorter guitar scales though,i am no good at measuring

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on January 19, 2010 at 1:36pm

I use a computer program called WFret, you punch in the scale and how many frets you want, and you print out a template that you tape to the neck and mark where the frets should be. Very very simple.

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on January 19, 2010 at 2:39pm

I do not have a printer and tried to print it on another printer but it would not do it properly, groan.
So this was plan B, which if it was the best it would be plan A.
Being a Nubie doing the frets for the "expierence" of it.
Roger, I hear what you are saying, I use to build furniture for a living so I know of what you speak.
I also build fishing rods for sale and same deal and some just wont return the time investment, fine for friends and rellies but not worth trying to collect on as a sale.
In the frozen north I would not have a clue who sells these things around here. One fellow out east sells them but that is a long ways from here.
I am a long ways from ever selling one right now but something to remember.
Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on January 19, 2010 at 4:17pm

Any of the fret calculators will give you the measurements. Try to get them in cm/mm, and get a good metal mm ruler. Then be sure to measure from the nut to the fret each time so the tiny errors (or big ones!) don't compound. Then mark them off with a pencil line clear across the face of the fretboard. I look at it for a good few minutes, because often your eye will tell you when the progression looks off. Measure twice, fret once!

What will you be using for frets? Fretwire or improvised?

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Permalink Reply by John Drake on January 19, 2010 at 4:27pm

I find the fret calculator on the Stewmac site very useful. You can input inches or mm but I prefer mm as that's the system we use in Australia and also it is easier to estimate a fraction of a mm when measuring. For example 34.2 mm is just more than 34 mm but not as much as 1/2 a mm greater. I figure that on a cigar box guitar a placement of frets within .25 of a mm is OK. I mark the fretboard with a pencil measuring against a 1 metre steel rule and always measure from the nut to the fret - NOT the distance between frets (this gives greater accuracy) I first decide where I want to position the bridge on the box to take regard of both the pattern/picture/graphics on the lid and also to get a position approximately 1/3 of the distance from the end of the box. I believe this gives better resonance than positioning the bridge too close to the end of the box. I then decide what fret scale I want to use (generally the same as my Martin D-18 which is 25.340" or 643.636mm). This then determines the length of my neck - - measure from the position determined for the bridge to where the nut will be to establish neck length. A Martin D-18 has 20 frets and you probably will not want any more than this. Another very good fret calculator is FretCalc which is available at
http://www.dougsparling.com/software/fretcalc/index.php Regards John D Stewmac calculator image:

FretCalc image:

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