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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on December 28, 2010 at 1:42am

Darn you, Don.  You are right.  I might try a short scale like a 20 inch.  Most of mine have been 24 inchers copied off an old Silvertone.  I think I will print off a shorter scale for my next build.  That may not be until it warms up a bit.  My shop is pretty cold.  Thanks!  Something new to try and look forward too.

Don Thompson said:

Uncle John,Overall I get disenchanted when well meaning folks say, "I copied the frets off of such and such" To me, at least, you are locked into finding instruments that is the scale you need. In other words you can't build a 20" scaled instrument if you don't have one to copy from. Tell the truth, you can't. You simply don't know where to begin. It makes no sense to me to not learn how to lay out your own scale and even less sense to say this is a good way to layout fret placement.  Fret to fret measurements are fraught with error. One learns nothing. Maybe I just don't get it.

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on December 28, 2010 at 1:54am

Jason, The Artist is right.  Lots of advice without enough info.  I wanted to help you, but I am no expert.  I have built around 12 fretted instruments and only half of them are what I can call good.  I have one on my wall now that was so bad I took the frets out and play it fretless.   I had one that I stripped for parts.  

 

One thing true with me, it's a whole lot more fun to build than to do the final fine tuning and fixing.  Good luck and good wishes.

Artist Formerly Known as Matt said:

Sounds to me like you just don't have it tuned right.

Whats your tuning?

One thing I also see it lots of advice w/ out enuff info.

What is your measurement from the nut to bridge?

What's your measurement from the nut to the 12th fret.

It also looks like the string height may be high ..... that could be causing the tuning to change as the strings are fretted.

 

 

Matt

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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on December 28, 2010 at 3:44am

The reason I asked for more info .....been there done that. I've got 2 carcasses that have been stripped and I rebuilt/re-boxed.

AFKAM

Uncle John said:

    I have one on my wall now that was so bad I took the frets out and play it fretless.   I had one that I stripped for parts.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Jason Hollinden on December 28, 2010 at 2:37pm

Just want to say thanks to all the info. Unfortunately I don't have it accessible to figure it out, but my brother (gifted to) said it was partially the bridge needing to be moved back, and partially the nut being too tall. The latter causing too much string bend.

Thanks all for the fret links as well. I think I'm going to make up several neck-only mockups to train on fretting by measurement. One thing I definitely need to get is a good caliper, as measuring by 30' tape measure probably won't be good for this. :)

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