#1 resource for Cigar Box Guitars, Free Plans, How-To, Parts & More!

What's your favorite fret scale calculator?

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.

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Craig Mayhem on April 9, 2013 at 2:07am

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.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Will King on April 7, 2013 at 10:11am

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!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 7, 2013 at 4:15pm

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.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Coppa Penny on April 8, 2013 at 9:30am

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 ??

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on April 8, 2013 at 8:41pm

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.