Before I start sawing fret slots

Auld Nick · #1 10-17-2006, 12:46 PM

Hey Guitar Makers
I've got a new fretboard glued and ready to saw for frets.
I've read about spacing the frets, and run Fret-Find, BUT one thing i've found has me hesitant.
I measured some guitars (2 Fenders, an Ovation, and a Washburn) and the frets are not where they "should be".
They are closer to the nut than the formula, the "rule of 18" says they should be! For an example, Fender bass, 34 inch scale, the 12th fret should be 17 inches from the nut. It's 16.9 inches! The other tests all agree. It works out to about 0.5% per fret.
What's up with this?
Nick

Nick Ioannucci · #2 10-17-2006, 12:56 PM

are you measuring to the edge of the fret or the center of the fret, like where the actual slot is?>

spudmaster34 · #3 10-17-2006, 04:36 PM

alot of companies scale lengths are just estimates, the real length can be up to .5" different, try measuring to the 12th fret, then double that and that is your scale length

Auld Nick · #4 10-18-2006, 08:58 AM

Thanks for your replies Nick and Spudmaster.
Nick,I measured from the edge of the nut to the 12th fret center, and to the bridge on the acoustic washburn. I also measured from the nut to centers of the 1st,3rd, and 5th frets with a vernier caliper.
Spudmaster, I've noticed that too! I bought a squire bass where the bridge was mis-postioned (in relation to it's 12th fret) by 5/8ths inch!
I'm wondering if placing the frets 0.5% closer to the nut would work as a compensation for "tension sharping", I mean the slight increase in frequency caused by pushing the string to the frets...
What do y'all think?
Nick Hutsell

The Craw · #5 10-18-2006, 02:12 PM

Fender isn't doing any compensation for "tension sharping" like you describe. Their scale length is consistent for the whole scale. It's just a tiny bit shorter than 34", that's all. Like spudmaster34 says, it's not uncommon.

spudmaster34 · #6 10-18-2006, 03:16 PM

gibson has some patents for fretting bases on a "real" string rather than an "ideal" string, current thought is that is will never make it to production

Peaceful · #7 10-18-2006, 08:17 PM

I am confused. What is the "rule of eighteen"? Where does the twelth root of two enter into it all?