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How to use Feeler Guage for Setup Measures

Discussion in 'Hardware, Setup & Repair [BG]' started by degroove, Jul 11, 2003.

  1. Jul 11, 2003 #1
    degroove

    degroove

    Jun 5, 2002
    Wilmington, DE
    I have a feeler guage set and the range is:
    .0015 Inches (.0380MM) - .035 Inches (.8890 MM)

    My questions are as follows:

    1. When using feeler guage, do you select one guage to measure a gap, or do you "stack them up" to the measure you are taking? For example, if the measure is .035, do I stick the feeler with .035 into the space, or all of them up to and including .035...

    2. If I want to measure 7/64ths Inches and I needed to convert it to a decimal to find the matching guage, would .109 be the right guage to match 7/64ths Inches?

    3. Do you put the Feeler Guage on top of the Frets or the Fretboard Wood for making measurements?

    I would appreciate anyone who can help me confirm that I am doing my measurements correctly.

    Thanks Big Time! :D
     
  2. Jul 13, 2003 #2
    Gander

    Gander

    Jun 5, 2002
    Texas
    Hi de, Normally the measurements are taken from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string. To set a measurement of .035 use the blade marked .035 or any combination stacked together, say .015 and .020 that adds up to .035. For your question #2, .109 would be right. It's not always possible to match the gauges exactly, so no need to buy a drawer full of feeler gauges. If you'll learn your initial measurements, you can do a pretty good set up without gauges. I have several sets of feelers which I seldom use. My set up tools are a sheet of paper to measure nut height, a business card to set neck deflection, and a popsicle stick to set the strings to match neck curvature. I also use the popsicle stick to set pickup height. Hope this helps.
     
  3. Jul 17, 2003 #3
    4Mal

    4Mal Gold Supporting Member

    Jun 2, 2002
    Columbia River Gorge
    use drill bit's rather then feeler guages where you have the appropriate size... stacked feelers are OK but if the feeler's aren't perfectly flat, you get inconsistencies. The but end of a drill bit is always going to be 7/64th's ... basically it's better to get 1 piece in there if you can.