Doing Things Wrong

Fret Slotting Jig (3/3)

Here is a spreadsheet of fret positions, mainly Fender, but others also:

StewMac has an online fret position calculator: https://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator

The mathematical formula is:

where

  • x = fret distance from inside of nut
  • S = scale length
  • n = fret number ( 0 = nut, 12 = octave )

I actually used a caliper accurate to thousandths of an inch to mark the locations, and pre-punched them with a new sharp punch prior to drilling. I probably got an accuracy of under 1/100", which is fine for a fretted instrument on which all tuning is approximate anyway.

Two spots you can know with good accuracy are the nut ( 0" ) and the octave ( 1/2 scale length ). Working in both directions from those datums, you can cover almost the entire neck with direct measurements using a 6" caliper.

All these measurements are typically done in inches, but there is no reason you could not use millimeters or barleycorns or cubits or any other silly system.

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This is the Ric body template I made earlier. What's the point of making a template if you only use it once? Underneath are the sections for the new body. I used about 13 feet of 2x2" lumber, under $20 at Home Depot. I arranged the pieces so the stripier faces show. I'm also extending the tongue on the template. I had a brain fart and cut it too short when I made it.

Printed from luthierylabs.com