It models the entire fretboard, strings and frets, as a system of line segments on a two dimensional plane. But before cutting fret slots i think its a really good idea to check your work against an online calculator i like stewmacs or an existing table. Please note, the fret calculator will not convert scale lengths, you can use our measurement converter to convert your scale length. Fret calculation program download mandolin cafe forum. I use the stew mac calculator all the time but never care about the actual bridge i am using. There are many discussions about temperament, scale length, etc. How to calculate fret spacing on a cigar box guitar. Until the 40s they did not even use a linear system at all, so you can get terribly wide estimates of their intentions depending on what frets you reference from. The best thing to do is buy the bridge you want and measure from the saddles, center of adjustment, to the mounting holes for the bridge. Because of this approach, it can design fretboards for instruments with multiple scale lengths and nonparallel frets as well as fretboards for instruments that play just or meantone scales. There are a number of free fret spacing calculators on the internet. Fret specs 4 is a fret calculator for the stringed instrument craftsman and luthierguitar makers will find this program very handy for custom scale length guitars. Free cigar box guitar fret calculator the howto repository.
This free real estate calculator for windows helps you determine whether purchasing a home or renting is your best option. Download fretcalc determine the distance between nut and frets, as well as fret to fret by writing down the length and number of frets, while choosing the desired calculus method. Here is a list of some online fret placement calculators i have found either useful or interesting. Free rent or buy calculator is a real estate calculator designed for windows 95, 98, me, nt, 2000, and xp systems. Sep 12, 2018 fret specs pro is a fret calculator for the stringed instrument craftsman and luthier. Fret specs 4 is a fret spacing calculator for the stringed instrument craftsman and luthier guitar makers will find this program very handy for custom scale length guitars. Millimeters are great for measuring string and bridge spacing and for other objects that require better resolution. New free fret calculator just added the howto repository.
You enter the scale length and how many frets and fret specs will output the measurements in notepad. Oct 24, 2016 download fretcalc determine the distance between nut and frets, as well as fret to fret by writing down the length and number of frets, while choosing the desired calculus method. Guitar makers will find this program very handy for custom scale length guitars. This is a highquality dovetailstyle saw, perfect for cutting fret slots for standard fret wires that fit in a. It calculates distances both from the previous fret as well as from the nut. Then select how many frets the instrument will have. Enter the scale length and number of frets and fret specs pro will output the measurements for fret spacing, fret to fret, nut to fret and fret to bridge measurements are. Measure fret spacingprintable fret template handmade music. It doesnt print a template but will give distances in inches or mm, its more precise to choose mm. If you find these useful, id be happy to hear about it. To calculate fret spacing for any instrument just enter in the scale length also known as the vibrating length. Mar 06, 2015 new free fret calculator just added a new free fretting calculator has just been added to the knowledgebase here at. Dec 11, 2015 need to know where those frets go on your next cigar box guitar. However, certain instrument have quite idiosyncratic designs.
Et is the most commonly used system for modern western music, and probably is what most builders are interested in. Guitar fret calculator freeware free download guitar. I designed this page to calculate where each fret slot should be cut, measured both from the nut to fret, and from the fret. This page accurately calculates the position of the fret slots for guitars and basses. Sl the scale length, the distance from the nut to the bridge. The first step towards getting a dulcimer to play in tune is to have the frets placed properly. Download fretcalc determine the distance between nut and frets. If you want fret distances in inches enter your scale length in inches. Feel free to link to it, but please do not republish the sheet or your modifications. Guitar fret calculator software free download guitar. Get adobe reader download the free adobe reader from. They will give you your fret spacing for any scale length and number of frets.
Fret calculator if you find this utility useful, please link your site to this page. For a new calculation hit the reload button of your browser. Calculating fret spacing, fingerboard dimensions, string. Need to know where those frets go on your next cigar box guitar. A simple program for calculatiing and printing musical instrument fret positions. Compensation is specified at the user for the nut how much less is the spacing between nut and first fret and the locations for a compensated saddle are given as measurements from the face of the nut.
Fret spacing calculation building an acoustic steel string. Gitty has a nice range of fretting tools and supplies to help you get going on your fretting jobs. The table can be used for calculating fret spacing both both equal temperament et and 5 limit just intonation ji. Google and this unit convertor are great for converting units. I made a template for use with a mitre block, to accurately cut the fret slots to a precision of better than 0. Because of this approach, it can design fretboards for instruments with multiple scale lengths and nonparallel frets as well as. To obtain the et fret spacing for a fret, multiply the vsl by the multiplier in the et column of the table. This program is a web application to calculate frets spacing on a fretted musical instrument such as guitars, basses, mandolin, etc. Fret specs 4 free software download fret specs fret. Use these conversion calculators and quick reference charts to convert measurements to and from metric and saeenglish. Selecting your instrument also calculates the bridge position for proper intonation. Guitar fret spacing calculator free software downloads. That is because we are calculating the length of a string for a note, not the frequency of the note. The answer is the third fret s offset from the nut.
Reduces the stress of launching applications or checking websites in prescheduled manner. Oct 05, 2012 millimeters are great for measuring string and bridge spacing and for other objects that require better resolution. Select based on if you entered a scale length of inches or millimeters. Free ebook for finding guitar notes and fret positions, making guitar music easier to play.
If you know your scale in millimeters you have to convert to decimal inches. The fret calculator allow you to save the fret template to your computer select save to disk pdf multipage and then print it. Feb 16, 2017 making a fret position template plus an explanation of fret position and nut compensation duration. Our fret calculator also gives you compensated bridge placement only at stewmac.
I have provided both a nut slot calculator and a fret calculator here on my site. Fretboard calculator when building a guitar or bass and cutting your own fretboard slots versus buying a preslotted fretboard, its very important that the fret slots be cut accurately. A fret spacing or distance calculator for instruments like guitars and ukuleles. Download32 is source for fret board shareware, freeware download guitar mode maker 2, pitchperfect guitar tuner, anvil studio, chord scale generator 64bit, chord scale generator, etc. Calculate fret placement for guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, and more in inches or metric. Another odd convention for a dulcimer is that there is only one 6 12 fret installed even though there is an additonal space where one would be appropriate between fret and fret 14. Making a fret position template plus an explanation of. I just want to know the fret spacing so i can cut the fret slots in the right spot. Continue drawing perpendicular lines at each fret position and scribing arcs to find the next fret position. Calculates the nuttofret distance optionally calculates the frettofret. Plus, even if you could, you couldnt hear the difference anyway.
Describes a simple spreadsheet that allows you to calculate the fret distances for any string instrument based on the chromatic scale. Fret specs pro is a fret calculator for the stringed instrument craftsman and luthier. It works great in some sort of spreadsheet program. Please select your instrument class, and enter the scale length. Simply enter the the number of frets and the scale length in millimetres then press the calculate button for an instant result. Now you can easily generate fret positions automagicaly. If you find this utility useful, please link your site to this page.
Reset the compass to the distance from the 1st fret to the tangent and scribe another arc. For instance, fretcalc is the type of program to use to properly calculate. Find your way around the guitar neck and fretboard notes, on acoustic and electric guitars. Fretfind2d is a two dimensional fretboard design tool. Pdf version 62 kilobytes this calculator can be saved to disk. Bridge location, stewmac fret calculator question my les. Guitar fret calculator software free download guitar fret. You can see the twelfth root of 2 to the n th power in the equation, but it is in the denominator of the fraction. Fret calculator choose from two different calculators.
Enter the scale length in millimeters if you need millimeters. Guitar fret spacing calculator free software downloads and. The scale length in decimal inches is the only thing that needs input from the user. When measuring, always measure from the nut, its more precise that way. Fret spacing calculator for luthiers peaceful daves stuff. An indispensable tool for luthiers guitar and other stringed instrument makers. Free online nut and fret spacing calculators when making a guitar or other stringed instrument it is essential that the correct measurements are used, so that the instrument intonates properly and is comfortable to use. Plug in the desired scale length, l 0, and the desired fret number, n, and you get the distance from the face of the nut to that fret. For example, if youre laying out frets by marking with a scribe and your accuracy is plus or minus 0. From there, click on the calculate button and the fret slot measurements will be displayed. Gibson instruments prove especially troublesome because they did not and in large part still dont use the same linear 2112 spacing system that the rest of the world has adopted. The scale length of a guitar is always twice the length from the front of the nut or zero fret to the 12th fret. Enter the scale length and number of frets and fret specs pro will output the measurements for fret spacing, fret to fret, nut to fret and fret to bridge measurements are calculated. If your calipers wont measure more than 6 inches, you could just use a ruler to locate the 12th fret and measure backward from there as well should get you to 6th fret.
The string length is inversely proportional to the. To make best use of computer resources flexihub is a must have software for mid to large scale. Yafcalc calculates the distance to that extra 6 12 fret, but it is not normally installed on an instrument. Weve created a free calculator so you can do it right. Note that the root is expressed by exponentiation in the formula above the twelfth root of 2 is the same as 2 raised to the 112 th power if you calculate the offset for the first fret of any scale length and then divide the scale length by that offset, you get 17. Beginning dulcimer makers are often perplexed about knowing where to place the frets. How much would it cost to strip and repaint my tele to fender ocean turquoise. Measurements are given from the end of the fingerboard face of the nut to the center of a fret slot. A simple program for calculatiing and printing musical instrument. Please not that the type of instrument has no baring on the fret spacing. I designed this page to calculate where each fret slot should be cut, measured both from the nut to fret, and from the fret to bridge.
Calculates the nuttofret distance optionally calculates the. Measuring the distance from the nut to the saddles is not. A simple method of calculating fret spacing is to use the factor 17. The stewmac fret calculator can give you fret measurements for many different instruments. If you have excel or another spreadsheet, it is simple to calculate any fret scale in seconds. Measure fret spacingprintable fret template handmade. Electric ukulele land look up ahead, i see the ukulele land, soon youll understand. You enter the scale length and how many frets and fret specs will output the measurements for you in notepad. Our fret calculator also gives you compensated bridge. There are a few online fret calculators that will give you the fret spacing for any given scale length.
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