A setup guide im reading suggests you cut out a set of radius gauges from plastic using a template. If you know the radius of your arc, and the chord length arc width, and need to find the height to draw the template, enter radius and chord and hit calculate height to calculate the height of the arc. How to adjust a guitar bridge with diy radius gauges youtube. Make a paper template sketch out your peghead design on a piece of heavy paper and cut it to shape with scissors. Six acrylic gauges let you measure up to 12 different radii that can range from 18 to 2 in size. Each gauge is clearly marked with the corresponding measurements of each size radius. I made radius templates with some scrap wood, traced the radius onto the braces and then shaped them with planes, chisels and sandpaper. Use them to measure fret board radius, saddle radius nut radius accurately and check your work as you smooth or shape a fingerboard or frets. Guitar understring radius gauges by printbit thingiverse. Dan erlewine demos three different gauges used for guitar setup and fretwork.
A radius gauge is used to compare the height of each string in respect to the radius of the fertboard. The margin between the end of the nut and the outside edges of the 1st and 6th strings varies dependent on the bevel angle of the frets. Cutout radius gauge carefully cut out this radius gauge to check your saddle. Before we start, you can download a printable set of radius gauges for freesies if you like. The top gluing surface of the kerfings should extend 2 above the edge of the guitars sides, on both the top and back sides. Sign up for a completely free set of printable radius gauges. If youre going to be doing this regularly, it might be worth buying a good set but my free, downloadable, radius gauges will definitely do the trick for a while.
In the late 60s the blues influenced musical styles and guitar players began stretching. Brazilian rosewood fingerboard for guitar luthier, crafts exotic lumber nigra. On my guitars and ukuleles, i also provide an arch from front to back or from head block to tail block. Neck radius gauge instructions 1 print out on a card stock check the 1 block for accuracy. When youre setting up a guitar or bass, its great to. The spacing between the strings needs to be uniform, which varies with the string gauge you use.
Free guitar neck radius gauge answered at times we need to know the radius of our guitar neck and this site has a free download template with all the options on, i. This set is the perfect set for easy, quick radius measurement and simple layout. I was not be able to print a full size template from a guitar body. Sure the aesthetics are what may first catch ones eye, but in our experience it is the feel that gives a player that got to have it syndrome. To optimize your guitars playability, it is recommended that the string heights should match the radius of the fret board. I made a nut centerline calculator in excel as pictured below. Set of 9 understring radius gauge for guitar and bass setup luthier tools. Assemble guitar and play to upload sounds to your guitar follow the steps in the online tutorial. The following table lists common fretboard radii used by major manufacturer.
Its used for bridge types that adjusts every string independently like fender strat tremolos. How to adjust a guitar bridge with diy radius gauges. Print them, cut them out, and youve got one of the handiest tools in your guitar or bass setup toolkit. Ukulele backs on our plans are all the same as well. Go here i used an empty plastic ice cream tub to transfer gauge. Radius gauges for a beginner learning to do setups the. Then, after loosening your strings, find which of the templates fits the radius of your. To achieve a perfect fit, the thalia capo comes with multiple interchangable fretpads so that you can match the fretboard radius of your specific instrument. Here is a free printable guitar action gauge i posted on my personal site for anyone who is looking to reset the action on their guitar or bass. I only own one bass, and its a 200809 mim fender jazz so i can assume the radius is 7. Then simply print it on a thick sheet of paper and then accurately cut the gauge border using a sharp cutter.
I traced a radius onto a piece of paper then used it as a template to cut my gauge out of the plastic lid of a coffee can. Free radius gauges and their many uses haze guitars. The bottom radius can also be used to set pickup polepiece height to the string radius. If you wish to use it on your own site, please contact guitarhack and we will try to assist you. To optimize your guitar s playability, it is recommended that the string heights should match the radius of the fret board. Obtain accurate measurements of your instruments fretboard radius using the bottom radius of the gauge. Calculate adjust and print large diameter arc templates. Were going to do the intonation on your guitar, too. Why not take the pdf to kinkos or fedex whatever its called now and have them. I show you how i go about adjusting a stratocaster style guitar bridge with a drill bit feeler gauge and a free radius gauge template. If you really want something solid, you could even tonetransfer it to a pcb using a laser printer and etch it if you feel you can achieve such thin.
Printable adjustable arc templates with vernier inch. Use the thumb screw or thimble exact designs vary to adjust the curve of the flexible band, until the contact is a perfect fit. The actual nut width will vary from guitar to guitar. Guitars commonly have a compound radius, meaning the curvature changes from the nut to the end of the fingerboard. If you do any guitar work, you need a set to measure the fingerboard radius and set the radius of the bridge. A simple tool to help you get your guitar playing its best. If you cant find what youre looking for here, check the shop for more options. I had a need to check a fretboard radius after removing the strings. Back plate arch template genone luthier supply blog. All templates available here are left intact with respect for the original publishers. Guitar parts center makes and sells custom parts and guitar building tools.
Im also looking for a printable string spacing gauge. I have a michael kelly patrio special lp copy guitar 24 34 scale i had it setup with a 1052 gauge strings with. Understring radius gauge for guitar and bass setup. Each side of the guitar requires two strips, which should be accurately trimmed where they meet the body blocks. Guitar radius gauges quickly find the curvature of a fingerboard or bridge with the set of radius gauges. Unfinished lp style electric guitar diy kit topsolid mahogany body neck gift. Hello julien, i just recently built my first acoustic guitar using the same book and posted this picstory of the entire build process. Does anyone know where i can get a printout of a string heightaction gauge. This is a tool used for evening the string heights with the curve radius of your fretboard. As promised in number 4, here are the instructions to make your own fret board radius gauges. Click here if you are unsure of your guitars radius. Fenderphil many thanks for the link to the neck radius gauge pdf.
Son strummer set of premium luthier tools tool kit includes 9 understring radius gauge, 1 pin puller, 1 string action gauge ruler, 2 fingerboard fret protector guards for guitar bass setup. Nut rule string spacing in pdf telecaster guitar forum. String actionbridge radius setup with ken mercer duration. These gauges helped me 1 figure out the radius on my guitar, and 2 set the correct radius so that i could get the action low without buzz and choking out notes while bending. Hmm its a matter of doing the gauge pattern in inkscape, a vector drawing tool. Just paste them to a piece of card a cereal box works fine and cut them out. I was trying to do this adjustment by feel and eye, and lets just say i needed these gauges. Stewmac understring radius gauge tool, set of 9, standard width for guitar setup, stainless steel. Please sign in to your account to see your pricing, which may be different from the price displayed. Use the top radius of this gauge to determine the proper height adjustment for the bridge saddles. I recently bought a very nice but cheap 24 fret korean ibanez rg copy. Fantastic eye catching guitar for the money and very well built, accept for the frets.
Next were going to import the pdf plan into inkscape. I didnt have the need for a set of metal radius gauges and for quickie onetime use i made these accurate templates. Uncheck chord and dimensions to remove bottom chord, labels and dimensions. Choose file import or ctrli and select the pdf file. At times we need to know the radius of our guitar neck and this site has a free download template with. This is going to make life a whole lot easier and save me some money into the bargain. Free printable radius gauges the acoustic guitar forum. You can click to open a new window and show the printable radius gauge pdf. I also put a quick description of what youre trying to do and you can also look up videos on youtube for more assistance or leave me questions in the comments below. Guitar template sides 5cm about 100cm the step you create by cutting away a strip of one of the layers of the cardboard will allow it to slot in and create a clean edge on the guitar body. I got my gauges from stewmac years ago and they no longer have the cheap ones i have.
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