Neck raduis guage print these out at 100% size, preferably on card stock. Measuring the radius of the fingerboard and comparing it to the radius of the bridge saddle. Does anyone know where i can get a printout of a string heightaction gauge. September 17, 2010 as a guitarist, i often have to adjust strings height action and other kind of settings on my guitars. How to make your electric guitar play great softcover. Radius gage calibration purpose the purpose of this procedure is to provide general instructions for the calibration of radius gages. Notched radius gauges makes it easy to measure the fingerboard radius without removing the strings. This also helps to promote proper technical development of the guitar player see under the string radius gauge below.
Please consider that this is a set and everyones guitar is different so you may just find use for one of these radius gauges if your guitars have the same radius but its a nice set to have when it comes to figuring out if your guitar frets are following the same radius throughout the entire fretboard. Put your nose up against the very bottom of the body, by the bridge, and look down the strings towards the nut. Jan 21, 2020 our guide to guitar strings, the hope and savior of beginners across the world. With the guitar strung up to pitch and held in the playing position, use your straightedge to evaluate relief.
Our guide to guitar strings, the hope and savior of beginners across the world. Click here if you are unsure of your guitars radius. A heavier gauge of string will put more pressure on the neck of the guitar while a lighter gauge will put less stress on the neck. Dan erlewine demos three different gauges used for guitar setup and fretwork. Check bottom of braces before gluing, check radius of your back or top after the braces are glued. Us pro designed guitar neck notched straight edge and fret rocker luthier tools.
To optimize your guitars playability, it is recommended that the string heights should match the radius of the fret board. A set of radius gauges should form part of the toolkit of anyone doing any sort of guitar setup. The bottom radius can also be used to set pickup polepiece height to the string radius. To optimize your guitar s playability, it is recommended that the string heights should match the radius of. Now i would be interested to find out what my guitar necks radius arehow do i go. How to make your electric guitar play great softcover guitar player book pdf. Inventive string action gauge printable brad website. Guitar fret crowning luthier file leveling grinding tool kits guitar repair tool. Aug 30, 2017 use the thumb screw or thimble exact designs vary to adjust the curve of the flexible band, until the contact is a perfect fit.
These come in the most popular guitar fingerboard radii. Radius gauges for a beginner learning to do setups discussion in guitars in general started by rabbuhl, jan 14, 2011. Free radius gauges and their many uses haze guitars. Radius gauges for a beginner learning to do setups. Thinner than the original so it slips easily between the string and the fretboard for easy measuring of the fretboard radius. And asking for donations for gofundme and such are generally frowned upon here no matter how dire the need. These come in the most popular fingerboard radius and make it easy to measure the radius from either above or below the. The blades have precise curves that will match a specified convex or concave curve. Check in a few different positions along the neck to make sure your neck is the same radius or that it compoundschanges radius consistently. Sign up for a completely free set of printable radius gauges. Handmade custom pickguards made to order by pickguardian. I recently bought a very nice but cheap 24 fret korean ibanez rg copy.
This way, the action follows the radius of the frets regardless of what. Scribd is the world wides biggest social looking through and. Procedure the use of radius gages is a fast and easy method. Radius gauges these gauges are very useful around a guitar builders shop. Guitar radius gauges for measuring fingerboard nut saddle radius set of 2. Its used for bridge types that adjusts every string independently like fender strat tremolos. Pickguardian is open, taking orders and chopping up plastic. I was looking to buy a cheap set but these are free and should do the trick. Wider for 78 string guitars and 56 string bass guitars. Use the understring radius gauges to first determine the radius of the fretboard, then check the radius at the bridge to make sure they match. Remove or loosen the strings and use your radius gauge on the fingerboard. The point of setting up your bass guitar is to make it play well.
Use the top radius of this gauge to determine the proper height adjustment for the bridge saddles. Im also looking for a printable string spacing gauge. Guitar radius gauges for measuring fingerboard and nut. The adjustment for this lies with the truss rod, which leads us to the. Guitar radius gauges how to use with free download. By selling directly to end users we provide the best quality products at the best price to professionals and hobbyists. Were going to cover the types of guitar strings, how theyre made, the best brands, the standard gauges, how to pick the right ones for your instrument and style, what to expect in terms of cost, and much more. If you change the gauge of strings that you use this can have an adverse effect on your intonation. The following table lists common fretboard radii used by major manufacturer. A radius gauge is used to compare the height of each string in respect to the radius of the fertboard. As if thats not enough, theres a set a handy dandy radius gauges cleverly attached to the back. If you own a guitar with saddles that allow for individual string height adjustment. Find the radius gauge that matches the arc or radius of. Neck radius gauge instructions 1 print out on a card stock check the 1 block for accuracy.
That means it plays in tune, it sounds good, it feels comfortable to fret and pluck the strings, and it just suits your playing style in general. I recommend this book for anyone from beginners setting up their first guitar. 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. Select the blade that appears to match the curve to be measured, and hold it against the piece. Radius gauges are a highly underestimated tool for proper set ups. Some players, especially those who play with a heavy attack and like low action, will prefer to have some relief in the neck. Once you have your printable radius gauge for your guitar neck on a piece of paper. Used to adjust the truss rod in the neck of the guitar which, in turn adjusts the amount of relief in the fingerboard see straight edge 3 above. Neck raduis guage print these out at 100% size, preferably.
To optimize your guitar s playability, it is recommended that the string heights should match the radius of the fret board. Go here i used an empty plastic ice cream tub to transfer gauge. This is the preferred setup for most players, and its a necessary starting point for all setups. Tools for measuring your fretboard radius pic heavy i wanted to measure some fretboard radii on my guitars and here is what i used. Action principles are widely used to express the laws of.
Unfinished lp style electric guitar diy kit topsolid mahogany body neck gift. Scope the radius gages is considered an in an inherently stable device and will not require recalibration unless a special request is made by the user. Bladetype radius gauges usually come in sets of blades with a range of radii, sized at specific increments. How to adjust a guitar bridge with diy radius gauges youtube. Our knowledge base contains over 28,000 expertly written tech articles that will give you answers and help you get the most out of your gear. This is going to make life a whole lot easier and save me some money into the bargain. I got my gauges from stewmac years ago and they no longer have the cheap ones i have. At times we need to know the radius of our guitar neck and this site has a free download template with. Guitar radius gauges for measuring fingerboard and nutsaddle. Download either the postscript or pdf version of this paper and print it. 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. Which radius gauges do you recommend for a beginner learning to do setups. Having the fingerboard and string radius match contributes to the best possible action adjustment for overall easy playability.
Hey guys, i bought a pack of metal radius gauges from stewmac to dial in my saddle height on my cs strat. Free radius gage calibration procedure ape software. True historic 1959 les paul additional specifications unprecedented accuracy in vintage looks, feel, and tone the most desirable les paul ever captured with unprecedented accuracy for the 2015 true historic series, with wetsanded nitro finish, doublecarved and handsanded top and neck, rolled binding and more. As promised in number 4, here are the instructions to make your own fret board radius gauges. Fenderphil many thanks for the link to the neck radius gauge pdf. I picked up a set of steel under string radius gauges from stew mac a few years ago they allow you to measure the fretboard radius with the strings on as well as adjust the saddle heights to match that radius. String actionbridge radius setup with ken mercer duration. Narrow is for measure fingerboard radius near the nut and the wide is for measuring the radius at the bridge end of the fingerboard. This can change the natural bow of the neck causing a change in string length. Set of 4 notched radius gauge guitar gauges measures radius with strings on. Buy dreamtop set of 9 guitar radius gauge understring radius gauge string gauges luthier tools for guitar and bass setup.
Guitar setup and intonation guitar alliance guitar lessons. Fretboard radius explained weve found over the years that feel is what really draws a player to a certain guitar. This is a tool used for evening the string heights with the curve radius of your fretboard. Were going to do the intonation on your guitar, too. Take a ride with me through ledgernotes guitar string. Thanks to this site, i know the differences in neck radiuses. If you wish to use it on your own site, please contact guitarhack and we will try to assist you. So my question is what is the best way to know if you are centered when holding it under the strings. Setup and adjustment made easy to adjust the truss. Measuring relief with feeler gauge to check the adjustment of the truss rod.
Also use them for profiling an acoustic bridge saddle and setting the string heights on an electric guitar bridge. Guitar radius gauges quickly find the curvature of a fingerboard or bridge with the set of radius gauges. Sep 26, 2017 i thought itd be useful to look at some of the other ways a radius gauge can be not just useful, but indispensable. Radius gauges for a beginner learning to do setups the gear. Apr 19, 2018 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. Print them, cut them out, and youve got one of the handiest tools in your guitar or bass setup toolkit. Use a strong source of light to look for a gap between. Obtain accurate measurements of your instruments fretboard radius using the bottom radius of the gauge. Oct 27, 2010 radius gauges for guitar work stewmac. Eyeballing this subtle change is next to impossible. Free radius gauges sign up for a completely free set of printable radius gauges. When youre setting up a guitar or bass, its great to. Sep 17, 2010 homemade string action gauge for guitar setup.
Understring radius gauge wide for guitar and bass setup. Please sign in to your account to see your pricing, which may be different from the price displayed. You can click to open a new window and show the printable radius gauge pdf. True historic 1959 les paul additional specifications. Radius gauges for a beginner learning to do setups the. I used the stew mac understring radius gauge to adjust the. 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. 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. Radius gauges should form part of the toolkit of any guitar setterupper. Cut out with an xacto knife or very carefully with scissors. Guitars commonly have a compound radius, meaning the curvature changes from the nut to the end of the fingerboard. Tools for measuring your fretboard radius pic heavy.
Include 2 narrow radius gauges and 2 wide radius gauges. Next, youll need a radius gauge and you can find free ones online. 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. Details about guitar radius gauges for measuring fingerboard and nutsaddle radius. 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.