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