guitar bridge position calculator

Nonzero values are required in all fields. and put the results in the fields below. the forms as described below. This will update the subsequent forms with your changes. Diameter (core diameter for wound strings): Material (core material for wound strings): Modulus of elasticity (Core MOE for wound strings) Leave blank unless material = other. A number of steel string guitars with straight saddles provide separate Because a straight saddle rarely can be located to provide ideal compensation for all strings, distance from bridge to nut or in the Brian may case the Zero fret to the bridge But it is diagram. terms it may very well provide a solution which is well within the limits of variability which is not under the builder's control (string mass variability, note-to-note fretting pressure variability1, etc. email address so I can contact you with any questions. Last updated: Here are the parameters and how to fill these See the page entitled Calculating Fret Positionson this site for more info on fret placement. The scale length of an instrument is the distance between the edge of the nut and the nominal bridge saddle position. Is this guitar's bridge saddle in the right place? If you are using the calculator to derive compensation for a classical guitar or other instrument that has a straight saddle that is set perpendicular to the centerline of the fretboard, take the difference between the two straight saddle offset values, divide that in half, and add that result to the smaller of the two straight saddle offset values. it is possible to do an accurate job of estimating compensation. be repeated here. For guitars and other fretted instruments the placement of the frets is based on the scale length. These are also offsets from the nominal bridge saddle location. Select -none- to clear Liutaio Mottola Lutherie Information Website, the Adjusting Bridge Saddle for Proper Intonation, References and Suggestions for Further Reading, note-to-note fretting pressure variability, Catalog Supplement/String Tension Specifications, Table of Musical Notes and Their Frequencies Measure from the fretboard side of the saddle, where the high E string crosses, to the fretboard edge of the bridge. Also included are straight saddle offsets for the B and/or G string. to estimate compensation relates to the instrument's strings. and Wavelengths, Mottola's Cyclopedic Dictionary of Lutherie Terms, Quantifying Player-Induced Intonation Errors of the Steel String Acoustic Guitar. typical configuration of that kind of instrument. for the individual strings. It should be noted that each string will usually like typical acoustic guitars, once compensation was figured out, the compensation Enter or modify string parameters in the fields below. The product is the scale length, the proper distance between the fretboard edge of the nut and the fretboard edge of the bridge saddle. The distance between the guitar nut and bridge is the scale length. ... it is possible that no fret falls into this perpendicular position. Mottola, R.M. bridge saddle location for each string, and also for a straight bridge saddle. this for a common instrument you would be doing the world a great favor If you are interested, see the article. The article fully This calculator makes use of compensation equations that are variants of those developed by industrial polymer physicist Sjaak Elmendorp. In addition to the individual compensation values, straight saddle On the tab for those strings, un-check the box labeled "Include this string in straight saddle compensation calculations?" Calculate fret placement for guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, and more in inches or metric. instrument of that type - typical scale length, typical action and typical string set. Moving the bridge too far from the neck increases scale length and creates flat fretted notes. Contrast that with the solid steel of steel guitar strings, which is quite stiff. ... it is possible that no fret falls into this perpendicular position. not be of (much) practical significance. Likewise the limited use of systems and devices claimed to improve intonation beyond what is provided by bridge saddle only compensation, even though such systems and devices have been available for quite some time, may indicate that bridge saddle only compensation is in fact functionally optimal. article entitled "It's All About the Core, or How to Estimate Compensation".3 More advanced users of this The result is the compensation offset for the saddle. compensation for the B string. if you send your completed forms to me so that I can include this instrument values are positive offsets from the scale length(s) provided. How to Adjust Action on a Floyd Rose Tremolo, How to Fix a Fret Buzz on a Guitar With a Floyd Rose, How to Adjust a Truss Rod on an Epiphone Guitar, Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Bridge placement on an electric guitar. Because D'Addario Nonzero values are required in all fields. you'd want to do with pencil and paper as there is a lot of math. // Leaf Group Lifestyle, Lutherie Information Website: Calculating Fret Positions; R.M. Why? The solid nylon of the upper classical guitar strings and the nylon floss of the cores of the lower strings is not very stiff, so stretching the strings while fretting doesn't raise the pitch all that much. (optional) Modify common parameter values for scale length and action as needed. from its nominal location. How much pitch is sharpened depends primarily on the stiffness of the string, or for wound strings, of the string's core. and click on the "Fill" button. Click on the "Calculate" button. • Latest American Lutherie article: "Resurrection and Modification of an Inexpensive Old Factory Guitar", American Lutherie #138 Table of Contents, • Latest research article: "Quantifying Player-Induced Intonation Errors of the Steel String Acoustic Guitar". All values should be in decimal inches except as noted. Occasionally someone will assert that string stretch associated with fretting involves the entire length of the string from anchor to post, not just the part from nut to bridge saddle. solution to this sharping problem is to move the bridge saddle a bit farther away from the nut. Note also that average action values for the instrument should be specified. and the nominal bridge saddle position. you may want to make. Multiply the distance from the nut to the 12th fret by two. This is because these strings need enough compensation But it is the string data forms that the calculator uses to estimate compensation. and then it was moved back by increments until both the open string and the fretted octave below to propagate these values to the parameters for the The article also shows how to derive material MOE and gives examples Any fretted note falls high or low of the desired pitch. The scale length is the playing/speaking length of the string measured from the nut to the bridge. in the drop down menu. The data in the forms can be modified directly to further refine the compensation estimation. For the most part compensation has historically been calculated empirically. Note that This will fill the subsequent forms with data for a at the nominal bridge position. To convert a fraction to decimal simply divide the upper number by the lower number. Fretting steel strings raises their pitch significantly and they require more compensation. Most of this information will not and the reporting of same is exemplary. That increase in accuracy may be perceptible. He has been published online. The first string is the string to the far right on the fretboard. These materials and other polymers will exhibit nonlinear be readily available from string manufacturers, but in fact little of it This stiffness is a function of the diameter of the string and also of the material it is made of. All compensation Clicking the Calculate button will perform the calculations Looking for a calculator that will tell you how much to move the string contact point of the saddle of an existing instrument to achieve accurate intonation? should not consider certain strings in its straight saddle calculations. must be moved from the nominal bridge saddle position to achieve the desired compensatory results. Its persistent and widespread use may attest to its practical utility. This will result in more accurate straight saddle calculations NUT or ZERO FRET and run up the neck towards the the bridge. ... For example a standard guitar in the key of E would be tuned 0, 7, 3, 10, 5, 0. Thanks. For guitars and other fretted instruments the placement of the frets Without it, all fretted notes will play sharp to some extent, due to stretching in the drop down menu, most of the work involved in doing that will be in describing This effectively increases the length of the string from fret to bridge saddle, which flattens It contains data for a number of types of instruments and can be easily You can also use this conversion calculator… the pitch of the fretted notes flatter, thus compensating for the sharping effects. An important factor that determines where the bridge will be situated on the body is the point where the neck meets the body. distance(s) was recorded and future instruments were simply built with the bridge saddle(s)