Fret Calculator
If you find this utility useful, please link your site to this page.
This page accurately calculates the position of the fret slots for guitars and basses.
Simply enter the the number of frets and the scale length in millimetres then press the calculate button for an instant result.
Some common guitar scales expressed in inches and millimetres
- 24.00″ = 609.60mm (Fender Duo-Sonic/Jaguar)
- 24.75″ = 628.65mm (Gibson or Rickenbacker)
- 25.00″ = 635.00mm (PRS)
- 25.50″ = 647.70mm (Fender Stratocaster/Telecaster/Jazzmaster)
- 27.67″ = 702.82mm (Baritone)
- 30.00″ = 762.00mm (Short scale bass)
- 33.25″ = 844.55mm (Medium scale Rickenbacker bass)
- 34.00″ = 863.60mm (Long scale Fender bass)
Good Morning! I’m building a classical guitar (nylon) and I’m not sure whether or not to do some bridge compensation. Do you have any indication?
Thanks a lot for the help!!
Hi, I can’t help as it’s not something I’ve ever done! Of course a classical guitar has a saddle perpendicular to the fretboard but I don’t know whether it’s the same distance from the 12th fret as the saddle or a little further away.
What this site helped me with was a problem with intonation and the measurement being off on the length between the nut and the first fret. Also if you ever have in question what your scale length is you can figure it out with this info and a good digital micrometer. This is going to be a go too site for me in the future.
What do you think is a safe margin to round up/down measurements to, when using distance from the nut?
I’m pretty certain that once the fret tang size, width etc is taken into account that not even a fretboard milled by CNC could be so accurate unless the frets were near instantaneously rammed into the slot to obviate any fore or aft movement of the tang against the wood fibres!
Yes you are correct, you also have to take into account the accuracy of the crown.
And how accurately can anyone measure and cut – 0.2mm or 0.1mm maybe?
I have use this site for all my Fret spacing calculations including fan Fret guitars, and it has never let me down and never been less than 100% accurate. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Steve Suggitt, Chapel Guitars
I entered the scale length which is 875.8 for a bass guitar(34 1/2) imp and it would not accept it
It works for me, would you like to give it another go?
It’s wildly inaccurate.
24 frets with 473mm length should get me 29.65 at the beginning of the 12th fret.
Your calc has it at 23.65. Not even close.
I think you might be confused.
Is 473mm the length of your fretboard? You need to use the scale length – i.e. the distance from nut to saddle.
Thank you, really useful!
Thanks for this… I’ve been searching for a good calculator.
Thanks, building an electric guitar from bits in the shed. Not sure if my Dovetail saw can cut to plus or minus 0.01mm but great to have the ideal answer. The 20 fret Shedocaster made by the Splinter Guitar Co. is about to be fretted using the rolled edges from a tin box of biscuits.
You’re welcome.
It’s a great idea to use the rolled edges from a biscuit tin but do you think it will be robust enough? I can imagine the tube getting compressed.
Excellent!
You sir are a true hero
Fantastic I can now build whatever I want ??
Thanks for your time doing this.
Spot-on !! Thank you.
I have compared your indications with other frets calculator. Yoe have exactly the same measurments. Thank you.
Very helpful and simple to use.thank you.
Building my first 25.5 17fret cbg ,big help thanks
Excellent resource! Used it on all of my cigar box ukes and guitars.
Thank you very much for this info, very helpfull.
Very useful and incredibly quick. Used it to check my own calculations for a cittern I am making. Thanks for the help.
Building my first Diddley Bow Bass, extremely helpful, thank you Steve.
Absolutely Bob on.
The StewMac one decided millimetres wasn’t a valid unit of measure.
Muchisimas Gracias!!! la verdad es que es una herramienta muy util!
Many thanks!!! The truth is that it is a very useful tool!
Saved hours of trial and error – ok, guessing! Building a key box for a medieval keyed fiddle, Thanks very much indeed!
Weirdly enough i’m doing it for a medieval hurdy gurdy!
That’s great Oskar (and Mike) glad to have helped!
Pingback: Stage 9) Slotting the fretboard « Jcsmusical's Blog