How do you measure fret height on a Guitar?

[pfrischmann]

Hi Guys,
I got a great neck from a builder and decided to try a different fret size. When I got the neck, I noticed the frets seemed much smaller thant I expected. The builder is totally cool and just said to send it back and they'd check it out. I'd rather just verify this is what I ordered, especially as we are going into the christmas break and I will finally have time to work on my guitar.

How do I measure frets when they are already on the guitar. Width seems easy enough but height seems tricky.

Any advice?

Thanks,

[gtrnstuff]

I use a caliper with digital readout. There's an extension on the end for height. Lowe's or Home Depot.

[John Coloccia]

I'm assuming you don't have StewMac's digital calipers, which would make this easy. Put a short, straight piece of metal (key word, STRAIGHT) across two frets, and use feelers gauges to estimate the height. It won't be perfect, but it will give you an idea of what the height is.

[pfrischmann]

Thanks,
So do you measure from the back of the neck and subtract the thickness of the flat piece and the neck measurement of wood from front to back?

[JFD58]

Thanks,
So do you measure from the back of the neck and subtract the thickness of the flat piece and the neck measurement of wood from front to back?

He's referring to using something akin to starrett 6" rule spanning fret tops, and then feeler gauges - possibly stacked in combinations if necessary. The measuring is between the fret board and whatever straight edge you use.

If you don't have feeler gauges and no caliper/venier gauge then I'd recommend buying an inexpensive plastic digital caliper as the accuracy is good enough and they are cheap relatively. You will find many uses for it once you have one. If you $$ it is nice to buy a Browne&Sharp, the swiss watch of good measuring.

[John Coloccia]

Using digital calipers isn't a bad way to do it, but you have to be very careful to hold them absolutely dead perpendicular to the fingerboard. That can be really difficult to do. StewMac's have a little notch cut out of the bottom that makes the reading very reliable.

[John Coloccia]

Another way to measure the height if you don't have a short, flat piece of metal is to capo at one fret (say, the 7th), hold down the string at the 8th (or use two fingers to hold down the string), and measure under the string. That will be as straight and you will ever need and serves the same purpose as the metal. Does that make sense? You're using the string as a straight edge. Don't push too hard on the string or you can make it read slightly higher than the true height.

[carderoni]

As others said, you can use anything as a straight edge laid across 2 frets and then use feeler gauges to get a close approximation (available at any hardware or auto parts store for $5-10).

You don't need to be exact since there are only a handful of commonly used fret sizes. Just get it close and see what it matches up against:

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/FretSizePop.aspx

[Rhomco]

One thing you need to know is that frets sizes are referred to "before installation". They are all cut from the same lengths of fret wire and pressed in. Lets say as an example you specified .100 Wide X .050 High. Your builder would start with a batch of .100 X .050+ High frets and install them. Now he has to level and crown them which always removes SOME of the fret height depending on how level the fretboard is. This is next to impossible to control without charging YOU $500.00 for a fret job. Typically when a buyer specifies a fret height most builders regard that as a ballpark dimension. It is a very small ballpark but still not expected to be an exact number. In your case the builder may have missed a mile and needs to make it right but there is no way we can tell unless you can produce a reasonably good dimension of your frets and the size you asked for.
If you however expect aerospace dimensional tolerances on a wood plank you had better make it clear to him BEFORE he takes the job. I say all this most sincerely and do not mean to be a smart axx.
Respectfully,
Rob

[Rockledge]

I do it by eye, and it always varies according to the kind of frets on the guitar.
And by feel. In fact I use my eye to accomplish what I want to feel, but how it feels is the bottom line. I have never used any kind of gauge. My fingers can't spell gauge.

[bunny]

Refretting guitars for about 20 years I've never had a customer sensitive to the fret hight difference smaller than 1/2 mm. It's the basic height and width (there are just a few types really) and the fret crown shape (round to flat) that players feel, get used to and ask for. The way fret ends are dressed too.

What's funny with guitars, many things people demand to be done "the factory way" from a repairer are not actually better, it's mass production technology results. But you get used to it or you're brand (not even "vintage"!) freak:)