Table of Contents
Why are guitar frets unevenly spaced?
Each time you move one fret away from the body, the pitch increases by a semitone. Therefore, the amount that the width must by shortened to increase the pitch a semitone gets smaller the higher you go in the range (i.e. the shorter the vibrating portion of the string is), and the space between frets get narrower.
Are frets evenly spaced on a guitar?
But the frets are always perpendicular to the fretboard and the spacing between frets is always based on the overall scale. Technically a guitars scale is the distance between the nut and the center of the 12th fret doubled. The 12th fret is (for practical purposes) the midpoint between the nut and saddle.
Why do some guitars have slanted frets?
Fanned frets allow the lower strings to have a longer length while keeping the higher strings short. With a fanned fret guitar, the lower strings don’t need to have thicker gauge strings to keep the tension tight. The longer string length helps keep the string tension at where it feels best to play.
Do classical guitars have wider frets?
Yes, classical guitars (those employing nylon strings) do have a fretboard wider than that of electric guitars.
What is the rule of 18?
The rule is sometimes called the “rule of 18”. Basically, the position of the next fret, is the scale length, minus the displacement of the previous fret, divided by 18. It was close enough, and is still pretty close. Although the accepted number today is 17.817.
How far apart should frets be?
It is consequently advisable to determine all fret positions by measuring from the nut: the first fret is placed at a distance of 1.431″ from the nut, the second at 1.431″ + 1.351″ (=2.782″) from the nut, and so on.
Why do frets get closer together?
When you stop the string with your finger, and pluck a note, you’re shortening the length of the string, which makes the frequency (and the pitch) go up. The wavelengths are spaced closer together as the frequencies become higher, so the frets have to be closer together to match the wavelengths you want to produce.
Why do acoustic guitars have less frets?
Acoustic guitars have fewer frets than electric guitars because upper fret access is more difficult due to the body of the guitar being larger.
Can a classical guitar use steel strings?
NEVER PUT STEEL STRINGS ON A CLASSICAL GUITAR. Most nylon-strung guitars do not have truss-rods to protect their necks from the increased tension of steel strings, which means the neck on your guitar could warp.
How many frets does a cigar box guitar have?
usually 17 frets. With 24 frets, if I change nothing but making the fret board longer and going on top of the box some, it seems some of the frets won’t even be reachable unless I cut a clearance into the box corner.