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Stewmac Gibson scale template
Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:13 am
by Kinghat
I'm not hung up on being totally vintage correct, and Stewmac seems to have several Gibby scale fret cutting templates. Which one would be the best, intonation wise?
Re: Stewmac Gibson scale template
Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 5:36 pm
by Horsefeather
The best for what? Without any context given, you're not going to get any info of value.
Re: Stewmac Gibson scale template
Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 6:00 pm
by PixMix
There's no "best" or "worse" or "vintage" and "modern" when it comes to scale template. Gibson guitars have a 24.75" scale and traditionally 22 frets. I don't really know if one needs a fret template, you can just use a calculator (switch to metric units for a better precision).
http://www.tundraman.com/Guitars/FretCalc/
Re: Stewmac Gibson scale template
Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 11:29 am
by hpr_hpr
As I understand it there are several templates because Gibson hasn't been consistent in using it's 24,75 scale length . . . i.e. while it has always been CALLED 24,75 the actual length hasn't always BEEN 24,75. So when restoring vintage instruments you need the ACTUAL scale which is why there are a number of templates to cover these (slightly) different scale lengths.
As for better . . . any scale length can be intonated correctly . . . as such there is no better, just different. Different lengths have different string tension (if the gauges are kept the same anyway), which means different harmonics are emphasized. And of course easier fretting on shorter lengths due to the lower tension (thus the 24" scale length for the mustang which was conceived as a 'student' guitar) .