Measuring Fretwire Thickness
Measure the Thickness of the Fretwire Tang
Your first consideration will be how large a tool you will need. To ensure that you select the optimum cutter diameter:
- Ignore the size of the tang printed on the label! The actual thickness might be off by as much as ±0.003" (0.078mm), small enough to be VERY loose in the slot or large enough to warp the neck.
- Take a stick of the fret-wire you will be using and carefully clean the tang to remove any grease and debris
- Measure the thickness of the TANG (E in fret profile image) between the STUDS (stud space G)
- The diameter of the tool you select should match the thickness of the TANG (or be slightly larger if you intend to glue your frets into the fingerboard).
- (Write your measurement on the package label of the fret wire you are using. The thickness within a batch of wire tends to be surprisingly constant)
Fretwire Geometry
