String Height Gauges

[Brucebubs]

Shout out to D'Addario and their Planet Waves String Height Gauge.

US and metric.

I have several other much cheaper gauges but this one arrived today and I'm very impressed.

Very nicely made and came with a layer of protective plastic that kept the surface underneath in mint condition.



Much nicer finer detail than this cheaper version in the background.

[Silly Moustache]

These look remarkable like mine too - a Stewmac and a "Baroque!(something I got from ebay or Amazon)

I prefer the Stewmac but both Work. However, don't forget the feel gauges to check relief too!

[Wade Hampton]

Hey, Bruce, thanks for bringing these to our attention. I have a couple of buddies in Anchorage who are also guitar gearheads, and I sent them each a link to this handy little gauge to see if they want to get one, too.

So I expect to put in an order for one here pretty soon, once they tell me yay or nay.

Thanks again.


Wade Hampton Miller

[UncleJesse]

I'm a big fan of the Fret Guru 2 which seems to be made nicer than any other string gauges I've used previously. Nice beveled edges. Made in the USA too.

http://store.fretguru.com/product/fr...luation-gauge/

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

I'm a big fan of the Fret Guru 2 which seems to be made nicer than any other string gauges I've used previously. Nice beveled edges. Made in the USA too.

http://store.fretguru.com/product/fr...luation-gauge/

Yep...I switched to these awhile back, too. Much easier to read.

[Kevin G String]

Is there an advantage over an engineers rule?

[godfreydaniel]

The Stewart McDonald one that Silly has has been around a long time. I think I’ve had mine at least ten years. I’m guessing their’s is the original.

[AcousticDreams]

I have the StewMac metal gauge(almost identical to the D'Addario)

However, I no longer use that one any more...I use the LMI Digital gauge which allows me to very accurately see each strings height.

For those novice saddle makers like myself, It allows me to see and adjust each string to exactly the height I wish. And It is affordable at just over $45 dollars.

I will say that it is a bit tricky to use..you must Zero it out for each string..and make sure that you hold it level. This does take some practice to be able to hold it level on the fret board. But once you get use to this it gives an added dimension to accuracy.

Pictures borrowed from their website.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by Kevin G String

Is there an advantage over an engineers rule?

I ask myself that same question every time the subject of these kinds of string-height gauges comes up. The answer I’ve got on each occasion so far is in the negative.

I can see the usefulness of the gauge, but it’s no more useful than my 12” engineer’s rule AFAIC.

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.

[singlechange]

LMI digital gauge is tricky to use is right. I concur.
Best to have guitar on tall work bench so you when you sit on stool your eyes are on level of the guitar. Otherwise too hard to use your hands to hold it steady and setting the gauge well.
Also the display is not bright enough for me to read easily.

[Brucebubs]

I've used a simple ruler before but the problem is it isn't wide enough to sit on 2 frets so you have to balance it by hand to keep it straight - the string height gauge is made to use laying across several frets.



p.s. Those Fret Guru gauges look great - pity I didn't find them in my search for a decent gauge and the LMI digital gauge looked like a good option but got poor customer reviews.

[lar]

What y'all really Really REALLY need,

Is a machinist's taper gauge. Sometimes called a Leaf Taper Gauge.

Like this:
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/67698704

The thickness varies across it's length. You just slide it under the strings. Keep sliding it as you tap the string down against it. When you stop hearing the string, you found the action. Bingo!

Yes, it's expensive but how many $50 picks do you have? Sell them, get this instead. Sometimes you can find them on ebay cheaper.

No, I don't have one. I'm trying to figure out how to buy one w/o my wife knowing about it. Or if I tell her I need one to fix the house plumbing so I don't need to turn the water off she might go for it. She really hates it when I turn the house water off.

You can't have enough of these things! I've seen people use them - very fast and accurate. Especially if you do a lot of setups.

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by lar

What y'all really Really REALLY need,

Is a machinist's taper gauge. Sometimes called a Leaf Taper Gauge.

Like this:
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/67698704

The thickness varies across it's length. You just slide it under the strings. Keep sliding it as you tap the string down against it. When you stop hearing the string, you found the action. Bingo!

Yes, it's expensive but how many $50 picks do you have? Sell them, get this instead. Sometimes you can find them on ebay cheaper.

No, I don't have one. I'm trying to figure out how to buy one w/o my wife knowing about it. Or if I tell her I need one to fix the house plumbing so I don't need to turn the water off she might go for it. She really hates it when I turn the house water off.

You can't have enough of these things! I've seen people use them - very fast and accurate. Especially if you do a lot of setups.

Thanks for posting this. I saw one somewhere and I had no idea what it was called or how to look for it beyond taper gauge and I never did find it.

[ruby50]

Lar
My $2 Starrett garage sale 4" rule graduated in 64th does a perfect job, plus it doesn't take up much space.

I bought 2 of the S-M type gauges off the innerwebs for cheap and they aren't even the same, let alone either one being correct. CHeck what yu have with a micrometer

Ed M

[fregly]

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