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Ok did a search and could not fine a suitable answer.......I'm using an open scale length of 21.375" for the guitar I'm building. What sort of tolerance do I have with that? I am trying to put the bridge plate in the right place! I have a finger board slotted for that scale.

Thanks!

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Steve Leonard
SEleonard

Check out the StewMac Fret Scale Calculator. You can plug in scale length and other info then it will calculate the compensated lengths to the center of the saddle for the high and low E strings. You can use that length to determine where the saddle and, therefor, the bridge must go. That will let you place the bridge plate. I try to keep my measurements using rulers to +/- 0.01" since that's the best I can see with my optivisor.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Here is a pretty handy guide:

https://www.stewmac.com/fret-calculator/

Once you use the calculator, look to the bottom for info on bridge placement. From that info, you should be able to figure out where to put the bridge plate.

EDIT--

Duplication of Steve's post.

Define tolerance. For what?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

For a bridge plate you should have plenty of tolerance. I would aim to put the saddle at 21.475 and make the bridge plate extend 1/8th inch wider than your bridge. That will give you plenty of fudge factor.

Like JF I make my bridge plates a little bigger than the bridge so they extend a little in front and behind the bridge.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Do you mean the bridge on top of the guitar or the bridge plate inside the guitar, not the same thing.

You have very little tolerance on a guitar with that short of a scale. The shorter the scale the more important the compensation will be, so study it out and set the bridge exactly. Take your time!

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