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Measuring the height of installed with regular digital calipers is a crap shoot since the wood has grain so you can get very different readings depending on whether the depth probe is sitting on a hill or in a valley. StewMac sells their Luthier's Digital Calipers for $48.70, which includes a little trick developed by Frank Ford to measure fret height accurately. When I looked at the picture (see below) it was very clear what he had done and I proceeded to modify digital calipers that Harbor Freight sells for $10 when on a coupon special.
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-...per-47257.html
#1. Cut off the "step" on the depth probe (the thing that sticks out when you open the calipers.) I used a cut-off blade on my Dremel. Be careful that you don't cut the probe so short that it hangs up on the little crosspiece.
#2. I added a rounded notch right where the uncut depth probe would have been. On the HP there is no need to cut into the tiny crossbars that hold that end of the calipers together.
#3. To calibrate the calipers open the jaws enough for the modified probe to be even with the end of the calipers and then push the button to reset that position to 0.000". (You might need to turn it off and back on.)
#4. Place it across the fret between the strings and it will now read the height of the fret crown as a negative number. You may want to check the height at several different places on the fret to get more accurate readings.
Steve Ahola
SPECIAL BONUS! To measure the crown of an uninstalled fret use the trick shown in the picture on the right. With the cut-off blade of your Dremel cut a small notch in one of the jaws to hold the tang. Recalibrate the calipers with the jaws closed and you can measure the crown height.
STEWMAC.COM - Luthier's Digital Caliper
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-...per-47257.html
#1. Cut off the "step" on the depth probe (the thing that sticks out when you open the calipers.) I used a cut-off blade on my Dremel. Be careful that you don't cut the probe so short that it hangs up on the little crosspiece.
#2. I added a rounded notch right where the uncut depth probe would have been. On the HP there is no need to cut into the tiny crossbars that hold that end of the calipers together.
#3. To calibrate the calipers open the jaws enough for the modified probe to be even with the end of the calipers and then push the button to reset that position to 0.000". (You might need to turn it off and back on.)
#4. Place it across the fret between the strings and it will now read the height of the fret crown as a negative number. You may want to check the height at several different places on the fret to get more accurate readings.
Steve Ahola
SPECIAL BONUS! To measure the crown of an uninstalled fret use the trick shown in the picture on the right. With the cut-off blade of your Dremel cut a small notch in one of the jaws to hold the tang. Recalibrate the calipers with the jaws closed and you can measure the crown height.
STEWMAC.COM - Luthier's Digital Caliper
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