3D TOOL

Fret Placement Simulator

Place the frets for a scale length and read the intonation error in cents.

Drag to rotate the neck · scroll to zoom · click a fret to read its note

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Static reference

A slotted fretboard with every fret position marked, and the twelfth fret called out as half the scale length

The static reference carries the same figures and the same steps as the 3D model. Nothing is lost except the ability to rotate it.

How to use it

Drag to rotate the neck; scroll to zoom.
Set the scale length, the fret count and the temperament.
Click a fret to read its note, frequency and position.
Compare two scale lengths side by side.
Export the fret position table as CSV.

What it reports

Exact position of every fret in millimetres
Note and frequency at every fret
Intonation error in cents against equal temperament
The twelfth fret position and the half-scale check
A downloadable fret position table

Fret spacing is a ratio, not a measurement. The twelfth fret is always half the scale length, and every other fret follows from the twelfth root of two.

What this model doesBuild a neck in 3D, set the scale length and the temperament, and read the exact position of every fret, the note it produces, and how far off it is in cents. The model recomputes from the same maths the fret spacing calculator uses.

Safety

These models are teaching simulations. They are not a measurement of your instrument and they are not a substitute for the manufacturer’s specifications.
Fret wire ends are sharp. Wear eye protection when you cut, file and crown frets, and sweep the bench rather than blowing the offcuts away.
Wood dust from rosewood, ebony, mahogany and cedar is a respiratory sensitiser. Use extraction or a P2/P100 respirator when you sand or rout.
A strung instrument stores real energy. Bring strings up to pitch gradually and never put your face over a neck while you tune it up for the first time.

Educational model. Figures are approximations produced by a simplified physical model. Verify against your own instrument before acting on anything shown here.

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