Digital String Height Gauge

[DanielleOM]

Anyone use one?

Work OK?

[viccortes285]

Yes i use it when setting up guitars
Very accurate, maybe too much.


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[DanielleOM]

I want to try and get the same action several archtop guitars. I just can't see conventional measuring scales to any meaningful degree of accuracy.

[viccortes285]

I want to try and get the same action several archtop guitars. I just can't see conventional measuring scales to any meaningful degree of accuracy.

This will get you within .005 easy. This way your action will be the same on all your guitars.


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[neatomic]

from the venerable old school luthiers mercantile international..top outfit for years!!!

LMI Digital String Height Gauge

cheers

[rob taft]

I'm a tool junkie so I'll have to check out the LMI gauge. That said, I use feeler gauges.

[DRS]

I use a small machinists rule. Calibrated in 1/64ths
Very small. Very light. Batteries never run out. Never needs calibrating. $10.

[DanielleOM]

I use a small machinists rule. Calibrated in 1/64ths
Very small. Very light. Batteries never run out. Never needs calibrating. $10.

But how do you see it?

[rlrhett]

I want to try and get the same action several archtop guitars. I just can't see conventional measuring scales to any meaningful degree of accuracy.

What kind of accuracy do you feel you need? I too use a machinist rule with .5mm lines. I seriously doubt I could tell the difference if I was a tenth of a mm from one setup to the next. In any case, Wood is a natural product that changes with time, temperature and humidity. No guitar neck is ever going to be so stable that chasing a setup to an ideal to within fractions of a mm or thousandths if an inch makes any sense to me.


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[oldane]

FWIW, I have always set the action (as well as the relief) by feel and eyeballing. I have never used rulers, gauges or other tools.

[DanielleOM]

What kind of accuracy do you feel you need? I too use a machinist rule with .5mm lines. I seriously doubt I could tell the difference if I was a tenth of a mm from one setup to the next. In any case, Wood is a natural product that changes with time, temperature and humidity. No guitar neck is ever going to be so stable that chasing a setup to an ideal to within fractions of a mm or thousandths if an inch makes any sense to me.


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I am trying to do this with senior citizen eyes. I have two pairs of glasses. One pair for driving and another pair fixed for computer distance. I think the digital measuring device will be cheaper than buying lenses that will let me read the rule.

[Woody Sound]

FWIW, I have always set the action (as well as the relief) by feel and eyeballing. I have never used rulers, gauges or other tools.

Often when selling/buying a guitar online, the buyer will ask about such measurements, for example, the action at the 12th fret.

[DanielleOM]

from the venerable old school luthiers mercantile international..top outfit for years!!!

LMI Digital String Height Gauge

cheers

Thanks, I place the order for one. :-)

[DRS]

But how do you see it?

I have on reading glasses

[rlrhett]

I am trying to do this with senior citizen eyes. I have two pairs of glasses. One pair for driving and another pair fixed for computer distance. I think the digital measuring device will be cheaper than buying lenses that will let me read the rule.

I see. Sadly, I’m not far behind you in that department.

Some of the more vintage gentlemen at the school use and seem to love the magnifying headband jewelers/watch makers use. They use them for many lutherie tasks. Have you tried them?


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[DanielleOM]

I see. Sadly, I’m not far behind you in that department.

Some of the more vintage gentlemen at the school use and seem to love the magnifying headband jewelers/watch makers use. They use them for many lutherie tasks. Have you tried them?


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I have seen them in the catalog but have not tried them. For normal reading / writing distance, I take my glasses off. I wore progressives for years, but quit when I realized how tough they can be on one's posture and neck.

[rlrhett]

I should add that the reason the digital micrometer doesn't appeal to me is that it measures by touching the string from the top. The spring would have to be VERY weak so as not to push the string down in the ZERO position. Seems touchy and prone to error. How to be sure you are touching, but not pushing the string down ever so slightly? I don't think I would notice if it depressed the string by just .5mm, which would affect my setup.

I don't think it is a solution for the everyday guitar tech, but perhaps it addresses a special need like a large readout for people with less than perfect vision.

[LtKojak]

I should add that the reason the digital micrometer doesn't appeal to me is that it measures by touching the string from the top. The spring would have to be VERY weak so as not to push the string down in the ZERO position. Seems touchy and prone to error.

^^^ This. ^^^

Not a fan. I've been using this on for years:

String Action Gauge | stewmac.com

For the rest, I use feeler gauges.

[Skip Ellis]

I've just always 'eyeballed' it and never had a problem. If it 'feels' right , it's right. I don't think you can expect machinist tolerances on wood anyway - it changes too much with the weather. Where I live (FL), we're mostly locked up in air conditioned, humidity controlled environments, so it's not as big a problem as it is for the folks that have drastic temperature changes. If I need to measure, I use a small machinist ruler and my reading glasses.

[ThatRhythmMan]

The electronic gauges also appear that they measure from the top of the string, rather than measuring the distance between the bottom of the string and the fret. It seems to me that if you really want the best measurement that feeler gauges are the simplest solution. No need to subtract the diameter of each string.

[DanielleOM]

The electronic gauges also appear that they measure from the top of the string, rather than measuring the distance between the bottom of the string and the fret. It seems to me that if you really want the best measurement that feeler gauges are the simplest solution. No need to subtract the diameter of each string.

I received the tool. There's a button to zero out the tool when you place the tool on top of the string. After you zero it out, you press the plunger down and read the measurement. Although the tool is sitting on top of the string, it measures the displacement when the string is pressed down to the fret. In other words it measures the distance from the top of the string (not pressed to the fret) and the distance/diplacement to the top of the string when pressed down to the fret.

[DanielleOM]

I should add that the reason the digital micrometer doesn't appeal to me is that it measures by touching the string from the top. The spring would have to be VERY weak so as not to push the string down in the ZERO position. Seems touchy and prone to error. How to be sure you are touching, but not pushing the string down ever so slightly? I don't think I would notice if it depressed the string by just .5mm, which would affect my setup.

I don't think it is a solution for the everyday guitar tech, but perhaps it addresses a special need like a large readout for people with less than perfect vision.

There is no sensation to indicate that there is any spring. It would seem that the plunger drops to the top of the string, to zero out, solely based on the weight of the plunger. There seems to be very little friction around the plunger. For my purposes I think I can disregard this as I am primarily interested in comparing the setup on different guitars with the same string set.