Digital Caliper - String Gauge

[swingtoneman]

Those of you who measure the gauge of a guitar string. Do you find that you get different measurements on the same string?
My digital caliper does that--changed the battery--cleaned the measuring 'blades. Are strings made the same gauge the full length of the string? Is your digital caliper reliable?

[SoftwareGuy]

Some digital calipers cost $50 and are not very accurate. Mitutoyo makes thickness guages that are very good at the scale of guitar strings. They are much more extensive and will give you repeatable results.
BTW, what are you trying to do?

[BBGuitar]

I have been in instrumentation and calibration for 39 years.

Digital gives the illusion of accuracy, the good old micrometer is best.

[sgosnell]

It's important to know the precision of any measuring device. The precision of calipers varies, a lot. I would not expect the precision of a $10 caliper to be as high as a more expensive model. Some may only be good to the nearest millimeter or so. To measure a guitar string accurately, the device must be accurate to less than a thousandth of an inch. My cheap calipers cannot repeatably measure that precisely. But that's not what I bought them for. Sometimes a measurement to the nearest millimeter is more than good enough, sometimes it isn't. The proper tool is always required.

[deacon Mark]

I have been in instrumentation and calibration for 39 years.

Digital gives the illusion of accuracy, the good old micrometer is best.

A well made micrometer where would I be in the shop without it.........one lost pup.

[Doctor Jeff]

A well made micrometer where would I be in the shop without it.........one lost pup.

You must work with metal. For a woodworker give or take 1/32” is good enough. For most of my projects 1/16” has to do LOL.

I agree with the above though that a cheapish caliper is not going to be accurate enough for tiny measurements.

[BBGuitar]

You must work with metal. For a woodworker give or take 1/32” is good enough. For most of my projects 1/16” has to do LOL.

I agree with the above though that a cheapish caliper is not going to be accurate enough for tiny measurements.

I work with wood. There is a micrometer in my pocket at all times, also a 12 inch Starrett dial caliper handy near by.

[Gitterbug]

Non-digital calipers don't have to be expensive to be sufficiently accurate - 0.05 mm - for most purposes. I agree that a digital display gives the illusion of accuracy. The same with bathroom scales: the basic mechanism is the same, the digital display probably cheaper to make, and you can charge more for it. Why have cars' dashboards and controls gone digital? Cost and weight.

[Cunamara]

There is a difference between accuracy and precision. Precision is easier to bring to market, accuracy requires excellence in design, materials and execution. My experience with digital (consumer grade) calipers is that they are precisely inaccurate. Wasn't worth the money I spent on it (my expectations weren't high to begin with, but performance fell far short even from that. Error in measurement on .012 string was more than twice that number! So much for grab-n-go purchases, lesson learned).

Anyone got a recommendation for a decent consumer grade calipers on the scale of guitar strings?

[Doctor Jeff]

I work with wood. There is a micrometer in my pocket at all times, also a 12 inch Starrett dial caliper handy near by.

I have a cheap but reliable General caliper, but often use a Harbor Freight digital just for convenience.

Yes I know. But with some experience one knows when one absolutely has to have a very accurate, very fine measurement, and when something is "good enough".

I also have a vintage Starrett T-square and more rulers and tape measures than you can shake a stick at.

I never have a need to measure down to the 0.1 mm level.

[deacon Mark]

This what I use for strings, binding, neck shims, frets, and many other things. I even use it sometimes when working on bicycles and I need to check housing or cables.

[Doctor Jeff]

This what I use for strings, binding, neck shims, frets, and many other things. I even use it sometimes when working on bicycles and I need to check housing or cables.

Not a bad thing to have...one can't have too many tools!

[BBGuitar]

Anyone got a recommendation for a decent consumer grade calipers on the scale of guitar strings?

Nothing less than this.

Starrett 436.1XRL-1 Outside Micrometer, Ratchet Stop, Lock Nut, Carbide Faces, 0-1" Range, 0.001" Graduation: Starrett Mic: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

[citizenk74]

Just checking. Are we talking about the error introduced by measuring the wound strings and accidently measuring between the windings?

[SoftwareGuy]

Does anyone know why we are measuring strings? I suspect all the legit manufacturers make a string that is correct in its dimensions. I mean what are you going to do with a sting you think is incorrect?

[BBGuitar]

Does anyone know why we are measuring strings? I suspect all the legit manufacturers make a string that is correct in its dimensions. I mean what are you going to do with a sting you think is incorrect?

Personally I do not measure strings unless it is to determine what size in on a instrument.

[deacon Mark]

Does anyone know why we are measuring strings? I suspect all the legit manufacturers make a string that is correct in its dimensions. I mean what are you going to do with a sting you think is incorrect?

I have a box or random strings that are not all marked so I measure strings sometimes. I generally believe the manufactures and so not a problem until you repair guitars and have to take a set off and you need to know the gauge that is on the guitar. If you don't repair guitars then you probably don't need to measure strings. I have been around guitars all my life and the pile of parts, pieces, strings, and whatnot are such that I can get confused. Also I can measure nuts and saddle heights to extreme accuracy. As said many times one good precise measurement is worth 1000's of guesses.