Scale length "formula" question

[Nadz1lla]

Luthiers: is there a "formula" or mathematical equation to calculate how much everything moves by when making different scale length guitars? For example, is there a A x B = Z for fret spacing, pickup placement etc? I'm putting some ideas together to try and make a guitar template for odd scale length guitars, and it struck me that there could be a simple calculation for gauging the differences between scales etc.

If not, is there a way to get a template of these things made up to spec by someone?

[ToneMonkey]

Yes there is:

http://www.stewmac.com/fretcalc.html

[Nadz1lla]

Stewmac provides the goods yet again! Cheers for that link, dude!

But here's another question...what about pup placement?   :lol:  I know if you get it wrong and miss that sweet spot, you end up with a wrong sounding guitar, hehe.

[ToneMonkey]

That's a whole can of worms that you're about to open there mate.

Incidentally, I keep my cans of worms next to my cans of woopass.  People better hope I don't open the wrong one.

Get yourself a copy of Melvin Hisc--k's book, it's a damn good place to start

[Nadz1lla]

Yeah...I have it somewhere, but it's been missing for a while... I might have to buy another copy.  :?

[ToneMonkey]

There's a lot of voodoo and bullshitee out there on this (and a lot of other guitar subjects).

All in all, you're best off asking someone like Feline who has done it hundreds of times.

[Nadz1lla]

Aye, good call... Jonathan, if you're following this, do you have any wisdom to impart?  :D

[Oli]

For a humbucking pickup, the area at which the string affects the pickup is quite large, so movement of the pickup just results in a tonal change (closer to the bridge = brighter, thinner), rather than there being a null point at a node of the string. Pressing a fret down will change this node point anyway, so even if you mathematically worked out the optimum position for an open string, this would only work for 1 particular note on the instrument.

I wouldn't worry too much about pickup placement-- if it looks right, then it probably is ;)

[Nadz1lla]

Well that sounds about right, heh. Cheers dude!