How Accurate Do You Need To Be When Slotting Frets?

[Woodenspoke]

Plotters, vinyl cutters, CNC, laser plotters, etc. are meant by design to translate a scaled representation and create a real-world result with predictable dimensions. A SOHO-level printer is far less likely to have tight real-world tolerances. I'm sure that you could illustrate the differing levels of quality Spoke, but I think it is outside the bounds of these questions and you have already touched on most of these anyway which is great.

I suppose my point is that a printer is less geared towards consistency in terms of absolute scale, whereas a machine designed to produce a scaled product is. To go back to the OP - consider the lack of tolerance in the other parts of the equation....the saw, the sawing method, fretwire tolerance, installation tolerance, substrate movement and inconsistency (it's wood!) and you can easily see something which may measure in 1/10ths of a millimetre. Given the other imperfections of our chosen instruments, marginal fret placement tolerances are insignificant.

I personally would say that half a mm is an acceptable tolerance for work done by hand using reasonable tools, reasonable experience and reasonable care. Above that, great - but there are diminishing returns. Below that and yes....perhaps consider practice ;-) I'm sure the manufacturing tolerances on mid to high end commercial instruments aren't too far off that mark and even if they are then I bet it makes more of a cosmetic difference to the trained perfectionist's eye than a defect in the intrinsic point of the product in the first place.

I agree

Is any guitar made by hand anymore with a factory label?

[Prostheta]

As opposed to a slightly off-scale printed label? hahaha...

[SchlockHorror]

Thanks for all the help guys.

I'm just ordering some callipers now.

[Mors Phagist]

I almost think that fretting is too much work, and that it might be easier to go fretless.

But I'll try it anyway.