Guitar Setup Calculator

Measurement inputs

Six-step setup

Choose a starting profile, then replace its defaults with the measurements you actually take.

Preview from profile defaults. Enter your measurements before using the compensation pattern.

Ready

01String lengthNut reference to saddle reference, per string.

Instrument

Choose a starting setup

Profiles supply editable starting values. Your measurements take over as you enter them.

Instrument profile

Scale length (mm)Applies to every string.Choose a suggested length or enter your own.

Reference specs

Where every setup starts

Stock specs by instrument. Pick yours — your measurements take over from there.

Stock specs stand in until you replace them, and the results say which is which.

Manufacturer mass data

Published unit mass is used when a string matches. Axial stiffness is estimated from construction unless you enter a measured value.

Neutral fret for unequal string lengths

Used only when string lengths differ; the nut, frets, and saddle fan around this perpendicular fret.

06Review compensation and verify intonationUse the nut and saddle pattern, then verify the real instrument.

The calculated pattern is a starting cut reference. Check each fretted string with a strobe tuner before making an irreversible cut.

View string-by-string compensation

Physical geometry

Nut to saddle

Action is the vertical clearance from fret top to string bottom.

Calculated result

String-by-string setup and intonation

Ready

String	Gauge	Length	Nut action @ fret 1	Open action @ fret 12	Nut comp.	Saddle comp.	Peak error	Tension source

Gore compensation is active. The open-string action profile uses the book's circle/ellipse/line geometry, calibrated by the entered action readings. Manufacturer unit weight is authoritative for open-string tension; axial stiffness remains a labelled estimate until measured stiffness data is supplied. Verify with a strobe and the actual instrument before cutting.

Calculated result

Predicted pitch error

Compare compensation for one string using the same setup.

String

Saddle onlyNut + saddle

Above zero: sharp. Below zero: flat. Shading marks frets beyond this instrument’s last fret.

Pitch error by fret
Fret	Saddle only (Cents)	Nut + saddle (Cents)

Advanced Gore model settings

Last fret in model Extra string length (mm)

These values define how much of the instrument is included in the deterministic optimizer.

Use this tool to turn the setup you measured into string-by-string nut height and compensation targets you can verify on the instrument.

The calculator keeps six setup decisions in order: string length, radius, relief, bridge action, nut action, and intonation. Each result stays tied to the physical string that produced it.

A setup can feel right and still pull selected fretted notes sharp. The calculation estimates how the measured string path changes tension, then shows where the nut and saddle witness points need to move.

Scale length for every physical string
String manufacturer, construction, and diameter
Simple, compound, or flat fingerboard radius
Relief and the fret where it was measured
Capoed action at fret 12 for the first and last strings
Open-string clearance above fret 1 for the first and last strings

Use the drawing as a starting cut pattern, then verify every string with a strobe tuner on the actual instrument before removing material.

Created by Rick Molloy. The bench workflow reflects practical feedback from Robbie O'Brien. Compensation mathematics follows the published Gore and Gilet method. Method authors: Trevor Gore and Gerard Gilet.

Guitar Setup Calculator

Six-step setup

Choose a starting setup

Courses and physical strings

Where every setup starts

Nut to saddle

String-by-string setup and intonation

Predicted pitch error

Guitar Setup Calculator