FretGuru 2 Fret Ruler Stainless Steel Precision String Action Gauge

I am a bass player moving over to guitar, and I'm lucky enough to have a few Gibsons, vintage Fenders and Hamers, and a few Rickenbackers. But I'm not a guitar geek -- I just have poor impulse control. I did come to realize, though, that the instruments really were only as good as their setup, and that I sure don't have the talent to overcome a poor setup. And I can't rely on others to have the time to do setup work when I need it. So I've slowly been teaching myself. And in doing so, I was appalled at some of the imprecise methods, and makeshift tools, that people online (and in a couple'a books) were recommending. So, after a lot of research, I settled on the Fret Guru. Before I could buy mine, though, FretGuru introduced the FretGuru2. This thing is incredible. It's a finely machined dream, with useful measurement after measurement. The no brainers are: (1) the string height measurements [in 100ths of an inch, or 10/1000" increments]. Bridge and, if necessary, truss-rod adjustments are a breeze after determining string height. The FretGuru2 allows a user to easily read string height precisely - the measuring lines are fine, but in sharp gold/white on black relief that can be seen by candlelight -- and I've had to do just that; (2) fret height measurement, in 5/1000" increments. The slotting of each gauged measurement allows you to easily measure the lowest area of fret wear on any given fret, and to actually see spots where differing strings sizes and attacks have unevenly ground down the fret. If the frets are not too badly worn, they can be leveled and easily measured throughout the process -- and if they're toast, you'll quickly see; and (3) nut slot depth. This measurement was key to me -- I found that the nut on an older Rick 4001 was down far enough to effectively preclude clean fretting an intonation. And the fretguru2 made it a breeze to see the nut-slot depth in relation to the first fret. I've mentioned the obvious ones that will be used constantly, but I should also mention that there are super-fine rulers, in both metric and English measurement, and a ready conversion chart as well. Because this is so precise, so intuitive, and SO EASY to READ, I've given it a five -- I can't see flaws, and the quality (in an easy-to-manage size) is outstanding. Christmas gifts for my other idiot guitar and bass nuts. . . .

Below I’m going to review the product but also shed some light on the creator of this product. The overall score is a reflection of the product itself and not the creator because these are product reviews, not seller reviews, but it’s worth talking about both. About the product itself: This tool is fantastic for everyone from weekend warrior string instrument players to luthiers. Primarily this is a string height measurement tool, everything is kinda plays second fiddle, however, I imagine these secondary gauges will be really useful when the time is right. It’s nice that the creator maximized its usefulness. As far as accuracy is concerned it’s dead-on from what I can tell, I tested with a very high precision caliper. In the past for set up I used this same caliper but I found it annoying because getting precise measurements is an exercise in patience. For maximum accuracy I would use my very expensive caliper to measure the string width, then I would measure from the top of a fret to the top of the string using the depth gauge and then subtract the string width, I would do this three times and then average the results. I didn’t like measuring from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string because it’s hard (for me anyway) to do this precisely. We’re talking thousandths of an inch and it was difficult for me to tell if I was too low or too high using this method. I have also used feeler gauges in the past, but these are very one-dimensional and there was never a feeler gauge that was quite right, so I would stack them together, but I never felt confident. I do like that all markings are laser etched and not printed. I work on bicycles as well and I have some tools with printed markings which have faded over time, I’m confident that this tool will last me a very long period without rubbing or fading. There are only a couple notable (though minor) nitpicks. First, it really is expensive for what it is. You can find very similar tools for less than $10. I’m a big supporter in local economies and I trust that the FretGuru is near 100% accurate, so I went with this tool over saving cash and buying something made in China. In the end I knew what I was buying and paying for, so I can’t knock it down. Second, the tool is very busy with markings. “FretGuru 2” is etched in a large font and and there are five arrows with descriptions etched as well. These arrows/descriptions are only useful once, after which they don’t have any use and only clutter things up. I would prefer a small instruction pamphlet describing each tool because knowing what the gauges are for is easy after learn it the first time. I really like cleanliness and minimalism, but in the grand scheme this is pretty much a non-issue. Finally, I really wish I could choose an option that had markings measured in metric. There is a handy conversion chart on the back, but I would prefer metric markings over flipping it back and forth for conversions, that being said this is another small nitpick. About the creator: It really rubbed me the wrong way when I learned that Bernie basically bribed people for positive reviews. Apparently he offered the leather case if the customer gave a positive review. The product should speak for itself. Thankfully this seems to be an issue from the past because a leather case was included with mine and my tool didn’t come with a piece of paper trying to bribe me into leaving positive feedback. I learned about this issue after ordering and I was prepared to return this item if I received it along with a piece of paper trying to persuade me into leaving a positive review because that goes against my morals. Thankfully this is no longer an issue. Also, Bernie comes across as a bit too impassioned in his responses to low rated reviews. He tends to respond verbosely with heaps of sarcasm when paying customers have complaints. I like his passion for this product, but you have to take these complaints in stride, not yell at your customers telling them that they are wrong. This will only put potential future customers off, had I read these reviews and responses before purchasing this product then I probably would have looked elsewhere. Finally, this product is a bit oversold by Bernie. I get that he is impassioned but he acts like this tool is the second coming. Yes it’s accurate, yes it’s useful, but he treats this as the be-all and end-all of gauges for guitar/bass setup. Yes this tool will help you achieve good results, but so will many other tools. We have been setting up guitars/basses successfully long before this existed, so it’s not as revolutionary as Bernie might lead you to believe. That being said, he is trying to run a business and make money (aren’t we all?) so overselling your product(s) is to be expected, Bernie just goes a bit too far. Conclusion: There are many great features here and it’s a fantastic tool. It’s not perfect in every way possible (what is?) but it will help amateurs and pros alike achieve optimal results. The creator can come across as overbearing, but he is passionate about his product which I suppose is a good thing overall. I do highly recommend this product, especially if you are like myself and want to support local economies, but like everything else in this world it’s not completely without flaws. Thank you Bernie for creating this! I wish you continued success!

This little FretGuru is a cherished part of my world that lives on the desk of my beautiful guitar studio. Always ready, never lets me down and allows me to dial-in the perfect action that I strive to maintain on my many guitars. In my opinion this is a perfect product and if you buy one it might be the best 25 bucks you'll ever spent on your love for guitars. I have owned and used mine for more years than I can remember. It's still sitting right here in front of me, ready to go.

First off - I don't care how many other gauges like this you have; buy this one and throw the rest of them away. No B.S. There are 400+ reviews here for this thing, but I'm putting my 2 cents in too, because I understand what kind of work went into the design and production of this thing. The edges are honed by HAND, and they ARE SMOOTH. The corners are radiused. You won't find that on any other gauge. The action height scales are dead on accurate, and you get a 64ths as well as a thousandths scale. The fret height notches are really useful; as is the nut slot height function. The latter took a little explaining for me to understand how to use, but the seller sent me a DETAILED e-mail explaining exactly how to use it. Crazy good customer support for a $27 item! The markings are laser etched and, being light on black are very easy to read. You couldn't ask for a nicer, more well thought out and useful tool! AND, you'll want to take it with you to guitar shows, or any place you might look at a used guitar. You can quickly check the guitar for action height, fret wear and string height off the deck in front of the bridge on an acoustic (so you can assess neck angle too). Can't beat this thing. Must have for any luthier, and a should have for any player. Get the leather case too - it's nice and well worth the price to protect you very fine gauge!

I have been doing setups for guitars and basses for going on a little over ten years now and I have used my trusty Stew Mac string-height gauge for the entire duration. The Stew Mac version is fine. In fact, it's great. It's very accurate, it's easy to read and I have no qualms whatsoever with Stew Mac's version of this tool. My personal gauge has served me well over the years and we've been through many setups together. But to be honest my Stew Mac gauge is showing it's age and I was wanting to get a new gauge as a backup. After constantly seeing the Fret Guru version of the tool recommended to me by Amazon's algorithm, I finally relented. I bought one and placed it my tool chest for future use. This weekend I finally had a chance to use the Fret Guru string-height gauge and I was impressed. Very impressed. To me, the Fret Guru string-height gauge is just a little bit better than Stew Mac's. It seems to offer more measuring options overall and I got a nice leather case for protection. I like the fret depth tool that they have included. I like that it's black. For me, it makes everything easier to read. That's my own personal opinion. If you are on the fence about which gauge to go with, let me recommend this particular version. If you already have a Stew Mac gauge and your a bit curious about a sufficient alternative, this is your jam. It's a great tool to have in your guitar tool arsenal.

Just received this today. Very nicely made. It was a big help in setting up my PRS S2. Beats the heck out of trying to use automotive feeler gauges to set my string height. I’d buy it again. Nice, useful tool that didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

I'm a soon to be first time luthier working toward my first build by completing some fretting and setup workshops and looking at others. I'm assembling my tools to build and maintain my guitars and looking to save wherever I can, which is why I decided to go with this nice gadget. It combines a number of tools in one to save some cash Unfortunately, I got it just after my course ended, so I'm not able to compare the accuracy of each feature to those in the guitar shop (and it's 3 hours drive there so I'm not driving down just to test it), but here is what I can say.... I the course, we used the black on silver stew mac action gauges. The inverted colors on this one make it much easier to read so I definitely recommend the black version. I setup the action on my guitars on the last day of the course and this seems to read pretty close to what I recall setting each string to (on all three guitars). As part of my tool gathering, I saw a local deal, took a chance, and picked up an off brand set of digital calipers for <$10 (was otherwise going with the igaging calipers due to the amazon reviews and $25 price). I'm still awaiting my feeler gauges (order on hold) to fully test them out, but they seem to do well against the other expensive calipers at the course and Bernie replied that the fret guru is roughly .020 in thick (varies by finish). Using the calipers, mine is .021 in, so I'd say pretty accurate on the calipers and consistency of the fret guru thickness. I'm new to using calipers, seemed after a few attempts that the best way to assess the fret guru was to lay them over the gauge in a parallel plane. When going this and selecting a few random intervals along the ruler edge of the fret guru, I'm getting within .001 inches to his measurements. This is more difficult to do on the string action gauge because the numbers are so small and it's hard not to tilt at the bottom edge, but again, they appear very accurate when I measure to the best of my ability (varies between within .0015 and.0005 inches, and I'm thinking the difference on the higher margin of error is due to my using the calipers or the calipers themselves) Onto the fret height gauge. Very handy. Randomly selected 4 notches to assess with the depth gauge on my calipers and all were dead on or 0.0005 in off (and with the calipers, for whatever reason, when it is .0005 in off, I can lock it and turn the caliper and it will adjust the measurement to round up/down by that .0005, always towards the measurement on the fret guru, even though the caliper position hasn't changed. So my guess is it's really even, or closer to .00025 in). I'm not sure quite how to measure the nut slot height gauge with the calipers. Bernie said in a response that it had to be more than .008 and less than .0095 in and that's exactly the measurement I range I'm getting wen I measure the thickness and subtract from the overall thickness (not sure if that's how to correctly measure, and it's hard to hold the calipers steady on that small area, making the range of measurements a little wider due to error on my part.) The last major feature to me is the fret rocker. This is the only reason I haven't yet given it 5 stars (and that may change once I get a chance to practice with it). I tested on a PRS SE, 25 inch scale, 22 frets. Moving from the low end to the high end, it's perfectly fine up through the point that it spans frets 15-17. A soon as I move up from there, it spans 4 frets and then 5 frets on the smallest end (where as most rockers have a smaller end that works fine at the highest point of the neck). At the fretting course I took, they instructed that it should only span 3 frets or you might miss when one is uneven. When emailing the seller, Bernie reported that it's still fairly easy to tell which fret is the fulcrum, even when spanning 4-5 frets. I'm comfortable with the 3 fret method and know that it works, will withhold judgment until I get to test it out myself (will be a few months) - so I'm going to rely on my instructors wisdom and ding a star off for now (if it doesn't work, I will still have to buy a rocker), but may very well add it back later if I find myself comfortable with this method. In the meantime, I encourage others to post in response on the rocker feature when spanning 4-5 frets to help others make their judgments on purchasing. Other notes: - after purchase, I noted shipping was slightly cheaper on ebay, price the same. - price was notably cheaper from the fret guru site itself, even with shipping.

This item arrived WAY ahead of its scheduled time. it is very precise and accurate, if you have OCD like I have this is a must get as others are always marginally off by 5-15% in most cases.. I tested out its fret rocker use and found that when the rest of my tools arrive I will be a little busy with a few of my guitars. only down sides are it is a little thin and worries me that its going to bend or warp, so will have to remain in my luthiers kit, and it's printing is very small and not easily read by my less then perfect eyes. have a small flashlight on hand to help you with reading it as well. I have friends with the cheaper alternative he's already tried "borrowing" mine, I told him to get his own and he is on his next check lol. Pros: by far the most accurate and precision made tool of its kind. its varied side lengths allow you to save a bit on buying an extra fret rocker. high contrast printing is easily read by most people with good vision (natural or corrected) Cons: it is pricey. it is very thin (not flimsy but not a tool to be abused) the only changes I would make (hopefully they see this and take note for guru 3) would be slightly larger print on the numbers and make it thicker, I would be a little nervous carrying this in my wallet. they make it 2 or 3 times ticker it would be perfect. if they make those changes at this price point I would definitely get another as a pocket/stage kit ready one and leave this new one in the tool kit. I left it at 5 stars 'cause it definitely does as advertised, just take care of it!

I used the gauge to measure the action on my Eastman guitar at I suspected it to be too low (some buzzing at the treble E can be heard at the 11th fret) and it confirmed that it's .2 and .4 mm too low at the treble and bass string, respectively, compared to factory specs for my guitar model. I recommend this gauge for it's accuracy and ease of use.

Not as good as it sounds

Just received my FretGuru 2 string Action Gauge and i'm loving it. Very well made and accurate. Really good stuff. i see myself using this all the time. I also got the FretGuru Fret Crowning File, haven't used it yet but i'm sure it'll be Great! Fantastic tools guys! Hope to get more stuff from you guys... Cheers! Leonard

The item is as cool as described, the only thing I want to highlight to everyone is - ensure that you choose a correct version of the tool, as I was sure that getting metric one, but now I learn how to read inches. It’s not a merchant issue, but important to note.

J'ai reçu ma jauge aujourd'hui et l'ai immédiatement essayée sur ma nouvelle Fender Jaguar. Elle est impeccable et comme souvent les mesures sont en Anglais dans les specs c'est d'autant mieux, surtout avec les équivalents millimétriques. Bref très bon produit à mon avis, même si c'est un peu cher mais quand on aime on ne compte pas n'est ce pas ?