Calculating Slant Bar Angles

Okay, this page is for collectors and geeks mostly, but it could be a useful tool if you're considering buying a steel guitar sight unseen and you're worried about how easy bar slants will be on the lower frets.

Introduction

Using the Slant Bar Calculator, you can determine how easy bar slants are on any steel guitar up and down the neck. It calculates the angle for a slant that spans adjacent strings and adjacent frets—for example the slant from string 2, fret 3 to string 1, fret 4. This is a difficult slant to do on the lower frets and therefore a good measure of slant difficulty.

The angle computed is the number of degrees the bar moves clockwise from straight bar position (see diagram). So 0° represents no slant at all and 75° would represent a severe slant angle. Note that severe slant angles can also cause the strings to buzz even if you've positioned the bar perfectly for the slant.

Calculator results show angles over a range of frets to give you an idea of "slantability" up and down the neck.

The calculator uses the following to determine the angles:

The number of strings
The scale length (the distance from the bridge to the nut)
The nut width (the distance between the top and bottom string at the nut)
The bridge width (distance between the top and bottom string at the bridge)

The Slant Angle Calculator

Evaluating Calculator Results

To evaluate the results of the above the script you need some sample steel guitars to compare the results to. The following table shows slant angle info for ten common models in order of increasing difficulty from the very easy bakelite Rickenbacher to the very difficult 1953 Fender Stringmaster, which not only has an ultra-long 26" scale but very narrow string spacing.

Rating

The rating number represents the fret below which slants will be difficult. So for steels with a 1 rating, slants will be doable at all frets. For Fenders with a 5 rating, slants below the 5th fret will be difficult. The system is based on my observation that slants of 73° or less are doable for most players.

Model	Fret 2	Fret 5	Fret 8	Fret 12	Fret 15	Fret 19	Fret 24	Rating
Rickenbacher Frypan-6	71.17°	67.56°	63.49°	57.43°	52.50°	45.67°	37.20°	1
Rick Electro-6	71.32°	67.72°	63.68°	57.65°	52.73°	45.90°	37.43°	1
Rick Electro-7	73.45°	69.75°	65.56°	59.29°	54.18°	47.05°	38.21°	3
Harmony MT Acous	74.54°	70.74°	66.45°	60.00°	54.74°	47.42°	38.37°	4
Weissenborn Style 1	74.65°	70.88°	66.60°	60.19°	54.94°	47.63°	38.58°	4
Fender DX-8 22.5"	74.15°	70.87°	67.13°	61.44°	56.70°	49.96°	41.30°	4
Rick T-8 25"	75.18°	71.94°	68.24°	62.59°	57.86°	51.09°	42.33°	5
Fender SM-8 24.5"	75.39°	72.33°	68.82°	63.44°	58.90°	52.34°	43.73°	5
Magnatone D-8 Jules	75.74°	72.67°	69.15°	63.73°	59.18°	52.57°	43.91°	5
Fender SM-8 26"	75.74°	72.84°	69.51°	64.37°	60.02°	53.65°	45.18°	5

Calculator Details

To use the calculator you enter the number of strings, the scale length, and the total string spacing at both the nut and bridge. Here are the details:

Units

When measuring spacing and scale you can use either inches or centimeters, but do not mix units. If you use inches, you'll have to convert fractions of an inch to a decimal. So, for example, a measurement of 4¾ inches must be entered as 4.75.

Scale

Measure the distance from the middle of the nut to the middle of the bridge. This will give more accurate readings in cases where the width of the bridge is significantly greater than the width of the nut. If the nut or bridge are a round surface, measure from the highest point.

Nut Width

With your ruler at the nut, measure the distance between centers of the top and bottom string.

Bridge Width

With your ruler at the bridge, measure the distance between centers of the top and bottom string.