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Posted by: Ctodd Jan 26 2009, 04:02 PM

Hey GMC

How bad does your guitar's intonation have to be in order for you (this is intended to be a personal question) to get it fixed. Right now, my guitar tuner tells me that the notes on the 12th fret are a little sharp, and, with my developing ear, I think I am beginning to hear the difference. I've adjustable saddles (Mexican Strat) and I have already done everything I can to adjust this. I have moved the saddles as far away from the neck as possible, but on some strings its still out of tune. It's not too bad, but I wasn't sure if this will stunt my ear training.

most strings are relatively close, the the low-E string is certainly a little off, and for the record I am playing on the frets as lightly as possible, so no chance of "artificially" raising the pitch.

here are some pics too, first one is the open Low-E string, second is the 12th fret. the second one registers a little higher than that when first struck, but I am not quick enough to get the screenshot

thanks!

-Chris

 Low_e_12th_fret.bmp ( 2.59MB ) : 188

Posted by: Velvet Roger Jan 26 2009, 04:15 PM

Did you try to do this with new strings? If not, please try that, as it certainly makes a difference.

Posted by: Ctodd Jan 26 2009, 04:19 PM

Come to think of it, it has been awhile since I last changed them. I'll get back to you on that one, I need to go to class now.

Thanks for the advice.

-Chris

Posted by: Tolek Jan 26 2009, 04:20 PM

Maybe your guitar is a bit old and so the neck is curved... This harms the intonation a little.

Posted by: Muris Varajic Jan 26 2009, 04:42 PM

Strings or neck but I put my bet on strings.

Posted by: Ctodd Jan 26 2009, 08:04 PM

Just changed them, and I even broke them in a little, but I still get the same problem

How much does it typically cost to get an adjustment?

Is there anything else I can do?

Posted by: Smells Jan 26 2009, 08:14 PM

QUOTE (Ctodd @ Jan 26 2009, 07:04 PM)

Just changed them, and I even broke them in a little, but I still get the same problem

How much does it typically cost to get an adjustment?

Is there anything else I can do?

Posted by: berko Jan 26 2009, 08:22 PM

Maybe, as Tolek said, it's the neck that got a little curve. You can check this if you lift up the guitar, hold it horizontally and look along the neck from behind the bridge. Check it if it's straight. If it does have a little curve in it, you can try adjusting the truss rod gently. Maybe you could do this with a professional (if so, check the whole guitar for a proper set up, maybe you left out something that causes the bad intonation...)

To adjust the truss rod btw, all you need to do is place the guitar in you lap (bass strings towards you) and turn the allen wrench towards yourself. This is to straighten out the little "valley" in the neck which can cause bad intonation.

Before checking the truss rod, does this sharpness only occur at the 12th fret? Or does the pitch vary slightly at different frets on different strings? Make sure you check this thoroughly

Oh, and btw gearbox tuner is not that precise. And many guitars are badly fretted so sometimes all you can do is apply heavy vibrato to compensate this.

Ok, do some research if needed at your local store and send feedback what you've managed to do

cheers

Posted by: Ctodd Jan 26 2009, 08:32 PM

QUOTE (Smells @ Jan 26 2009, 02:14 PM)

Depending on what type of bridge you have on your guitar its a pretty easy job to do yourself.

If your sharp when fretting lightly at the 12th fret then you need to move the saddle further away, effectivly making the overall string length longer, just do it in very small steps, some bridges are less hassle than others to do yourself


if these dont help then just google for intonation set up, its easy

QUOTE (berko @ Jan 26 2009, 02:22 PM)

Maybe, as Tolek said, it's the neck that got a little curve. You can check this if you lift up the guitar, hold it horizontally and look along the neck from behind the bridge. Check it if it's straight. If it does have a little curve in it, you can try adjusting the truss rod gently. Maybe you could do this with a professional (if so, check the whole guitar for a proper set up, maybe you left out something that causes the bad intonation...)

To adjust the truss rod btw, all you need to do is place the guitar in you lap (bass strings towards you) and turn the allen wrench towards yourself. This is to straighten out the little "valley" in the neck which can cause bad intonation.

Before checking the truss rod, does this sharpness only occur at the 12th fret? Or does the pitch vary slightly at different frets on different strings? Make sure you check this thoroughly

Oh, and btw gearbox tuner is not that precise. And many guitars are badly fretted so sometimes all you can do is apply heavy vibrato to compensate this.

Ok, do some research if needed at your local store and send feedback what you've managed to do

cheers

Posted by: berko Jan 26 2009, 08:36 PM

QUOTE (Ctodd @ Jan 26 2009, 08:32 PM)

Thanks Berko, I will try this. And yes, the sharpness is consistent all over the neck. Though more so on higher frets then lower, It gets worse and worse as you go down the neck.

Though I have been told that you shouldn't mess around with the truss rod too much. I'll be sure to only turn it a little.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jan 26 2009, 11:24 PM

Gotta change the strings, put new set and try again. Old strings will have intonation problems, it is quite common. Also use a better tuner if you can mate, Gearbox one is a bit unprecise for intonation setup.

Posted by: Ramiro Delforte Jan 27 2009, 06:29 AM

I always recommend the same books and videos about this but....it's because they're great

Books:
Dan Erlewine - Guitar Player Repair Guide
Martin Koch - Building Electric Guitars
Dennis Waring & David Raymond - Make Your Own Electric Guitar & Bass

Videos:
Dan Erlewine - Maintenance and Setup for Electric Guitars and Basses Vol 1 & 2

And...
You could:

-Change your strings
-Adjust the saddles
-Adjust the truss rod

In that order (although the saddles and the truss rod must be adjusted at the same time to get a perfect calibration).