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Guitar Intonation

Ctodd View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 04:02 PM
Jan 26 2009, 04:02 PM	GMC:er Posts: 493 Joined: 15-October 07 From: Pennsylvania	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 You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! This post has been edited by Ctodd: Jan 26 2009, 04:03 PM Attached image(s) Attached File(s) Low_e_12th_fret.bmp ( 2.59MB ) Number of downloads: 187 -------------------- QUOTE (Emir Hot @ Feb 5 2009, 03:41 AM) When you hear something that you really like, take guitar and kill the beast.

Velvet Roger View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 04:15 PM
Jan 26 2009, 04:15 PM	Learning Tone Seeker Posts: 2.093 Joined: 5-August 08 From: Amsterdam, The Netherlands	Did you try to do this with new strings? If not, please try that, as it certainly makes a difference. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- "Don't practice until you get it right. Practice until you can't get it wrong." Guitars & Amps Brian Moore DC-1 Custom Shop (Cherry Sunburst, mahogany/rosewood) Eric Johnson Signature Strat (2-tone Sunburst, alder/maple) Ibanez RG770 (Black, basswood/rosewood) Peerless Journeyman (solid spruce/maple) Sixt Bov-105C (Ovation-like acoustic) - Ibanez SGT-130 (Jumbo acoustic) London City VS-1 (Precision bass) - Baton Rouge U3S (Ukelele) Fender HotRod Deluxe 40W combo - Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue 5W combo - Marshall JCM 900 50W Hi-Gain combo Effects & Other stuff POD Studio UX2 audio interface - Edirol MA-15D monitors EH Double Muff - Fulltone GT-500 - Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet - Guitarsystems TrebleTool Junior - Guitarsystems FuzzTool Junior Korg Pitchblack Tuner - MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay - TC Electronics Nova Modulator - Morley Bad Horsie 2 Wah Shure SM58 - Roland PCR-500 midi controller/keyboard & Yamaha Clavinova CL-910 piano My Website My MySpace Page My YouTube Channel My Twitter Account My Band 'Gonzo!'

Ctodd View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 04:19 PM
Jan 26 2009, 04:19 PM	GMC:er Posts: 493 Joined: 15-October 07 From: Pennsylvania	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 You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- QUOTE (Emir Hot @ Feb 5 2009, 03:41 AM) When you hear something that you really like, take guitar and kill the beast.

Tolek View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 04:20 PM
Jan 26 2009, 04:20 PM	Learning Rock Star Posts: 2.888 Joined: 23-March 07 From: Brighton	Maybe your guitar is a bit old and so the neck is curved... This harms the intonation a little. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

Muris Varajic View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 04:42 PM
Jan 26 2009, 04:42 PM	Instructor Posts: 15.459 Joined: 22-June 07 From: Sarajevo,Bosnia	Strings or neck but I put my bet on strings. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- Youtube MySpace Website Album "Let It Out" on iTunes and CD Baby Check out my video lessons and instructor board! The Pianist tune is progress,check it out! "ok.. it is great.. :P have you myspace? Can i to personalize this for you guy?"

Ctodd View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 08:04 PM
Jan 26 2009, 08:04 PM	GMC:er Posts: 493 Joined: 15-October 07 From: Pennsylvania	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? You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- QUOTE (Emir Hot @ Feb 5 2009, 03:41 AM) When you hear something that you really like, take guitar and kill the beast.

Chris Evans View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 08:14 PM
Jan 26 2009, 08:14 PM	Learning Tone Guru - Community Coordinator & Moderator Posts: 6.319 Joined: 24-September 07 From: Sittingbourne, UK	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? 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 Heres a couple of guides for a FR trem type bridge go here you`ll have to read down a little on the part on Intonation setting http://www.floydrose.com/originaltremolo.html if you got a strat type bridge then have a look at this video http://www.ehow.com/video_4396417_bridge-i...trat-setup.html if these dont help then just google for intonation set up, its easy You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- Show us what part of the world you live in and get yourself ON THE GMC:er Location MAP

berko View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 08:22 PM
Jan 26 2009, 08:22 PM	GMC:er Posts: 1.771 Joined: 2-April 08 From: Budapest, Hungary	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 You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- High speed, low drag Check out my YouTube channel HERE! Here you can find my MYSPACE

Ctodd View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 08:32 PM
Jan 26 2009, 08:32 PM	GMC:er Posts: 493 Joined: 15-October 07 From: Pennsylvania	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 Yeah, I did all this. The problem is I can't adjust it any further! 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 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. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- QUOTE (Emir Hot @ Feb 5 2009, 03:41 AM) When you hear something that you really like, take guitar and kill the beast.

berko View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 08:36 PM
Jan 26 2009, 08:36 PM	GMC:er Posts: 1.771 Joined: 2-April 08 From: Budapest, Hungary	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. If it's sharp all around the neck then it's more than certain that it's the neck. You can only harm the neck with rod if you're screwing it like mad but otherwise it shouldn't be a problem So check if the neck's straight. And don't worry if you get a little fretbuzz afterwards cause if you got the neck straight back you should readjust the saddles and the action as well. First thing is always the neck. Hope this helped You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- High speed, low drag Check out my YouTube channel HERE! Here you can find my MYSPACE

Ivan Milenkovic View Member Profile	Jan 26 2009, 11:24 PM
Jan 26 2009, 11:24 PM	Instructor Posts: 25.396 Joined: 20-November 07 From: Belgrade, Serbia	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. You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- - Ivan's Video Chat Lesson Notes HERE - Check out my GMC Profile and Lessons - (Please subscribe to my) YouTube Official Channel - Let's be connected through ! Facebook! :)

Ramiro Delforte View Member Profile	Jan 27 2009, 06:29 AM
Jan 27 2009, 06:29 AM	Instructor Posts: 2.279 Joined: 4-August 08 From: Argentina, Buenos Aires	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). You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- Check out my Instructor Profile and Board LIVE VIDEO CHATS EVERY MONDAY AROUND 22PM (GMC HOUR)

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