Intonation which ways which
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Zerberus
Baron Von Shred
Re: Intonation which ways which
If the fretted note is higher than the harmonic, then lengthen as stated. Conversely, if the fretted note is lower, shorten the string.
Make sure ALL other settings (Relief, String height, any nut adjustments, sting spacing if applicable) are done before you start, though. Otherwise you´ll have to redo it all once you change something else
:bigok:7th Hell said:
If the fretted note is higher than the harmonic, then lengthen as stated. Conversely, if the fretted note is lower, shorten the string.
Make sure ALL other settings (Relief, String height, any nut adjustments, sting spacing if applicable) are done before you start, though. Otherwise you´ll have to redo it all once you change something else
LesStrat
Reining PunLowered
Re: Intonation which ways which
Yeah, it's a slow, tedious process that requires patience. As Zerb said, you have to check everything when you make an adjustment to one.
When I made that last mods to LesStrat last year, one of the saddles when out of whack somehow. The bizarre thing was, I had to make some major adjustments to get it to where I could correct the problem. I didn't notice the saddle being out of place initially; I kept adjusting and adjusting and it didn't get better. But when I noticed it was out of whack, I put it back relatively even with the others and started over. Then I was able to fix it (and I was about ready to give up and sell it).
Again, patience is the key. Work slowly with minor adjustments, and double check the other strings as you get one correct. Then double check the one you're adjusting. Then...well, you get the picture.
Yeah, it's a slow, tedious process that requires patience. As Zerb said, you have to check everything when you make an adjustment to one.
When I made that last mods to LesStrat last year, one of the saddles when out of whack somehow. The bizarre thing was, I had to make some major adjustments to get it to where I could correct the problem. I didn't notice the saddle being out of place initially; I kept adjusting and adjusting and it didn't get better. But when I noticed it was out of whack, I put it back relatively even with the others and started over. Then I was able to fix it (and I was about ready to give up and sell it).
Again, patience is the key. Work slowly with minor adjustments, and double check the other strings as you get one correct. Then double check the one you're adjusting. Then...well, you get the picture.
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Intonation which ways which
Don't be satisfied with the open note and fretted 12th fret being equal. If you want a guitar that sounds perfect, plug into a digital tuner and make sure that every fretted note from the 10th fret up to the 19th fret reads DEAD CENTER on the tuner. In between all saddle adjustments, retune all 6 open strings. It sometimes takes awhile, but if your action is set nicely, and the truss rod is adjusted so the neck is almost perfectly straight, then the intonation is set to perfection on all notes on the fretboard, your guitar won't go out of tune, and all your chords will ring beautifully.
Don't be satisfied with the open note and fretted 12th fret being equal. If you want a guitar that sounds perfect, plug into a digital tuner and make sure that every fretted note from the 10th fret up to the 19th fret reads DEAD CENTER on the tuner. In between all saddle adjustments, retune all 6 open strings. It sometimes takes awhile, but if your action is set nicely, and the truss rod is adjusted so the neck is almost perfectly straight, then the intonation is set to perfection on all notes on the fretboard, your guitar won't go out of tune, and all your chords will ring beautifully.
R
RACER X
Guest
Re: Intonation which ways which
Hey hey, Zerb's the man.
Hey hey, Zerb's the man.
OffTheWallPaul
New member
Re: Intonation which ways which
Intonation for fretted instuments is very complicated. Perfect intonation is impossible. To get the best possible adjustment you should have a luthier do it.
I've done a little of it myself, and have found some good reading on the subject. Here are a couple of quotes:
. . . the act of fretting the string bends its pitch sharp, to a degree determined by the gauge and material of the string, action height, scale length and open-string pitch. To compensate for this sharpening, the saddle is moved away from the nut, which lengthens the string to make it sound flatter. Since so many factors affect how sharp the string goes when fretted, there is no standard amount of compensation which works for every guitar.
Consider the nut, or open-string pitches. We compensate for the sharpening of pitch due to stretching the strings down to the frets, but the strings aren't being stretched when played open. Therefore, the "zero fret" position is being compensated for a sharpening that isn't occurring, making the open strings flat relative to the rest of the frets. But what does this mean when we tune the guitar by tuning the open strings and intonate the saddle from there?
For details see: http://www.doolinguitars.com/intonation/intonation4.html
Intonation for fretted instuments is very complicated. Perfect intonation is impossible. To get the best possible adjustment you should have a luthier do it.
I've done a little of it myself, and have found some good reading on the subject. Here are a couple of quotes:
. . . the act of fretting the string bends its pitch sharp, to a degree determined by the gauge and material of the string, action height, scale length and open-string pitch. To compensate for this sharpening, the saddle is moved away from the nut, which lengthens the string to make it sound flatter. Since so many factors affect how sharp the string goes when fretted, there is no standard amount of compensation which works for every guitar.
Consider the nut, or open-string pitches. We compensate for the sharpening of pitch due to stretching the strings down to the frets, but the strings aren't being stretched when played open. Therefore, the "zero fret" position is being compensated for a sharpening that isn't occurring, making the open strings flat relative to the rest of the frets. But what does this mean when we tune the guitar by tuning the open strings and intonate the saddle from there?
For details see: http://www.doolinguitars.com/intonation/intonation4.html
TwilightOdyssey
Darkness on the edge of Tone
Re: Intonation which ways which
Well, this is all very interesting, indeed ...
Well, this is all very interesting, indeed ...
texasguitarslinger
Mo Cow Bellologist
Re: Intonation which ways which
I tune standard open then adjust saddles for the 12th. It really simple and effective plus if you tune to the harmonic you're not accounting for string bend when fretting a note. Admittedly, my action is just a hair off of the fretboard so I'm not sure to what degree the bend would cause.
I tune standard open then adjust saddles for the 12th. It really simple and effective plus if you tune to the harmonic you're not accounting for string bend when fretting a note. Admittedly, my action is just a hair off of the fretboard so I'm not sure to what degree the bend would cause.
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Intonation which ways which
And don't forget. If you use alternate tunings, while intonated for concert pitch, your alternate tuning will always be a little sour. Just intonate one guitar for your alternate tuning, so it's chords always sound 'right on.'
And don't forget. If you use alternate tunings, while intonated for concert pitch, your alternate tuning will always be a little sour. Just intonate one guitar for your alternate tuning, so it's chords always sound 'right on.'
