Intonaton problem

[Jazz Rock]

As some of you might already know, I did my first set up on my LP Studio a few weeks ago.

After giving a wee bit more relief to the neck and lowering the bridge, I find myself having troubles to set the intonations. I tried 3 times since I stopped tweaking things, but each time I am checking, some strings are out of tune again between the open and 12th fret.

I appreciate that it is a sensible manipulation, but why does it seems to disrupt itself? Could you give me some advice?

 

[MattPete]

Re: Intonaton problem

it might be that your nut slots are too high. This should be especially evident around the 1st fret (it will be sharp), and diminishes by the time you get to the 12th fret. The jist of it is that the higher the nut, the farther the string has to stretch to fret it, and this effect is greatest the closer you get to the nut.

 

[big_black]

Re: Intonaton problem

Strings properly stretched?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Intonaton problem

Check my post on Rainmaker's Intonation thread in The Vault. It takes you step by step through intonation.

 

[Jazz Rock]

Re: Intonaton problem

Thank you for the piece of advice guys.

I am getting around it now, the string that was slightly off yesterday was the G, but the others were A-Ok.

And you are right MattPete, I checked as you said and most of the string aren't in tune at the first frets.
But I don't really want to mess with this and if I have to pay tech to do it, it will have to wait a bit...

Cheers

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Intonaton problem

If you've got a reasonable amount of skill in working on small projects, simple fold a piece of gray sandpaper by creasing it the same approx diameter as the string, and run it through the slots. If you just lower the slots a bit by hand, and make sure to retain the nice break point on the nut, you can do it in half an hour.

On the low strings, I sometimes wrap the sandpaper around a small piece of guitar string, and use that as a sort of file. I really need to get a set of files, but I've done a perfect job on a few of my guitars using the folded sandpaper trick.

 

[Jazz Rock]

Re: Intonaton problem

If you've got a reasonable amount of skill in working on small projects, simple fold a piece of gray sandpaper by creasing it the same approx diameter as the string, and run it through the slots. If you just lower the slots a bit by hand, and make sure to retain the nice break point on the nut, you can do it in half an hour.

On the low strings, I sometimes wrap the sandpaper around a small piece of guitar string, and use that as a sort of file. I really need to get a set of files, but I've done a perfect job on a few of my guitars using the folded sandpaper trick.

I just come back from a local DIY shop and there pletor of sand paper thinkness and different make up. I guess I will need something quite smooth.

Can you tell mewhat kind of sand paper you've been using?

Edit: PS: A really nice avatar you got here Gearjoneser

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Intonaton problem

If your action is correct and the relief is reasonable you're on the right track. I always intonate my bridges to the 12th fret fretted and not the 12th fret harmonic.

What many people don't realize is that the guitar will be a little sharp or flat depending on the fret being used. There are compensated nuts and different tuning systems that claim to remove much of the problem but I've found that a proper set-up will get you close enough that you won't hear the slight +/- up and down the neck.

It doesn't matter so much what the needle on the tuner indicates as you fret each area of the neck as much as it does how the guitar sounds as a whole. If you hear the guitar being "out" as you play up and down the neck, the bridge is probably still in need of adjustment.