Need help with intonation problem

[Spectrum90]

A little back story so you get all the details. I have a 1990 Charvel Spectrum, just recently replaced the licensed schaller floyd rose with a pro model directly from floyd rose. I did this mainly because most of the saddle mounts where stripped. After installing it and not being able to obtain proper intonation I broke down and took it to a technician. He smoothed out the frets and set up intonation as well as replacing the selector switch. Now when I got it back I seems there is one problem neither he or I could solve. The G string is sharp. No matter how far back you move the saddle it is impossible to intonate.
Here is where my question comes in. What if anything can I adjust to fix this? Is it a nut problem? Its not the neck I'm sure. It's so damn frustrating. If I play an A major on the 5th fret and it's in tune, then I play a d major on the 5th fret the g string is sharp.
Please any help is appreciated Ive pulled out to much hair overt this guitar and I want it to work so bad, it is the style and sound I want but it's almost unplayable the way it is now

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

What gauge string are you currently using for G? Depending on your string gauge you could try a wound g-string to see if it will intonnate better than a plain string.

 

[Spectrum90]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

What gauge string are you currently using for G? Depending on your string gauge you could try a wound g-string to see if it will intonnate better than a plain string.

I tried this it helped a little bit the problem was still there. Plus trying to bend that sucker on like the 2nd fret is so hard. I feel like the nut needs adjustment I'm just not sure how to go about it besides filing and sanding it down

Edit: sorry I'm using fender bullets .10 -.46 I believe

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

damn, i have one of those too. I have heard of people having intonation problems with tremolo swaps. compare the saddles with the old unit and see if perhaps they had more room to move back.




Hey look how far back my saddles are. I was almost in the same boat. I can imagine how changing to the pro would tip it over the edge .

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

A sharp G string is a common problem on just about any guitar. I noticed that problem about 50 years ago and started experimenting with compensated nuts. An easy fix would be to put a small piece of bone nut (or other material of your choosing), about 1/8" thick under the G string next to the nut (file it for proper string height) and tune it open and see if that helps the intonation. If it does, put a drop of superglue under it to hold it securely in place.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

How old are your strings?

 

[Spectrum90]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

First. Thanks for your response. I had a feeling it was something to do with the nut and I was also looking at compensation nuts specifically for Floyd Rose. I will give the bone nut a try. Just to clarify since you said behind the nut you mean inside the string groove correct?

 

[Spectrum90]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

How old are your strings?

Brand new

 

[Spectrum90]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

damn, i have one of those too. I have heard of people having intonation problems with tremolo swaps. compare the saddles with the old unit and see if perhaps they had more room to move back.




Hey look how far back my saddles are. I was almost in the same boat. I can imagine how changing to the pro would tip it over the edge .

Sick guitar man. I'll take some pics and post mine I got the seafood green

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

HAha seafood green. I can't wait. If it has a maple fretboard i am going to poo my pants in excitement.

 

[Spectrum90]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

HAha seafood green. I can't wait. If it has a maple fretboard i am going to poo my pants in excitement.

Lol auto correct gots me laughing. Sadly it's rosewood like yours. But if you got $700 there is one on ebay right now with the maple in seafoam green loaded with Texas specials

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

Lol auto correct gots me laughing. Sadly it's rosewood like yours. But if you got $700 there is one on ebay right now with the maple in seafoam green loaded with Texas specials

The rosewood is great but there's just something about the maple ones which tick the boxes just a bit more. Mine has been modded as you can tell to HSS, Has yours still got the preamp thingy they came with?

 

[Spectrum90]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

Nah whoever had it before me ripped it put and put a fender lace sensor on the bridge. I'll probably replace them all with seymore duncan singlecoil stacks. I noticed how odd your saddles positions are. The tech who set mine up has them in a very standard position. LooKS like the bridge on most acoustics

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

You need to post a picture.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

Just to clarify since you said behind the nut you mean inside the string groove correct?

Actually, I said "next to the nut", meaning on the front surface of the nut...between the nut and the bridge. It won't do any good behind the nut.

Just to quickly and cheaply try it out first to see how it will work (and to see exactly how wide the final nut extension should be), put a piece of a toothpick under the G string next to the nut (don't worry about adjusting it for height at this point, and you can move it further away from the nut as required for best intonation). Tune your guitar as usual (open) and check intonation. If it's in tune open, but sharp at the 5th-9th frets, move the toothpick further away from the nut and retune open strings. Then check intonation again.

If you find that you get best intonation with the toothpick at, say, 1/4" from the nut, then make your little bone extension 1/4" wide, glue it in place, and file the string groove to desired height.

Heck, I've got an acoustic guitar that's had the original toothpick at the nut for the past 50 years because it worked so good.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

Gonna be "that guy" and ask: Is the G going out when chording or are all the others going out instead?

Are you sure you're fretting chords with even pressure, and not pushing the G sharp?

Also, you may try to shim the neck, but at the edge of the heel, not under it, to push the neck slightly forward. This should give you the extra room you need for the G saddle, and still leave plenty of adjustment range for the others.

 

[Spectrum90]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

Gonna be "that guy" and ask: Is the G going out when chording or are all the others going out instead?

Are you sure you're fretting chords with even pressure, and not pushing the G sharp?

Also, you may try to shim the neck, but at the edge of the heel, not under it, to push the neck slightly forward. This should give you the extra room you need for the G saddle, and still leave plenty of adjustment range for the others.

There is no way I'm pushing it sharp I have already had that dillusional thought and there is just no way. The amount of pressure I have to place to make it that sharp is unreasonable. Is there something I wrote that makes people think I'm a begginer? Someone else suggested I change the strings I'm trying to be nice here but I want intelligent responses otherwise I'm wasting my time reading things of that nature. I'll look into shimming although I think it had something to do with the nut

EDIT: I gotta throw this out there I'm not trying to be an *******, it's just that I paid a tech $280 for a fret level and intonation and he gave it back to me and said "it's perfect" when I play it and it sounds exactly the same I wanna pull my hair out. It's the most frustrating thing I've ever come across and I dont know what to do. Idk if the guy is just ****ing with me and did a half ass job or what. The thing is it took him 1.5 months just to do that and I fear if I bring it back to have it done right he will get pissed cause I'm questioning his work and will just let it sit in his office for another month. It's a small town and the people he personally know get priority over anyone else. Sometimes I just wanna give up but then I pickup that guitar and it sounds so good I just want it to be in tune.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

Unless you can physically move the nut slot then i don't see how that's going to help.

Some pictures would help just for personally.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Need help with intonation problem

Isn't this problem one of the reasons for the invention of the compensated nut?

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[Spectrum90]

Re: Need help with intonation problem





Here lol. These are right after I installed the floyd rose. So this is pre intonation