Why can i intonate my guitar

This means some of your notes will be in tune, but must are going to be a bit sharp or flat to some extent due to the imperfect nature of it all. You can set intonation for wherever you tend to play the most on the neck.

By strategically making his open strings slightly out of tune, he made his fretted chords slightly more in-tune. Fun stuff. All this to combat the frustrating out-of-tuneness that is a common pitfall of instruments with fixed frets.

Thanx for the info! I found it to very informative. Twelfth feet noted verses harmonic continues. I have used both many times. Any suggestions? This is why fretless instruments exist: so the player can put their finger in the EXACT spot necessary to get perfect intonation on every note which takes years and years to master, btw.

The minute fixed frets are introduced into the equation, compromises have to be made with intonation. Just wanted to get that out of the way first. Nylon strings tend to lose their intonation quicker and more audibly than steel strings your mileage may vary depending on brand, material, tension, etc. This is a pretty delicate process, and not for amateurs. For all these reasons, I usually recommend people take their acoustic guitar—whether nylon-string or steel-string—to a pro to have the intonation adjusted.

This is just the nature of stringed instruments with fixed frets. I just have a question. Nylon Classical strings seem to be even worse in this regard, because when I was playing Classical, I remember it being the 1 reason we Classical guitarists changed strings.

So, intonation drift as I like to call it is one of the reasons any of us ever changes strings vs. As strings age, their tuning becomes less stable. Again, I noticed this much more when playing Classical, but steel string electric and acoustic strings exhibit the same behavior. All I know is that it has something to do with metal fatigue over time.

So, little defects in the windings, core wire, or both can cause intonation and tuning issues with strings. Now, as a 7-string and 8-string player, I totally sympathize with your low-B issue. On all my 7-string guitars, my low B saddle is way, way back. Along those lines…. Interesting article however mine seems to be just the opposite of the problem above.

I have a PRS 24 that I adore….. I was noticing it was time to change out my strings. I bought my usual gage and brand of strings. Installed them. Tuned it up using my tuner concert pitch….. So I took to doing adjustment….

Tune open and its perfect pitch set my intonation so my 24th frets ring as near to true as possible…. I decided after moving it back as far as was engineered into it. I took the saddle off the guitar and shortened the saddle on the front edge and the rear edge using a grinding wheel.

Replaced it on the guitar tuned it up and it still was too high. I then decided to check with a micrometer what the actual diameter of the string it was. I have been playing and building a long time but never had an issue like this. I may just do a new set to see if that changes it. Hi Kelly. You will probably never see my comment, but I wanted to give it a shot. Do you think the overall tension value of the entire set of strings on an acoustic can cause intonation issues, like the combined tension value of each string together?

I have noticed in my more advanced years lately that if I drop the tension on the top string of any acoustic guitar that it slightly affects the existing tuning of all the other strings again, overall tension changing the tuned status across all the strings , and that got me thinking about this with the Nashville tuning.

Hi Chris. This would include some filing of the bridge saddle to help correct intonation on each individual string. This will cause the other strings to go a little sharp just like if you pulled back on the headstock with your hand.

This will also affect intonation a little bit. These things are all interconnected. This is why I recommend that players have their guitar specifically set up for the brand and gauge of strings, and the tuning that they plan to use MOST of the time.

Any time you decide to drop tune or switch to an alternate tuning on-the-fly, you just have to accept the compromises that come with it. Such compromises include action that becomes too high or too low resulting in buzz , or intonation issues. The neck is made of wood, and it flexes based on string tension and even humidity though humidity takes longer to affect it. Just equip your guitars with a zero fret instead and be done with it.

No first few frets intonation problems, and not up the neck either. Remember, a nut has only to do with first fret intonation and open string, whatever happens after it, is just the frets. And frets distance to the bridge. As fast as you decide to go up or down a size in gauge, every nut compensation is thrown out the window and needed to be done again. With a zero fret you can have ANY gauge residing on top of that fret. No needto recut slots or yada yada.

Great blog, great article. And this is still so, even if all solutions you provided above has been thoroughly checked, and fixed. I have still several guitars where the low e-string finally intonates, but still its bridge saddle is at the furthest back it can go. It differs too much from all the others. So the nut is ruled out. Very impressed with the amount of real solutions for intonation problems here. Thanks for the complement Ryan! If this sounds like something you might be interested in doing, hop over to my Guest Posting Guidelines page to learn more.

Great article and glad you touched on the many different things that can affect guitar tuning. The dreaded G or B strings are usually the worst. If you have not checked out the videos of James Taylors tuning technique, you should do so.

Very interesting procedure of tuning each string down a certain number of cents. Good , accurate tuner needed obviously. I did have varying results with different guitars, but interesting. My StroboPlus HD tuner has a whole bunch of sweetened tunings built in, and I use a one made specifically for 7-string guitars.

Hope that helps. Hi, thanks for your article!! Here is the problem I have with the low E string on my electric guitar.

When I pick the open string attack and decay will be very fast and prominent, and will alternate 3 or 4 times before the note stabilizes. This is an issue by itself and obvious will also prevent me from getting a proper intonation on this string. I have no issues on other strings. Guitar is a USA stratocaster. Strings are new and of good quality. I have had this problem for several years now… Thank you.

Hi Andrea. In fact, some luthiers and techs will lower the pickups before setting intonation to prevent this, then raise them back up once intonation is set. I have lowered the neck pickup on the bass side and I have solved the problem. Thanks again A. It is probably the pickups that are set too close to the strings, low E and G string are most prone to this. Since the strat pickups consists of pole pieces which really are the magnets too, they pull on the strings like they want them to stick the strings on the top of the pole pieces.

Back the pickups down as much as possible and retune and intonate. Hi Mats. I have a new epiphone les paul. I use open string as reference and adjust the harmonic at 12 fret then play the 12 fretted.

That 12 fretted is always indicated on tuner as being sharp using 2 different tuners. I have fitted brand new strings. Am I doing something wrong. Ajusting position of saddle makes no difference.

Cheers AS. Use only the 12th fret fretted as your reference note, for the reason I mention in 6 in this article. Not the harmonic. Just as my little two cents from a physicist noob guitarist: The harminics are mathematically perfect divisions of the root based solely upon the string length and not mass or tension — the only inaccuracy in why it may be seen as unreliable as an individual may not be touching the exact nodal point to isolate the pure harmonic which may leave behind some other overtones.

Sounds plausible to me. Hence the reason to set intonation using the fretted note instead of the harmonic. Who cares about the harmonics which you only play a very small percentage of the time, if at all. I have my doubts. It just made life easier with the actual tuner used. Now, my findings and experience is like this. Check the tuner and tune open string 0 cents deviation, nail it. And then pick the 12th harmonic and make a reading. If the cent is not exactly the same the string has uneven gauge along its length and is a lemon or dud.

This has nothing to do with guitars. I e you havent even touched the frets yet. If the total scale length of a guitar is long enough strat, tele lengths it is safe to use 12th fret harmonics as a general guide. On bass guitars this have never been a problem at all.

Intonation problems is always due to crap strings. BUT am wondering if maybe changing string guage might be enough? And if so which way to go, higher or lower guage? Hi Jeff. Having the flat side of the saddle facing the bridge will gain you a couple extra millimeters of distance to work with. Agree totally on Neo pickups! Not even on basses with thick gauge strings they are any good, still pulls on them strings. Then you have to back them down so low into the body that the hot output benefits of them are thrown out the window.

Catch 22, chasing the tail. So, I have a guitar with no truss rod. It plays great from the first fret to about the 7 or 8th fret. Beyond that it is totally off. The intonation at the 12th fret is fine on the thinner strings but way off on the low E and A strings..

Hi Michael. Can you give me a rough description of the guitar? Make and model? But you can always shorten a string, changing its pitch by wedging a very small screw or a short piece of cocktail under what ever string is giving you problems, just past the nut on the first fret. Like having saddles at nut. This just might be enough extra adjustment to change things for you mate. Having issues setting it on this Strat clone I just bought.

Possibly need new strings. I hate to think that the bridge could be in the wrong place. Time to start measuring and get a good tuning device. Hi JC. As strings age or become fatigued, intonation will begin to drift which is one of the reasons you change old strings.

Let us know how it goes after you get new strings ad a decent tuner. But, the nut and bridge saddles are individually adjustable both for intonation and height. That covers the majority of tuning issues. If more people bought the system pricing would come down. Visit his web site and find out.

Rick Toone is a cunning tinkerer, no doubt about that. Me myself have always been of the adamant stance that headless and zero frets together solves tuning and intonation problems. I will have to check out his latest offerings…. Luthiars will rarely tell you….. I just bought a monoprice gold top rt 66 Les Paul for A good platform to rework into a good one. Has lots of fixable problems but the biggy was the position of the bridge. The china man was drinking the day he made it.

How can you keep your guitar in tune? Guitars use what is known as an equally tempered scale, as do pianos and most western musical instruments. One of the most obvious signs that your instrument has intonation issues is if each string played open is in tune, but when you play a bar chord anywhere up the neck, it sounds out of tune.

Shaun Conrad, an experienced luthier, lists some of the potential causes for guitar intonation issues on his informative website, guitarrepairbench. The first thing on this list may be the most overlooked. Also, it is impossible to properly set your intonation with worn strings.

I spoke with Bill Stevens, a guitar repair expert who manages The Music Box retail music store in Stockton, CA and who has been adjusting and repairing guitars for more than three decades.

Carefully adjusting the saddle pieces in this way can help clear up some of the most typical intonation problems on your electric guitar. Particularly leaving your guitar in a car in summer, as it can get incredibly hot. Although it sounds pretty basic, get a decent case to protect your instrument, too.

So I encourage everyone getting a guitar to at least get a soft bag. Bass guitars, however, may need regular attention since the amount of tension on the neck is way more than a typical electric guitar.

Most modern guitars include a metal rod that helps stabilize the neck and reduce or eliminate neck bowing that plagued older guitars without truss rods. Then in winter, the neck may bow a bit in the other direction and you may need a little relief, moving the truss rod in the opposite direction than you did in the summer. Your instrument may also require a truss rod adjustment if change to a different gauge of string and end up with action that is too high to play comfortably.

If your neck is set up properly and the problem remains, it may be due to bad strings. The way the string contacts with the bridge saddle plays a big part in intonation, so replace your strings if the issue is only on one or two strings. The action height of your guitar impacts intonation.

The above diagram shows how action height impacts intonation. If you have high action, you need to move the string a greater distance to reach the fret.

This extra distance pushes the string out-of-tune. The lower the action height, the less it will impact intonation. Of course, the downside of low action height is buzzing frets, so you need to work out what height is right for you. Find out about action height here including how to adjust it to suit your playing style. Do you feel like every guitar you play always has sharp intonation? It may be a result of how hard you press down on the strings.

In the above photo, you can see how somebody will a light touch will end up with a different pitch than somebody with a heavy touch. The bend you see in the string from a heavy finger pressure causes the note to bend out-of-tune.

The guitar might be perfectly intonated for a light touch, but seems like the intonation is out if the guitarist has a heavy touch. If you have a heavy touch, you will have to juggle between keeping the fretted notes in-tune and keeping the open strings in-tune.

Here are some tips to make adjusting intonation easier and get better intonation from your guitar. If you are adjusting your bridge saddle to increase the length of your string moving the saddle away from the fretboard , the tension in your string will increase as you adjust the saddle. To prevent the string from breaking or damaging your saddle, de-tune the string before you make an adjustment.

If you are adjusting the bridge to decrease the length of the string moving the saddle towards the fretboard , the string tension will decrease as you adjust the saddle. If you slip while adjusting your bridge saddles, a screwdriver can quickly ruin the finish of your guitar. Use a folded rag or any other barrier to protect your guitar from accidental slips as shown in the above photo.

If the action is too high, it will throw your intonation out. Knowing how far out your intonation is makes it easier to make proper adjustments.

The guitar tuner you use will either make your job easier or harder depending on how it displays the tuning. You make an adjustment to the saddle and re-check the tuning. If it is now 15 cents out, you know you can make a bigger adjustment without it going too far.

As you use your guitar strings, the fret wire wears down the strings. Eventually, you might notice some flat spots on the underside of the strings that line up to the frets.

This can gradually cause intonation problems as the way the string makes contact with the fret changes. If you make adjustments to your truss rod, give your guitar time to settle before you make adjustments to intonation.

Your guitar neck needs to get used to the change in tension. Let your guitar settle for a day or two before you look at changing intonation. Even if you manage to get perfect intonation across the 12th fret on all strings, you may find that some areas of your fretboard still have poor intonation.

It might surprise you to hear that guitars are imperfect instruments and perfect intonation is impossible on a standard guitar. The below guitar fretboard gives you an idea of what needs to be done to overcome the intonation limitation of a typical guitar:. Guitar intonation is important to understand and make sure it is set properly on your guitar.

After you read this guide, I highly recommend reading these two guides to properly set up and adjust your guitar for the best results: Ultimate Guide to Guitar Action. Action height and intonation impact each other, so read the guide to learn about it. Ultimate Guide to Truss Rods. This guide explains everything you need to know. Table of Contents show.