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**PowerTube** · 06-11-2004, 11:32 AM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

I used to intonate all six strings with a tuner. These days, I set intonation mostly by "feel."

What I do is....

1. Set one string's intonation with a tuner. That is, the open note should match the 12th string octave note. NOTE: Fret the 12th-fret note GENTLY. Don't press down too hard, because this can throw your settings off.

2. I'll fret this string and the one next to it at around the 8th or 10th fret (just think, a nu-metal one-finger chord!). If they don't resolve correctly with each other, slightly bend the second string's note until they do. This will give you an idea of about how far out the second string is. Adjust accordingly.

Of course, on the 2nd and 3rd strings (B and G), the 2nd string should be fretted one fret higher than the 3rd.

Hope this helps.

**ChickenScratch** · 06-11-2004, 11:45 AM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

I'm terrable with intonating my guitars. I'm not technically inclined to fix things so I have my tech do it. I went through a couple guys till I found one who used this strobe tuner and since then my guitars have not sounded any better!

**toejam** · 06-11-2004, 11:52 AM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

My Fender's hardtail bridge has the low E string back as far as it will go, and the note is still a tiny bit sharp. Though, the action is a little high, so I know that's got something to do with it. The only other thing that will help is if I take the little spring off from behind the saddle.

The Original Floyd I had on my Warrior, the saddles were all in one straight line in the middle, and had plenty of room for adjustment forward and back, but they intonated pefectly the way they were with 10-46 in standard E and even when I changed to 11-48 in D tuning. I didn't have to change anything except give the truss rod a tiny tweak. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

**toejam** · 06-11-2004, 01:07 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

Originally posted by Immortal:
If you add fatter strings, you have to tighten the tross rod a little bit, right?

Usually, if you're staying at the same tuning. Sometimes you may not need to if tuning down, or you may need to loosen the truss rod a little. If I remember right, I loosened mine a tiny bit.

**Immortal** · 06-11-2004, 01:36 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

Originally posted by toejam:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Immortal:
If you add fatter strings, you have to tighten the tross rod a little bit, right?

Usually, if you're staying at the same tuning. Sometimes you may not need to if tuning down, or you may need to loosen the truss rod a little. If I remember right, I loosened mine a tiny bit. <hr /></blockquote>I went from E (9-46) on D (11-52). I tightened the truss a bit.

I don't know, if it's okay, but the guitar plays and sounds nice.

Every neck has to have a slight forward bow, right?

**toejam** · 06-11-2004, 05:56 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

It doesn't *need* to have a slight forward bow, but I'd think it would be a little better than having a backbow. As long as it's not pulling too far forward and the action between around the 5th to 9th frets is not too high, then you'll be okay. If it works and plays fine for you, then that's all that matters. Some people like to tighten the rod more so the neck is a little straighter and has less of a forward bow.

**jackson1** · 06-11-2004, 06:13 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

My experience is that on some guitars, you will run out of saddle adjustment due to too much release (forward bow) in the neck.

I guess that the distance from the nut to the saddles decreases when you set forward bow (loosen truss rod) and therefore you have to compensate by adjusting the saddles further back. Too much and you run out of space.

/Henrik

**Immortal** · 06-11-2004, 07:00 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

Originally posted by jackson1:
My experience is that on some guitars, you will run out of saddle adjustment due to too much release (forward bow) in the neck.

I guess that the distance from the nut to the saddles decreases when you set forward bow (loosen truss rod) and therefore you have to compensate by adjusting the saddles further back. Too much and you run out of space.

/Henrik

I have tried this right now and I can see some improvements. Okay, I got a little fret buzzing on some parts but no big deal.
The neck is more straight now and the intonation on the low D is good now, but we know that FR guitar varies every second, so I cannot meausure it right with cromatic tuner. The leds says it's okay, so I'll believe that and my ear. I've tried to play some powerchords above 12th fret and it sound good, while playing below 12th fret sound awesome.

Tell me, is the fret buzzing part of the electric guitars? I mean ... I don't to sound lame, but I have never heard an electric guitar that didn't have fret buzzing when playing unplugged.
I have seen that ZW video and he has 10 times more buzzing than me.

**Immortal** · 06-11-2004, 07:06 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

Oh, yes, just one more question. While I was tightening my truss rod, I couldn't move it without enough strenght. The point is, I want to make sure, that I didn't tight above the limits.

If the tross rod is tightened to much, what happens then?

I could tighten mine more, but as I said, it didn't rotate very smoothly and I have to use additional strenght and the truss rod made some noise while I was screwing it (like when you screw the screw into the wood for first time). It wasn't wood cracking. I would recognize that.

**Chuckracer** · 06-11-2004, 07:17 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

If you like low action, some buzzing is inevitable. I personally don't go for that and like each string to "speak" as clearly as possible. My action is a little higher than most guys would probably like, but it's not at all hard to play. I cannot play ultra low actions whwere the poor strings are just "pinging" off the frets.
I use the same strings, 9 to 46 and set my guitars up with the neck almost dead straight. Your action has to be higher in the upper registers to compensate, but it's clean all the way up the neck.
Intonation tip: Intonate the strings where you play them. For example the low E. How often are you playing chords using the low E up at the twelveth fret? For me, never. So why intonate it there? I set the intonation on my guitars like this:

E: Seventh fret
A: Ninth "
D: Tenth "
G: Seventh fret
B: Twelveth "
E: Twelveth "

To my ear, this helps compensate for the individule string's natural tendency to bend sharp when fretted. Remember: You are bending the string down to the fret and increasing it's tension, thereby increasing the pitch. The thicker the string, the more radical this is. The G string being the thickest PLAIN string is espically a ***** to intonate for me, but this system seems to work out fairly well.

**Immortal** · 06-11-2004, 07:29 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

Why intonating it in high positions? Because sometimes I cannot resist to play some solos on low strings in high positions.

It sounds more meaty to me.

And, my action is quite high, but I still have some fret buzzing. Okay, this is only when I play powerchords, because I hit strings more powerfully and short.

But I can't raise my action to some big height, because I can't play like that anymore. I should raise it a bit, but too much would be too much.
Acoustic guitars too have fret buzzing when playing powerchords (unless you play them gently and silent).

**Chuckracer** · 06-11-2004, 08:21 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

But intonation is not NEARLY as critical when playing single notes up high. We are usually going fast as hell so it don't really matter, or bending the strings so it don't really matter again.
That's just my warped view and it works great for me.

**Ace** · 06-11-2004, 11:04 PM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

Originally posted by Immortal:
Oh, yes, just one more question. While I was tightening my truss rod, I couldn't move it without enough strenght. The point is, I want to make sure, that I didn't tight above the limits.

If the tross rod is tightened to much, what happens then?

I could tighten mine more, but as I said, it didn't rotate very smoothly and I have to use additional strenght and the truss rod made some noise while I was screwing it (like when you screw the screw into the wood for first time). It wasn't wood cracking. I would recognize that.

Stop tightening it. You will strip it out, and they are VERY expensive to fix.

**Immortal** · 06-12-2004, 12:58 AM

Re: Intonation of the lowest strings

Originally posted by toejam:
[QB] My Fender's hardtail bridge has the low E string back as far as it will go, and the note is still a tiny bit sharp. Though, the action is a little high, so I know that's got something to do with it. The only other thing that will help is if I take the little spring off from behind the saddle.

That is happening to the both of my guitars.

And I have removed the spring on the saddle...

I cannot understand, why this is happening only to the thickest strings.
All other strings are set nicely without going to extreme.

The Original Floyd I had on my Warrior, the saddles were all in one straight line in the middle, and had plenty of room for adjustment forward and back, but they intonated pefectly the way they were with 10-46 in standard E and even when I changed to 11-48 in D tuning. I didn't have to change anything except give the truss rod a tiny tweak.

If you add fatter strings, you have to tighten the tross rod a little bit, right?

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Intonation of the lowest strings

Intonation of the lowest strings

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