Epiphone Tune-o-Matic intonation problem

**ShanPeyton** · 02-09-2013

Originally Posted by cakewalkKaKed

only thing i can think of is the threads are stripped,the darn things actually move right ?

your intonation procedure is same as mine,harmonic for rough fret for fine

Yep. I can move them as far up the threads as i can and right back again. I checked first thing as that was my initial thought was the threading was kaput.

**cakewalkKaKed** · 02-09-2013

Originally Posted by ShanPeyton

Yep. I can move them as far up the threads as i can and right back again. I checked first thing as that was my initial thought was the threading was kaput.

dood i think its catching on the securing wire,turn the whole thing round 180

**Sky Blue Lou** · 02-10-2013

The pictures aren't helping me - not clear enough and a bad angle. Can you take a couple across the bridge from deck level?

I'm certainly no expert but I'm real curious as to what is going on here.

**ShanPeyton** · 02-10-2013

Originally Posted by Sky Blue Lou

The pictures aren't helping me - not clear enough and a bad angle. Can you take a couple across the bridge from deck level?

I'm certainly no expert but I'm real curious as to what is going on here.

Hey there Lou. I got some more pictures. They are too big to upload into this forum so i will give you a dropbox link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nxhraogx35w8lt8/tsGl6w5BsV

They are actually pretty cool pictures i took with my fiances Canon. HaHa, i may have to print them and frame them.

I played around with it a bit more today and some of the strings can intonate a little better. they aren't perfect but they do make the magic green LED light up. That is a good sign. However the B - string is still acting like a jerk and defying all logic? Not entirely sure what is going on. I literally have done nothing with it since my original post last weekend or whenever? I may have to try and get a video of what is going on to show you if these pictures turn up nothing obvious.

I am going to order some new saddles anyways i think they are in rough shape as it. This was my stage guitar back in the day and it has seen a lot of blood sweat and whiskey. HaHa!

**cakewalkKaKed** · 02-10-2013

1) its on the wrong way round

and looks like

2) the saddles have been mixed up,they should form a curve matching the radius of the neck

**ShanPeyton** · 02-10-2013

Originally Posted by cakewalkKaKed

1) its on the wrong way round

and looks like

2) the saddles have been mixed up,they should form a curve matching the radius of the neck

I am confident that it is on the bolts the right way around. If it isn't, someone should call Epiphone and tell them all their photos and literature are incorrect.

I can't say 100% if the saddles are in the correct place? I didn't do the last setup on this so the guy may have got one or two crossed? I did investigate the gauge of the slots in the saddles and they seem to be in a logical progression from what my eyeball says. Doesn't mean they are right, it just means that the slots seem to go from big to small as they should.

**cakewalkKaKed** · 02-10-2013

Originally Posted by ShanPeyton

I am confident that it is on the bolts the right way around. If it isn't, someone should call Epiphone and tell them all their photos and literature are incorrect.

I can't say 100% if the saddles are in the correct place? I didn't do the last setup on this so the guy may have got one or two crossed? I did investigate the gauge of the slots in the saddles and they seem to be in a logical progression from what my eyeball says. Doesn't mean they are right, it just means that the slots seem to go from big to small as they should.

its hard to tell even on those better quality pics,right or wrong way round,saddles mixed up or not i cannot see any reason on that bridge why it cant be intonated ... unless its always been out

**Sky Blue Lou** · 02-11-2013

The only thing I can see is that the G, B and E slots look a bit deep. Maybe there is too much surface contact and the contact point shifts - thus changing the length - as the saddle is adjusted? That's a wild-assed guess but all I have.

**muttley600** · 02-11-2013

Originally Posted by Sky Blue Lou

The only thing I can see is that the G, B and E slots look a bit deep. Maybe there is too much surface contact and the contact point shifts - thus changing the length - as the saddle is adjusted? That's a wild-assed guess but all I have.

Regardless of that it will still have a fixed point. If it doesn't it will usually buzz. If the string length is lengthened then the intonation WILL change. It is a physical impossibility for it not to. Whether you can move it far enough is a different matter.

The issue of which way round the saddle goes is a bit of a myth. It should go which ever way it needs to go to get the fixed point in the right place.

If it was me doing this I would loosen the string and bring the saddle all the way back to start and loosen the string each time I move it and checked it. If the saddle is all the way back and it is still sharp on the intonation I'd switch that one round.

**Greg_L** · 02-11-2013

Originally Posted by muttley600

The issue of which way round the saddle goes is a bit of a myth. It should go which ever way it needs to go to get the fixed point in the right place.

If it was me doing this I would loosen the string and bring the saddle all the way back to start and loosen the string each time I move it and checked it. If the saddle is all the way back and it is still sharp on the intonation I'd switch that one round.

I had to do that on my Epi SG. Two saddles are flipped around.