setting intonation with tune o matic bridge??

[King Elvis]

I have a cheapo Epi Les Paul Jr that has a tune o matic bridge. The intonation on this thing is off and I am trying to give it a better settup. On a strat I know the basics say to measure from the nut to the middle of the 12th fret and double that to get your scale and you go from there. Does the same rule apply to this guitar?? If I measure from the nut to the 12th it is 12 inches, double that and you get 24. Thats cool, but the bridge is sitting farther back than that so I cant set the high E to 24 inches...HELP!!!

 

[matty_boy]

easiest way is to get a tuner, and adjust so the 12th fret harmonic and 12th fret fretted note are the same.

 

[bongolation]

easiest way is to get a tuner, and adjust so the 12th fret harmonic and 12th fret fretted note are the same.

Yes, this is the "correct" way, and I've never heard of any measurement method, certainly.

Note, however, that even matching the 12th fret open harmonic and fretted note is only an approximation.

I've recently had some pretty intense reactions from people who didn't realize this. Shoot the messenger, you know!

The various fretted notes that you will actually play on your guitar will still be randomly sharp or flat a little. If you don't believe me, check the real notes you play with a chromatic tuner.

Quadruple these problems with bass, which is often a bear to get tuned/intonated because of big-string inconsistencies and frequency drift ("wow") on the low notes. I have seen strings with which even the open-string harmonics at the 5th, 7th and 12th frets would not intonate with each other!

Good luck and always be ready for some compromise.

If the tuner says your intonation is right, but the played note sounds wrong, go with your ears.

 

[64Firebird]

bongolation you need to look into the Buzz Feiten tuning system.

Click here.