Struggling with Guitar Intonation

  • Thread starter Thread starter Erockrazor
  • Start date Start date
Erockrazor

Erockrazor

I mix in (2x) real-time
I can't seem to get my guitar intonation right. I have my action set up to my liking but when I move the saddles on my 2 Squiers, it doesn't make a noticeable difference in the intonation. I am using my boss pedal tuner to reference since my ears aren't perfect but the intonation is bad enough that i can hear it on the 12th fret. I cant figure out why moving the saddle isnt making a difference. This is my first time really trying to fix the intonation on my guitar. Does anyone know why moving the saddle isnt doing the trick? Any help is of course greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
Moving the saddles has to change something. That boss tuner might not be sensitive enough for intonation work.

You should hit the 12th fret harmonic and tune the string to the tuner. Then fret the 12th fret and look at the tuner. If the fretted note is sharp, move the saddle back (away from the neck) If the fretted note is flat, move the saddle toward the neck.
 
Are you moving it the right way?


If the fretted 12th is flat from the octave, move the saddle forward, sharp, backwards.
 
google for aptuner. it's accurate to 1/10 a cent. get it installed and use it to tune your guitar to less than a cent dead on. play lightly around the neck and recheck the tuning. if it's off any, retune. try turning down the tone knob some or all on your guitar to roll off some of the upper harmonics. this should help to isolate the fundamental notes for aptuner. if you don't know what i'm talking about, google it. :D

think about what ez said and try to make some sense out of it. why does moving the saddle one way change the intonation flat or sharp? get your head around that and you won't have to worry about forgetting which way to move the saddle from now on. after you have your guitar tuned and it's stable, fret some lower notes to see how sharp they are. if they're extremely sharp, your nut slots are probably too high. check some fretted notes around the twelfth fret and see ez's post above. your ears might not be sensitive to the intonation adjustments when listening to individual notes but it becomes apparent when playing chords and sequences. an accurate tuner like aptuner should help you out with that.
 
Thank you all I'm gonna keep working on it now... happy 5000th post travis! haha
 
i've been here way too long already. where did the time go? :p
 
Success, with the help of my home recording peers my Squier worries have been conquered. Im gonna stay with the Squier for a few more years I think. :) Laugh all you want. Ill just waste my money on something else. :D

Thanks for your help guys.
 
Someone was selling a Peterson VS-I tuner awhile back in the ads forum.

Oh wait, that was me.

It's plenty accurate for intonation.
 
Erockrazor said:
Success, with the help of my home recording peers my Squier worries have been conquered. Im gonna stay with the Squier for a few more years I think. :) Laugh all you want. Ill just waste my money on something else. :D

Thanks for your help guys.
Click to expand...
Glad you got it worked out.Let me add my 2 cents.
Checking the fretted note at the 12 fret against the open note is far more
accurate,IMHO.Also, I never use a tuner to set my intonation.I use a tuner
to get to concert pitch and and set intonation by ear.Not saying that it is the best way,but it works well for me.I never have intonation problems.I
feel that no guitar can be intonated perfectly,so I would rather trust my
ears,as opposed to a tuner.
Also be sure to set it again after a bit of playing.
 
Erockrazor said:
Success, with the help of my home recording peers my Squier worries have been conquered. Im gonna stay with the Squier for a few more years I think. :) Laugh all you want. Ill just waste my money on something else. :D

Thanks for your help guys.
Click to expand...

So are you buying us beers with all that money you'll be saving?
 
Erockrazor said:
Success, with the help of my home recording peers my Squier worries have been conquered. Im gonna stay with the Squier for a few more years I think. :) Laugh all you want. Ill just waste my money on something else. :D

Thanks for your help guys.
Click to expand...
I know you said you have the guitar playing well now, well done. For a bit of background on what you can expect from guitar intonation and why have a read of THIS thread. Try and pick out the bits you need as there is a lot of stuff in there. It does explain why intonation is never "right" on a guitar and how to deal with the basic concepts of what happens if you lengthen or shorten the string. Good luck
 
TravisinFlorida said:
So are you buying us beers with all that money you'll be saving?
Click to expand...


Sure!...If I can find a liquor store thats willing to bend the rules a little bit. (see:age)
 
damn government. they'll let you get blown up but no buzzes. what's wrong with that? :p
 
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