Guitar intonation

[waltzmastering]

Sept 30, 2009, 9:36pm, orest wrote:The one I left my guitar to builds his own bass guitars and has worked with rebuilding guitars for 40 years! I really trust himYes. This is the kind of person I am talking about. Someone who knows the craft and the art.What I was try to say to the op is that there is a whole lot more to it then just turning a truss rod and there is no substitute for a REAL craftsman whether it's a $100 guitar or a $4000 guitar.

[jh]

Quote:Yes. This is the kind of person I am talking about. Someone who knows the craft and the art.What I was try to say to the op is that there is a whole lot more to it then just turning a truss rod and there is no substitute for a REAL craftsman whether it's a $100 guitar or a $4000 guitar. I agree with you (and others), but...My friend is the only one I know who is a guitar tech, or kinda.(so he´s not a luthier or anything.) Actually, the local music store calls him every time their (or their customer´s) guitars need to be repaired etc. He said that there isn´t anything "magical" about it (adjusting the truss rod) and if that doesn´t help, there´s nothing much he can do.And as mojo said:Quote:"None of these procedures should affect the intonation much, (though crowning can be done in such a manner as to correct intonation, if there's enough fret remaining, but only up to a point)"So that probably won´t help either.- JH

[waltzmastering]

An easy way to check the intonation is, with a digital tuner play an open string, then play the harmonic on the 12th fret. These should be exactly the same note an octave apart..If they aren't, your bridge needs adjusted. There's also a lot more that can come into play.The truss rod is meant to correct or set the bowing in the neck but won't necessarily correct the intonation.

[jh]

Quote:An easy way to check the intonation is, with a digital tuner play an open string, then play the harmonic on the 12th fret. These should be exactly the same note an octave apart..If they aren't, your bridge needs adjusted. There's also a lot more that can come into play.Yup The bowing of the neck seems to affect the intonation since it´s a little better now,but I agree that it won´t necessarily correct it "all the way". If it gets close, then Ithink changing/adjusting the nut might help. - JH

[mojobone]

Neck relief affects intonation to the extent that it has a bearing on the height of the guitar's action; if the action's too high, greater tension is required to make the string meet the fret. (enough to pull the strings out of tune, in some cases) Pressing too hard behind the fret will also tend to make the string go a bit sharp after it makes contact. Also, the nut won't affect intonation, if your guitar has a zero fret. There is one other possibility; if your strings are too close to the pickups, the magnetism can pull a string sharp, this is more likely with the larger, wound strings, matter of fact.

[jh]

OK, now the neck is pretty straight. It´s better in tuneand it´s easier to play. Quite a difference!Thanks again!- JH