The fact that the saddle is installed at a slight angle (increasing string length from 1st to 6th) string is a nod towards some string compensation. People often bring an acoustic guitar into the shop complaining of poor intonation. See assortment in right sidebar. The first step to correcting your instrument's intonation is to address any issues that can cause intonation problems. Maybe it plays less and less in tune as they move up the neck, or their B string is always sharp, or every winter things go flat. Different bridges have different methods for this, but it’s pretty obvious when you look at the bridge assembly carefully. However, lengthening the string to compensate for fretted notes also lengthens the open string. You must perform intonation adjustments for each string. I record this information for reference while making adjustments. Fretting a string stretches it and stretching a string will sharpen it slightly. It is either too close to the fingerboard causing sharp intonation, or too far, causing flat intonation. Due to the shorter string length, slight issues have a more noticeable effect. Intonation is then adjusted according to slightly offset tunings which are determined by string gauge, scale length and action. If your instrument has already been set up properly you can use your original saddle as a reference when sanding the height of the new one. The Buzz Feiten Tuning system® is another method. By Mark Phillips, Jon Chappell, Hal Leonard Corporation . On the bridge below, moving the saddle's position would have placed it too close to the bridge pin holes. Mark Phillips is a former director of music at Cherry Lane Music, where he edited or arranged the songbooks of such artists as John Denver, Van Halen, Guns N??? Most saddles are either 3/32" or 1/8" wide. So don’t invite us to that 38-string guitar’s intonation adjustment! Martin Dreadnought 25.4" Instead a new bridge was made. You can correct a string’s intonation by moving the saddle away from the nut if the string frets sharp and toward the nut if the string frets flat. I record this information for reference while making adjustments. Installing a pre-made drop in compensated saddle is usually a simple upgrade. To check your guitar's intonation you will need a tuner preferably, a chromatic tuner. In one common mechanism (used on Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters), screws at the back of the bridge determine the saddle front-to-back position. This is a more costly, time consuming method which may be required when good intonation can not be achieved using a pre-made saddle. Copyright © Fret Not Guitar Repair Inc. to avoid placing the saddle too close to the bridge pins. The alterations I make allow the bridge to sit on the same "footprint" and are only noticeable to those well acquainted with the original design. To offset this sharpening, length is added to the instrument's scale length to compensate. An acoustic guitar generally has a fixed saddle (of bone or whatever). Roses, and Metallica. Tune your instrument to pitch and fret each string naturally at the 12th fret. This note is one octave higher than the open string note and should be in tune (neither flat nor sharp.). One of the most popular methods is to use a chromatic instrument tuner to tune the open (un-fretted) strings. Check the bridge for damage/cracks that could cause bad intonation; Possibly replace the bridge piece entirely with a 'compensated' saddle. This eliminates the need to permanently modify the fingerboard's length by cutting it. Here’s how they work: Turning the screw clockwise (with a simple Phillips or flat-head screwdriver — being careful not to ding the top with the handle as you turn the screw) pulls the saddle back toward the bridge, which corrects a string that frets sharp. Only after any issues that can contribute to poor intonation are corrected do I may further adjustments to the nut and/or saddle. In these instances a saddle blank is used and shaped to fit. How to Adjust the Intonation on Your Guitar, 24 Common Guitar Chords for Different Music Styles, By Mark Phillips, Jon Chappell, Hal Leonard Corporation. Only after any issues that can contribute to poor intonation are corrected do I … Most acoustic players take their guitars to a qualified guitar technician when they need their intonation adjusted. There are in fact compromises and for a select few ...they may always be disappointed with the intonation of a fretted instrument. Earvana® is one example of a prefabricated compensated nut. For example, if you play the 12th fret, the resulting note should be exactly an octave higher than the open string. Check your intonation using a chromatic tuner. Having every single note in perfect tune is beyond the abilities of many equal tempered instruments. You can use whatever method you feel pleases your ear. Other methods include using harmonics to tune or tuning 2 particular chords until they are in tune with one another. When pre-made saddles are not available thru retailers or from the original manufacturer the saddle must be made from scratch. Most have settled on a "shelf system" whereby the nut overhangs the end of the fingerboard which renders it slightly shorter. Modifications are made to the position of the nut or fingerboard length. For instruments in need of extra fine tuning the shape of the compensated crown may need to be filed by hand, adjusting the length for each string individually. issues that can contribute to poor intonation, length is added to the instrument's scale length to compensate. Taylor Grand Auditorium 25.5" If the 12th-fret note is slightly higher than an octave, your string is fretting sharp; if the 12th-fret note is slightly lower than an octave, the string is fretting flat. If you haven't done so already take a look at my list, most new intonation problems will be caused by one of these issues. Some instruments suffer from poor intonation because the bridge and/or it's saddle slot is not located properly. Turning the screw counterclockwise moves the saddle toward the nut, which corrects a string that frets flat. Intonation refers to the accuracy of the pitches produced by fretting. If the instrument has any playability issues a set up should be performed along with the saddle upgrade. Put on brand-new strings before you adjust the intonation. Intonation refers to the accuracy of the pitches produced by fretting. Ebony was used to fill the original saddle slot prior to reslotting. When the correct placement is not possible a new bridge is made You can tell when your intonation is out if an open string harmonic at the 12th fret (lightly touch string at the 12th fret and pluck it) and the fretted note one octave higher (hold the string down at the 12th fret and pluck it) are not the same. Sometimes your guitar will be out of tune even after you tune it, which means your intonation is out. 'Straight' saddles are not the best at providing good intonation on a guitar. Gibson J-45 24.75". When correcting poor intonation on an acoustic guitar I use an electronic tuner to evaluate the strings tuning at the 12th fret. For example, if you play the 12th fret, the resulting note should be exactly an octave higher than the open string. A chromatic tuner provides an electronic readout of the exact note that each string is playing. A bridge slotting jig serves as a guide for my laminate trimmer. Cheaper acoustic guitars are likely to have a 'straight' saddle, to keep production costs lower. Acoustic guitars offer a bit more of a challenge than most electrics though. Jon Chappell is a multistyle guitarist, arranger, and former editor-in-chief of Guitar magazine. Old strings often fret sharp and don’t give you a true reading of your intonation. I find it difficult to justify shortening the fingerboard of a vintage or valuable instrument. My advice is to try the self-nut first, before modifying the fingerboard's length. If your intonation is correct, the tone produced when you fret the 12th fret and pluck the string should be the same tone exactly one octave higher than the open string. While adjusting the acoustic guitar intonation is conceptually the same as an electric guitar, due to certain differences in construction (e.g., different types of saddles) the processes vary in some respects. Compensation of the nut can be achieved in different ways. Just as there are several theories about ideal saddle and nut compensation, there are also different ways which we can tune our instrument. Keep in mind that adjusting the saddle for a string corrects only that string. Martin 000-28 24.9" Graph-Tech®, makers of Tusq® brand saddles, provide a large selection of pre-made compensated saddles. Site Map | Privacy. It is quite common to see this scenario on Martin guitars built in the 70's (though they are not the only example). When purchasing a replacement, height can be filed by sanding. When correcting poor intonation on an acoustic guitar I use an electronic tuner to evaluate the strings tuning at the 12th fret. When possible (and appropriate), the original slot is filled and re-routed to correct the problem. I have always found intonation to be far more frustrating on shorter scale instruments. If notes played at the 12th fret are dramatically sharp or flat, changes to the strings length and position of the saddle (or shape of it's crown) may be necessary. Physically moving an acoustic guitar bridge to correct the intonation would leave behind a nasty unfinished area on the top which would be easily noticeable even with touch up.

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