Floyd Intonation Procedures

[Jimothy JP7]

I guess every guitarist goes through stages, and only up until recently has good intonation become important to me. I guess I never realized how much of a difference it makes, and I also wasn't playing anything like Dream Theater either. I dunno, whenever I used to try setting up a guitar it always pissed me off or I broke strings, I was inexperienced. So, the other day I spent a few hours working the bugs out of my Dime. I was lowering my action, intonating, adjusting bridge height and ensuring it was parallel, the whole nine yards. I didn't have a full pack of new strings, so I was just using the ones that were on it (and they were pretty nasty).

I felt like I was getting the hang of it. I used the F.A.Q. instructions, matched the open note with the fretted 12th, things were looking up. I was actually kinda proud of myself , but then it went bad. My saddles kept sliding toward the nut (I was trying not to overtighten), I felt like I was getting a slight bit of fret buzz on every string, and I broke a string in the process, making all my work useless, which is probably pretty reasonable considering the age of the strings, but it still ground my gears.


On that note, any help with intonating a floyd that you may have would be awesome. I will be going to get some new Reg. Slinkys or maybe super slinkys to put on it and give it a go. Are there any tricks to getting it just right? Any special steps? Special orders? How do I evaluate the intonation with a 19th fret harmonic?


Thanks,
Jim


Btw, if there is already some thread that can help me out, just delete this so no one gets pissed.

 

[jongitarz]

If the saddles are not fully tightened, the string tension will pull the saddle toward the nut. You can put some muscle on the lock down screws, but never over tighten the screws that hold the string in the saddle. The small black blocks inside the saddle can mushroom out, and they get stuck.

If you are adjusting the intonation with the guitar tuned to pitch you need to push back on the saddle as you loosen the screw. I use a T handled allen wrench to do this, but you can use a screwdriver etc. Just be careful and don't slip and scratch the finish

You can also check the intonation, and then detune that string and move the saddle. It's safer but kind of a pain.

 

[beej]

There's a good tool out there called "The Key" to help with Floyd intonation-

This will hold the saddle in place and allow you to fine-tune the intonation before you lock it down. Easier than having the bloody thing slip forward whenever the saddle is loose! I saw this while watching a Dan Erlewine video and it was one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments.

 

[jongitarz]

Wow...That is cool! I need to get one. Thanks for the post, Jason!

 

[ivanmihaljevic]

You shouldn't be setting the intonation with old strings!
All setup adjustments should be made with a fresh set of strings

Evaluating the intonation with a 19th fret harmonic is basically the same as doing it on 12th fret. You need to compare the harmonic to the fretted note at 19th fret.

If the fretted note is lower than the harmonic, saddle must be moved towards the nut to shorten string.
If the fretted note is higher than the harmonic, saddle must be moved against the nut to lengthen string.

 

[jongitarz]

Ivan, I just checked out your myspace page. You are really good!

 

[ivanmihaljevic]

Ivan, I just checked out your myspace page. You are really good!

Thank you very much!!!

 

[Jimothy JP7]

Ivan, I know I shouldn't have been using old strings anyway, but I've just been setting up any instrument I can grab to get the hang of it so when my Petrucci comes in, I can keep it sounding clean. I rarely play the Dime, but since it's in standard already, I've been using it to learn some Dream Theater and stuff I figured it was the same as the 12th fret, but I wasn't sure if the same rules applied when it came to making adjustments. Thanks for the insight.

Beej, that looks like that would really come in handy. I may have to check one out. Thanks.

Jon, Thanks for the input. I've over tightened the locking nut on one of my guitars and it really doesnt hold well anymore. I wasn't sure if it would have any effect on the grip at the bridge. Thanks again.

 

[dfrady]

There's a good tool out there called "The Key" to help with Floyd intonation-

This will hold the saddle in place and allow you to fine-tune the intonation before you lock it down. Easier than having the bloody thing slip forward whenever the saddle is loose! I saw this while watching a Dan Erlewine video and it was one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments.

That's awsome !! This is something everyone with a Floyd equipped guitar should have in his tool chest.