Intonation.

[DAIZSECONDSKIN]

thank you for your advise on my last fret buzz issue, i will be taking it to yer man jimmy eygpt in glasgow to sort for me , in the mean time i have a gig coming up on saturday and i have intonation issues as well, can i sort this in the normal way without fookin up anythin to do with the truss rod etc. i do occasionally play stuff up near the high end of the fret board and its then it becomes a problem, (the normal way being screwdriver into the bit near where the strings go ) ta much.

 

[dlloyd]

thank you for your advise on my last fret buzz issue, i will be taking it to yer man jimmy eygpt in glasgow to sort for me , in the mean time i have a gig coming up on saturday and i have intonation issues as well, can i sort this in the normal way without fookin up anythin to do with the truss rod etc. i do occasionally play stuff up near the high end of the fret board and its then it becomes a problem, (the normal way being screwdriver into the bit near where the strings go ) ta much.

Easy peasy.

(This will be a lot easier if you use an electronic tuner)

1. Tune your bass.

2. Check the tuning of each string at the 12th fret. If it's sharp, you need to move the saddle backwards (away from the neck). If flat, you need to move it forwards.

3. Retune and check

4. Goto 2. repeat until it's right.

5. That's it

6. They would have charged you £30 to do this in a shop.

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

BONGO! ( or should tha be "bingo" )

dlloyd knoweth what he sayeth

.

 

[dlloyd]

dlloyd knoweth what he sayeth.

When he's not talking about Sabre bridges anyway...

 

[DAIZSECONDSKIN]

Into Nation

when you say move the saddle does that just mean put the screwdriver in the wee holes next to where you put the strings in and adjust accordingly with the tuner, i had a yamaha bass previously to seeing the light, this is what i used to do with it. and it wont affect the fret buzz or truss rod isssues?

 

[dlloyd]

when you say move the saddle does that just mean put the screwdriver in the wee holes next to where you put the strings in and adjust accordingly with the tuner,

Yes. I usually lift the string to allow the saddle to move when I do this

i had a yamaha bass previously to seeing the light, this is what i used to do with it. and it wont affect the fret buzz or truss rod isssues?

No, you won't have any problems there.

 

[DAIZSECONDSKIN]

Into Nation

sorry for being a brain donor but how do u mean lift the string chief?

 

[bovinehost]

Sometimes the string tension will keep the saddle from moving backward or forward.

So you lift the string off the saddle just a bit....usually, I don't even have to loosen the string to get the saddle to move, but you might have to.

 

[dlloyd]

sorry for being a brain donor but how do u mean lift the string chief?

Sometimes when you're adjusting the intonation, movement of the saddle is impeded by the string... the string tension holds the saddle in place so that the turning the saddle screw has no immediate effect on the saddle position. You getting that?

As I'm adjusting the intonation, I'll turn the screw a bit, then lift the string away from the saddle briefly to allow the saddle to move.

It's probably unnecessary on a Stingray. It's a habit I inherited from intonating cheaper basses.

 

[dlloyd]

Sometimes the string tension will keep the saddle from moving backward or forward.

So you lift the string off the saddle just a bit....usually, I don't even have to loosen the string to get the saddle to move, but you might have to.

Heh, you beat me to it.

 

[bovinehost]

By a nose!

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

You're up nice and early Jack...bacon and eggs? I'm about to ZZZZZZ.



A cut and paste from my notes:


INTONATION.
Before actual adjustment of the intonation, the string saddles can be placed in their approx positions.
With a tape measure, measure the distance from the inside of the string nut (at the top of the neck on the fret board side) to the centre of the 12th fret. Double this figure to give you the scale length of the Bass. If the initial measurement is 17 inches, then the scale length is 34 inches (2x17 inches).
Position the G string saddle to the scale length of the Bass ie it should be exactly 34 inches measured from inside the nut to top centre of the saddle.
Position the D string saddle back from the G saddle (towards the end of the Bass) at a distance equal to the gauge of the D string…eg if the D gauge is .065 inches, then move it back from the G saddle .065 inches. If the A string gauge is .085 inches then move it back from the D saddle .085 inches. If the E gauge is .105 inches then move it back from the A saddle .105 inches.
If fitting new strings then, after tuning them to pitch on the tuner, press down on each string on the inside of the saddle (on the pickup side) so they make good contact with the saddle (see article on how to fit new strings).
The needle on some electronic tuners fluctuates when tuning. Tip: only use the neck pickup & turn off the others, if any. Roll back the tone controls and pluck the string close to the heel of the neck. A plectrum may help instead of plucking with the finger. The idea behind this is to reduce the harmonics which confuse the tuner and to emphasise the fundamental note.
With each string in turn, play the strings’ 12th fret harmonic and tune it to pitch on the tuner. A harmonic is played by touching the string OVER the 12th fret with your finger and plucking it without actually fretting the string. The string will give a ringing sound. This is the strings’ natural octave overtone and should be in tune to the open string. If not, the string is faulty. Now, play the 12thfretted note on the same string. Both should be in equal tune, on the tuner, if the string is intonated correctly. If the fretted note is either sharp or flat then adjust the strings’ length accordingly at the bridge. If sharp, the string is too short…move the string saddle back towards the end of the Bass. If flat, the string is too long...move the string saddle towards the top (neck) of the Bass. Adjust the saddle screw a ¼ turn at a time. After each turn, retune the strings harmonic on the tuner BEFORE going back to check the fretted note. Keep repeating until the fretted 12th note and the 12th fret harmonic both read in tune with each other.
Don’t proceed on the basis that it’s the harmonic that has to be adjusted. It’s the 12th fretted note that has to be adjusted.
A tuner’s accuracy can be rather broad. For true intonation accuracy, now go to the 19th fret of the string being adjusted and make sure it reads in tune with the tuner eg. the 19th fretted note on the E string is B. After checking the 19th note, go back and check the 12th as they interact on each other. Don’t forget…retune the harmonic to pitch after each adjustment to the string, before rechecking the 12th fretted note.
After adjusting intonation, go back and check the string heights.

.

 

[DAIZSECONDSKIN]

intonation.

again than q for your advise, much apprieciated!!!

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Appologies for stating the obvious and repitition....they're from notes I was sending to some one a while back while helping him do a set up...to avoid any ambiguity.

.

 

[dlloyd]

Two books I recommend are How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!: The Electric Guitar Owner's Manual and Guitar Player Repair Guide: How to Set-Up, Maintain, and Repair Electrics and Acoustics both by Dan Erlewine:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0879306017/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/104-3667256-4790367?v=glance&s=books"]Amazon.com: How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great (Softcover) (Guitar Player Book): Erlewine Dan, Dan Erlewine: Books[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0879302917/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/104-3667256-4790367?v=glance&s=books"]Amazon.com: Guitar Player Repair Guide: Dan Erlewine: Books[/ame]

They pretty much get rid of any of the mystique behind setting up guitars.

Warning: They also give you dangerous ideas like "fret dressing doesn't seem that difficult..."

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

"Guitar Player Repair Guide" By Dan E. is the one I refer to...really good

.

 

[DAIZSECONDSKIN]

intonation

u guys rock.....respect!

 

[Fuzzy Dustmite]

Excellent. I just put holds on both of those books at my local library. Thanks for the tips!