Help! Low E Intonation Problem on my JP6

[TobiGuitar94]

Hey Guys, this is my first post btw.

2 Months ago I got a used JP6 in Bluedawn (not the Special 2007 Edition) with inlays but without Piezo and Matching Headstock. The condition of the Guitar is absolutely stunning (which was quite amazing considering the orig Bluedawns production stopped at 2004 or so, I dont really know...) I could not tell the difference from a new one they seller also had. Pickups, Frets, Finish everything is amazing not even a tiny scratch or something else you could complain about. Im really loving everything about this guitar its the best ive ever had.

So now here is my problem:
The Intonation on the low E it not what I want it to be. While the note on the 12 fret is still an E it starts to get SHARP above the 15. fret and the 24 is almost an halfstep of(SHARP).
What really matter are frets nummer 16,17 and so on you sometimes use for runs.
I tried to adjust the bridge for the E string but the real problem is I cant get it back any further, not even my strong dad could get it, and i dont want to break the instrument. It seems there is no more room to move the bridge backwards on the E string while the other strings are quite perfect! I really dont wanna move the saddle, which I am sure only a tech is able to, but is there something else I can do ? Had the guitar restrung several time, the guy i bought it from set it up for 9s but i set it up for 10s, could that really be the problem?

Thank you forumers!
Greetings from Vienna, Austria!

 

[Spudmurphy]

Hi and welcome - can you post a picture of the bridge looking at it side and end on - I want to see how it's "laying" on the trem posts.

 

[TobiGuitar94]

Thanks for the reply I will do it tomorrow, and upload it then
From what I can say everthing seems nice, brdige is absolutely equal to the body in normal position, moves well.

Any suggestions without the pics?

 

[patpark]

it's impossible to accurately diagnose without knowing the string action, neck relief, how hard your pressing on the string. Too many unknown factors for anybody to properly diagnose.

I find that when most players check their own intonation, they press harder than they normally do. When they are actually playing and not staring at the tuner, it usually sounds fine. Intonation is not a perfect science and there are so many factors that affect it.

 

[DrKev]

Hi Tobi, congrats on the new guitar and welcome to the forum!

As pat said, these problems can be tricky to solve without seeing the instrument. As with any problem with any instrument, the seller you bought the guitar from should be contacted first. If they cannot fix it, you should contact Music Man customer service (click here). They are the best in the business!

I'll second what Pat said too, try not to fret too hard, be very accurate with your finger position (which can make a big difference to the note reading too), and make sure you tune and test the intonation with the guitar in the playing position, NOT flat on it's back on a table. And if the tuner you are using is not accurate enough for intonation work, it's a more difficult task.

Tobi - just to avoid confusion, in English the "saddle "is the moveable part the string sits on. The bridge is the entire tremolo/vibrato assembly. The intonation is set by moving the saddle, which is done by adjusting it's mounting screw from the back of the bridge.

When you say a half-step sharp, I assume you mean 50 cents, because in English one half-step is one fret (=100 cents). Wonderfully confusing, eh? Anyway, yes that is a LOT, and certainly too much.

Good luck!

 

[Mick]

Tausch mal die Saite aus, kann kaputt sein.
Change the string.

Grüße Mick

 

[TobiGuitar94]

Hi again,
Thanks so much for the help
What I wanted to say is that there is no more room to adjust the saddle on the low E, quite confusing.
Anyway I restring the guitar today adjusted the string hight of the low E a bit and it got better. I also used a better tuner. From what I can say the 17the is about 10-20 cents of and the 24th about 20-30, which is much better than before. Maybe it is ok to let it be that way, I dont know.

Unfrontunately there is another tiny problem I discoverd,
The Input Jack is holding the cable not really as tight as I think it should be. After a time it slipps out about a few mm, and you can really move the cable conector up and down, which i assume is not the way to go. When I touch the cable or move it a bit it starts makin a cracking noise.
Is there any way to tighten the intput jack ?

Pictures coming tomorrow im not returning home until then

 

[bluesberry jam]

Hello Tobi,

I work in international customer service for EBMM.

We can help you find solutions to your issues.

Please send me an email at: [email protected]

 

[CapeRR]

This happened to me before with one of my other guitars. I tried everything and I couldn't get it intonated and eventually I changed the strings and that turned out to be what the problem was.

 

[TobiGuitar94]

I think I solved the problem! Thanks a lot guys It was a combination of string height and bad tuner as well as trussrod.

 

[shredhed]

Just remember that if it's a new JP6 it has a compensated nut, So the Low E is actually shorter at the nut end. It's a nice way (compensation) to get chords to sound great at the low end of the board, but as you go upward (passed the 12th fret) it will start to go sharp a bit, although not to the degree you stated, it will probably never be spot on at all positions.

Guitars are an in-exact science.

Take care