Members Ostracized Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 Hi guys. My G string on my SG has poor intonation. It is too sharp when fretted. So I moved the saddle as far back as I could (lengthening the scale length of the string) and it still is sharp and the 12th fret. My only idea now is to flip the saddle, to give me another millimeter or so of scale length. Can someone tell me how to do that? Also, if I absolutely max out the length of that string and it still is poorly intonated, what else can I do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sunset_gun Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 Is this the '61RI in your sig? I think with the ABR bridge there is a retaining wire you have to remove to get the saddle out. I've got the Nashville-style on the Standard so I'm not sure with those. I'm surprised to are having intonation problems with the '61. I've had Standards, Classics, Special and never had any intonation issues. I know it happens though. Before flipping you may want to check you truss rod and the nut slot...,maybe run a piece of fine sandpaper through it. If all else fails, there are bridges that have a wider travel path for the saddles, you may want to look into them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ostracized Posted July 24, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 Thanks...yeah, the sharpness is noticable when fretting that string at any fret. The bridge seems kind of complicated to me, so maybe I'll just pay to have it properly set up. I don't want to go messing around with sanding the nut or adjusting the truss rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members El Guapo Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 I found many guitars of mine, past and present, to have that problem. No matter how close or far you move the saddle the intonation would always be slightly off. The problem was not the saddle but rather the nut. Get that checked out and fixed. More than likely that will solve your problem. I've never had issues with hardware giving me trouble. Seems to be more consistently made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ostracized Posted July 24, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 I agree...the nut is likely the problem...rather tall off the fretboard, so fretting is bound to sharpen the tone. Adjusting the saddle does little to change the intonation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sunset_gun Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 Originally posted by Ostracized Thanks...yeah, the sharpness is noticable when fretting that string at any fret.The bridge seems kind of complicated to me, so maybe I'll just pay to have it properly set up. I don't want to go messing around with sanding the nut or adjusting the truss rod. Smoothing the nut is not a big deal. take a small piece of sandpaper, loosen the string so you can lift it out of the slot, then insert the sandpaper and set the string back down in the slot. the string will help form the sandpaper to the inside of the slot. Scrap some pencil lead or a couple of puffs of graphite after you blow the dust out. It will help lube the slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Professor Tom Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 The nut is usually the problem as Gibson believe the shop selling the guitar should set it up to suit the customer's requirements. I was told this many years ago on a factory tour. You can't set up all the guitars at the factory for 009/042 strings and a low action because not all players want that. Buy mail order and these are the problems you will get. If you are buying in person and the retailer won't include a free setup walk ! Gibson get flamed a lot for poor nuts but it's not their fault ! They are merely trying to provide a margin of adjustability for the retailer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 Originally posted by Professor Tom Gibson get flamed a lot for poor nuts but it's not their fault ! They are merely trying to provide a margin of adjustability for the retailer. No, they are just trying to cut costs by not doing it properly themselves. I've played many a Gibson where the fret slots are too tight so even keeping the guitar in tune when trying it is difficult. I find that many electric guitars from various brands come from factories with either substandard plastic nuts or bone/graphite nuts that are just poorly done. However, at the same time most cheaper acoustics have properly done nuts. I don't really understand why there's such a huge difference in this area. I've had to fix or replace the nut on pretty much all my guitars, excluding ones with locking nuts and those that have been bought used where the previous owner has had it already done. Getting back into intonation, is the string only slightly sharp, maybe a couple of cents at most? If it isn't, have the nut checked and possibly change the string. I've had some DR brand strings that could not be intonated no matter what - replacing the string (and boycotting DR ) sorted that out. On my LP copy I had to reverse most of the saddles for enough intonation range. I replaced the bridge with a unit that has wider adjustment range and I no longer had to do that for any string, altough some strings were pretty close to the edge. The new bridge (Gotoh GE103BT) also came with far smarter saddle holding - hex nuts for each saddle. Beats those rattling, fragile and easy to lose C-clips or retainer wires 100-0. Why guitars still keep coming with those crappy original TOM designs I don't understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dwerlin Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 Just a note, the Nashville style Tune-O-Matic has MUCH more room forward and backwards for intonation than the ABR type with the retaining wire. I had this problem with my Epiphone Les Paul, swapped out the crappy ABR bridge with a Nashville, and problem solved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sunset_gun Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 ^ You will have to replace your bridge studs if you do this. They are not the same size / spacing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ponec Posted July 24, 2006 Members Share Posted July 24, 2006 Try the simple things first! Put on a fresh set of strings before you try and adjust intonation. This is a must! Is your tuner accurate enough for the task? Many of the lower-end digital and needle tuners aren't really up to it. You may also try lowering the action a little bit if you are able. You will have to re-adjust all the strings but this will "flatten" things somewhat. Hope this helps, -Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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