Bad intonation on gibson sg faded....Fixable?

[SoundwaveLove]

I got an SG faded a couple months ago. I haven't been able to play it much, but just started really playing with it the other day and noticed the intonation on the D string is way sharp at the 5th fret and higher. I tried playing with the bridge, lengthening the string distance, got it all the way to the max position and it's still sharp!

 

Is this fixable, or do I have a bum guitar?

[Brewski]

hsve you swapped the strings out yet? The strings at the factories are sitting in these PVC tubes forever and old/bad strings seem to never dial in.

[dredloxsuck]

I have an '02 and I went through the same problem with mine. Changing the strings remedied it for me. Also, as much as I love this guitar and it is my main axe, it has always had incessant fret buzz on the high E specifically at the 16th fret. Been like that since I bought it brand new. It's due to Gibson having filed down the fret too much. I have no idea how it made it past QC. It just hasn't been too awful for me to pay to have it corrected.

[docjeffrey]

Sell it and buy one of these LTD's"

 

 

or if you prefer EMG's"

 

[monto]

ive always found with gibson sg's and clones that they really need to have the nut as low as possible. u want it REALLY low if u can, which may involve filing down the first fret and possible a bit off the second, to stop any fret buzz up at the nut area when playing the strings open.

 

as a test: to see how low your nut is, try fretting any string (say, the D string) at the third fret, and then looking at the gap between the string you are fretting and the first fret. on any gibson sg's i have, that string will actually be touching the first fret. thats how low i have them! i always had intonation problems before this.

 

obviously the first check to do though is check the intonation of the bad string in question (your D string). and then adjust the saddle of the D string accordingly. if you are not sure how, either read up on the internet how to do it, or get a friend to help you, or take it to a guitar shop.

[dredloxsuck]

Monto, that is really interesting. I noticed my ability to get my action down on my sg to even just the Gibson standard of 3/64" and 5/64", would always result in a buzz on open strings! Never thought to have the first and second frets filed down to fix that. It'd be annoying because I'd go and play a friend's sg standard, with it's super low action and think, " How the hell is he able to get his down this low w/out buzz?!"

[volvo1800]

Nope probably broken forever you might as well send it here.

[tiltsta]

Seems odd, as the D is usually set pretty short for proper intonation...meaning the saddle is pretty far forward (see picture). I've never seen one that was all the way back. Makes me think something else might be going on, but I am no guitar tech, so who knows. One thing you could try if you need more travel is to remove the saddle and set screw, flip the little saddle block around, and re-assemble. This often gives more travel, as the saddles are usually slanted on one side (again, clearer with the attached picture). I'd try new strings first.

 

EDIT: here is a video showing how to flip a saddle.

 

http://www.ehow.com/video_4396388_flip-saddle-bridge-les-paul.html

 

[SoundwaveLove]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did put new strings I it when I first got it, maybe I should try another set before i do anything drastic.

[docjeffrey]

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I did put new strings I it when I first got it, maybe I should try another set before i do anything drastic.

 

 

Flip the saddle, like tilt suggested. It's an easy fix on a Nashville bridge (no wire retainer to mess with). Make sure that you are not putting too much pressure on the string while you are measuring the intonation..

[paul44]

Lower the pickups by at least 1/8" and check the intonation again.Having them too close to the strings can give you intonation anomalies.

[ΨWindingΨ]

 

I got an SG faded a couple months ago. I haven't been able to play it much, but just started really playing with it the other day and noticed the intonation on the D string is way sharp at the 5th fret and higher. I tried playing with the bridge, lengthening the string distance, got it all the way to the max position and it's still sharp! Is this fixable, or do I have a bum guitar?

 

 

Flip the saddle.

 

But quite often it is the strings. I stopped using DRs for just that reason.