How to Intonate a Guitar 🎸
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Gene, one of StewMac's techs, walks us through how to intonate a guitar. Adjusting the intonation on your guitar can be intimidating, but Gene makes intonating a guitar a simple job anyone can do. 🤘
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12th fretted and 12 fret natural harmonic should match.
Hey hey! That has a lot to do with string height, now you guys are onto something!
@@SarcasticComments23 the harmonic is agnostic to string height but the fretted isn’t. That’s why they should be compared.
@@RiotBadger”Agnostic”, to me, means not sure about whether or not God exists. Now I know that the term can also relate to computing, but to guitar intonation?
@@m.vonhollen6673 ok, try ‘unaffected by’
@@RiotBadger you’re welcome!
Some people also think changing strings is something only a tech can do.
Some people never think at all. Wonder why such dudes own a guitar.
honestly changing strings on my ibanez with the edge trem shaves off a couple months of my life every time...
@@tamasnyerki4557 Same thing here. 50 bucks gets me new strings, thoroughly cleaned guitar and intonated. Best spent 50 bucks without a doubt.
@tamasnyerki4557 lmao yeah changing strings on a floyd rose can feel like a century sometimes it's even worse if you wanna intonate bc by the time your done you don't even feel like playing.
@@totallynotjohn8083 Ain't that the truth.
It's super easy, and satisfying when that note rings clear
I always tell people you can do anything with a little training, help from a friend, or read a book or nowadays watch a video 😊you should really know your instrument inside and out❤
More straightforward tips like this please. This is the kind of practical advice I love. Making the internet great again. MIGA
As a veteran instrument repair technician of over 15 years, setting up anywhere from 40 to 60 guitars per month. I can tell you from experience if you're intonation is out there's a very high probability that the saddles have not moved, but rather the scale length has become short or flat due to the truss rod going slack.. NOTE* to those learning the art of setup. Remember this one thing if you don't remember anything else! Adjusting intonation at the saddle point should only be done after truss rod has been adjusted and String height has been adjusted.. as both of these change the intonation of the guitar.. as does also changing of string gauges. Also never said intonation with old strings. All strings may not intonate due to dirt an uneven wear across the frets...
Something else to keep in mind a Gibson Les Paul with a tunimatic bridge generally only needs Intonation adjustment when string gauges are changed or string height has been changed. That's assuming you didn't flip the bridge around backwards. Which you would see a lot on a Gibson. Les Paul, make sure that is not the issue as well....
That being said, everyone has a lot to learn about guitar setup, even myself. I'm learning every day
Question: should the guitar be laying flat or sitting upward as if playing it?
@@user-wo2rc3bf4x Better if you set it up in the same position you play it, but tbh is not big deal if you adjust it while flat in a table or something
@@diabloget Thank you for the guidance.
As a unemployed worker... i agree...
All day long i see they setting up guitar..
Thanks for that tip. Did not know about having new strings on.
I still have my 1972 Gold Top deluxe in Excellent condition-no checking or dents. Still have my original receipt and fuzzy pink case it came with back then. Could have bought a ‘50’s back then but i knew Nothing and the store had only this one. I know pancake body blah. One son got mad because i got Albert Lee to autograph it. Oh well Albert is a friend and very kind. My little story. Thanks
Do you mean Alvin Lee of Ten Years After? My favorite ever guitarist?? Did you meet him?
Thank you, my friend! Great advice. I do this all the time. Some people are just intimidated by doing it but if you just spend the time I get to notes to match your guitar will sound so much better.
I find that going for a balance between the 12th fret harmonic and the 12th fret, and the 5th and 17th frets gives the best results.
Unfortunately the guitar is a highly flawed instrument, so there's always going to be something slightly out, but this is in my experience the best compromise to make sure the whole guitar is as close as possible, rather than just the root and 12th fret.
Not so flawed as just fretted in equal linear for ease of construction.
I agree
Great advice. I've been using 3 & 15, but 5 & 17 should be good too. Definitely not open & 12, too great a difference in tension.
So many other variables in intonation. Neck relief, how old the strings are, nut material, movement or roll over. Saddle deformation, string break angle. Is the string striking the back of the bridge, before seeing saddle height. This causing a false harmonic that shows up intonating at 12th. It’s a bit more complex than what StewMac is showing you here.
If flat, turn screw so saddle moves forward
Flat = Forward
U can also check the 17th fret to get a little more accurate if you want
Open 12.Harmonic 12.Fret 12.
If your neck is underbowed, your harmonics will be off as well because its shortening the scale.
Learn to set up a guitar online and bought the few tools I needed....like you said patience but it's actually very simple
My guitar teach could do it very quickly by ear I always found that impressive. He also taught orchestra I’m convinced that man could tune anything in under a minute as long as he had a reference note.
Sounds like he is the reference note
@@01frankthetank some people can do that 🎭
A great guitar sounds good even when out of tune. Like a 53 Tele.
James Janmerson had a bad bow in his neck. So he adjusted the notes with his fingers whike playing!
There are differed tempers for guitars. Petetson tuners allow differend tempers to be choosen.
Get the 12th exact. Then check the 3rd/15th and 5th/17. Split the difference between those. That will get you as CLOSE as possible up and down the entire neck.
Alot of things are easy people think they cant do it and never try. Nice guitar.
This is true. Some things like car repair for example seem very daunting and like a impossible task.
Over time I have found that some things are alot easier than we think. Plus, it's a real boost to you're self-esteem when you accomplish something like that.
Any Man with that lp guitar can make a revolution!!!
I've found fretting, and playing the 12th fret note as softly as possible is most accurate.
I agree with this video.
Harmonics don't compensate the string going slightly sharp when pushed down to fret the note .
When I interned at a luthier shop I was doing this with his strobe tuner and it was SOOO much more accurate than whatever I have at home but he had me doing it playing the 12th fret harmonic and then fretting the note
I use 3 tone method. Include the 12th fret harmonic when testing against the fretted and open string
Good to know 😊
I learned this by accident many years ago and later learned that I was performing intonation on the guitar.its good eat training too, but most can't do it by ear. They need an electronic device to do it.
never thought to do that, gonna do it rn
or, hit the harmonic at the 12th fret. hit it a few times to get it in your memory then fret it at the 12th to listen for a difference.
Great job ❤
Brother, I’m 44 years old, not the world’s greatest but have made a name for myself and I’ve NEVER been able to intonate an LP style bridge properly. I feel like it works for some folks and others it just doesn’t.
I drooled on my phone when l saw the patina on that gold top.
Yeah, but look at the fretboard inlays. It's a Chinese knockoff
Based on physics...the greater the mass ,the greater the buoyant force
So in theory the plastic is too light to have buoyant force to have an effect on it and it is submerged in water so there's no buoyant force acting on the plastic . Only the water pressure will act on it .
My favourite part is when he talks about how to intonate
He literally told you
Lol!!!
But no, he doesn't.
He doesn't say which way to move the bridge saddles if the note is sharp or flat.
it's fun on a floyd :) Or when you have to flip the saddle on a TOM and the spring goes poof.
I do it differently I do string 5th fret and 12th fret, and I've been doing that as long as I can remember
I go a step further and check the intonation on the harmonics at the 7th, 9th and 15th frets. I won't be perfect but it'll be closer than merely checking on the 5th and 12th frets. Beyond the 15th fret try not to exert too much pressure on the plain steel strings. 😎
Thank you!
I do open note with 12th fret harmonic. But I also check it this way as well.
This is probably the simplest explanation of something that’s seemed pretty daunting lol. Thanks for the info 🤟
Sometimes it's better to check 1st/13th frets depending on if you have a cheap guitar with a bad nut. Higher end guitars have well designed nuts that are perfectly intonated, cheap guitar sometimes have nuts that are terribly intonated and your opens will always sound like garbage.
Wow I do this always. But never seen it on line
If the note is flat, move the saddle forward towards the pickup.
How he didn’t mention this is beyond me
Which note?
@@ogmakefirefiregood the fretted note
@@Bubdiddly probably he figured people would try both directions until it's right
Thank you
HOWEVER!!!! Beware that if the pickups are too close to the strings that will screw up the intonation and no bridge adjustment can fix it. We tend to want the pickups close to the string so it will be louder but the messed up intonation is a bad price to pay for that louder sound.
Yeah, 👍🏻 and buy a louder amp and/or effects
Thanks bro
Yes people please use open string then a natural harmonic on 12th same as the guy said before me.
This the rule I learned: To Sharp to short, to flat to long. That means if the 12th note is higher than the open one, make the string longer. if the 12th note is lower than the open one, make the string shorter.
Thanks
And the 24th. 😎
I like ur gold guitar 😊
I need to flip my sons guitar from right to left and setting it back up scares me. Thank you for the video
Super handy info. Thank you!
I usually check the 24th fret if you have one, it’s more precise.
Thank Sir, very helpful.
Nice and simple explanation,thank u
Nice guitar
I have a Spector bass, and that thing drove me absolutely insane trying to set the action.
Hasn't budged since though 😃
Yes you can do
My problem is that sometimes I can’t move the saddle any further when it’s super close to being right, especially on cheaper guitars.
I have that on my USA strat
Doing it myself since I was 16yo
If you use a headstock tuner use it on the chromatic setting
I'll try that!
thank you. I'm going to do that
Great Info🙏🇮🇳
I had no idea! Thank you! 😮
You really should check the fretted notes all the way up the neck. Not only will it give you a better average up and down the board, but the 12th fret is often a high wear area, and can lie to you a little😊
Ironically you showed the vintage style tune-o-matic bridge with the retainer wire - that thing's got so much play it won't stay intonated
One thing I would add is, I would HIGHLY recommend an inline tuner for checking intonation. While Snark tuners are pretty awesome in a quiet room, they are not nearly as accurate as a really good inline tuner.
Is that a tuner pedal?
@@Faigh_as yes that is one option.
Snark tuners work off vibration from your guitar. No quite room needed.
@@dicecreamman1739 I'm aware. Loud sound can resonate in your guitar and affect the Snark, causing innacuracy. That is why I don't use them on stage. Because setting intonation requires extreme precision, I would also not use a Snark for this.
Just make sure you're applying an even/equal amount of pressure at the twelfth fret as your normal playing occurs or it will be sharp or flat every time. In other words take an average tuning at basic playing pressure.
Intonate at the third fret also.
Always check on the 5th fret
This happened with my acoustic. Thank God i have a spare saddle that came with it
Always use the harmonic at the 12th fret, and use a proper meter, if you have on. Snarks are not good with harmonics.
You guys are the best ever thank you
I"ve a old strobe tuner.. All good.. 😅
Thank you for this information
Nice goldtop
Where is the STP sticker between the pickups?
RIP Blind Alan Wilson
Canned Heat 😊❤
Well.... You should check if it makes the proper note at any position on the neck.
Be sure to leave at least 2-4hrs if you're new to this. The first few goes, 'close enough' ends up where you started...😂😂
T.Hanks 😊
Beautiful gold top les Paul 😘
I used to think that way I need a tech but any player could and should do this..RocknRollFlat5
Danke
Yeah, and if it's not one of those tune-o-matic bridges, loosen the strings or the bridge saddles will dig a groove.
YES
Need to tell which way to move the saddle if flat on the 12th fret.
Always “chase” the note . So if it’s flat, you need to move the saddle “flat” too. Make sense ? If it’s sharp, you’d move the saddle right or “sharp.”
Thank you. I’m a beginner with no guitarist in my family so I’m learning everything myself
Whenever I check a tuner, the pitch seems to fluctuate (attack and sustain are different, and the sustained part also fluctuates a little). So how would I know which parts to match? When tuning regularly I just wing it, but for setting intonation I’d imagine more precision is needed
It's not tuned until fluctuations are gone. Keep going back and forth 'til all strings are tuned to each other and to the guitar as well. Then comes intonation. Although in practice you find that tuning and intonation affect each other so it can take a long time. That's why techs get 50 to 100 for a good set-up. And that's why it's good to learn it for yourself. Just my experience. Like mentioned above, start with the truss rod. Those might end up with 2 settings, winter and summer around here due to weather and humidity changes. There's a lot of info in the comments vs the video itself but this fellow is worth a look at. The long videos I mean, if he has any.
attack should be slightly sharp, the sustain is the tuned note
An that’s for all six strings ?
You the man
Why would you not quickly say, "if the harmonic is sharp, lengthen the string" eg?
Got any tips for adjusting the intonation of Floyd Rose…
I had a music store employee tell me I would ruin my guitar by doing that myself and only a trained technician could do it.
sounds like someone wanted commission
@@peterchoe
That or he was just stupid.
You really should detune to relieve tension to avoid stripping and wear when you make this saddle adjustment. Ive had some old Japanese knockoffs strip out bad.
@@JerryLeeHowell2
Agreed.
It's a tedious process but better safe than stripping saddle adjustment screws.
Ive done this. The twelvth fret harmonic should also match. Height matters. It took me hours to make every string correct. A tech is best. Leave it to the pros.
Whatever i do wen i play 5 in 3rd string its more high pitched than the 2nd string, help
My Father taught me how to do this at 12.
But first thing make sure you have fresh guitar strings on. Because older guitar strings lose their intonation
Easy to miss this: turn the screw left for sharp and right for flat
Was wondering why my fifth fret note was at a +20% pitch gain. Thought I just had a bum neck.
The action better be correct. That is, the height of the string over the 12th fret and the truss rod set properly at temperature and in tune ¿`_
what about for floyd rose?