Lame intonation problem

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 4:10 pm

Well I have this stupid problem..
I am trying to set up my stratocaster for a while..
When I got the string height good..And straightened the intonation on the highest five strings, and then I got to the 6th E string (fattest) and its just bullocks, pressing on the first fret is off tune, going higher it gets crazier..
Where could be the problem ? This is quite strange.. (maybe I have got the saddles uneven, or I dont know, any advieces ?)

Post by **Doog** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 7:16 pm

I take it you're using an electronic tuner to set the intonation?

Could you take a photo of the bridge as it is currently?

chisa · Post by **chisa** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:59 pm

nut too high

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:04 pm

Didnt know what to actually make, so I made a bunch.

something like this.. I made a picture of the 'nut'..

(the focus is not too good)

hope this will do ?
and Yes, I use a electric tuner (a korg)..
I made this adjustment, I loosened, the middle four screws at the bridge..

Post by **Doog** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:22 pm

Does it intonate properly at the 12th fret, ignoring the lower fret problems? And did it just start doing this after you started adjusting stuff? Did you adjust anything else? Do you have a spare thick E to try out?

Try lowering all of the pickups- that bridge pickup looks awful close to the thick E. The pickup's magnetic field can sometimes fuck things up.

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:25 pm

well at the twelfth fret it goes (dont know how its called in english buuut) # quite drastically..

maybe its too high, but the other strings are fine..
ok, will try to lower the pup's. mhm.

Post by **Doog** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:27 pm

If it showing sharp, the saddle needs to go further back- you might wanna try taking the screw off of the thick E saddle to allow the saddle back further. This is a pretty common mod needed when using heavier strings.

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:32 pm

Taking the 'screw off' it means.. like having to make is shorter ?
ok, will try it all..
nice advices.. thaaanks.

(I always come up with n00ub questions, but yees.)

*before my 'mods' it was totally shit.
the strings were super high, intonation off the limits, and yea.
dont understand what they do in those guitar shops.

aen · Post by **aen** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 10:42 pm

It might be just the gross gold bridge throwing everything off with it's ugliness.

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:06 am

yup, hate the styling of the bridge...

looks much nicer without gould

chisa · Post by **chisa** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 1:55 pm

can you tell us what you are actually doing to check the intonation?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 2:06 pm

If the 12th is going sharp then it sounds like nothing out of the ordinary - use the tuner to get the 12th spot on, and flip back to normal tuning and get the open spot on - keep going back and forwards until the two match. If that doesn't sort it out without going into all the details take a look at this which will cover much more than I can right now:

Intone that shitz

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:46 pm

Well, yes, I tune the guitar, then push the string down on the 12th fret and look which way its going and then turn the screw..
To get it in pitch.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:07 pm

izodiak wrote:Well, yes, I tune the guitar, then push the string down on the 12th fret and look which way its going and then turn the screw..
To get it in pitch.

yes but you generally have to retune the open string after that and this will throw the 12 off so you do the 12th again and then the open string again until both intonate on the tuner. I might be misunderstanding your problem however!

cur · Post by **cur** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:21 pm

Looks like your low E is very close to the pickup. Could be magnetic pull or actually hitting the pup.

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:48 pm

Black Cat Bone wrote:
izodiak wrote:Well, yes, I tune the guitar, then push the string down on the 12th fret and look which way its going and then turn the screw..
To get it in pitch.
yes but you generally have to retune the open string after that and this will throw the 12 off so you do the 12th again and then the open string again until both intonate on the tuner. I might be misunderstanding your problem however!

Yes, yes I understand (:

And the pickup was the problem..
it was too close..
how silly of me. hah.

Post by **Mike** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:58 pm

It's ok, you just wanted MOAR POWER

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:20 pm

yes, that was my intention

more RAWK tones.. the buzz adds some style

hah.

cur · Post by **cur** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:32 pm

It's nice when it is something simple. Now destroy all the gold hardware.

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:06 pm

yup, I heat that.. the tuners, bridge, tremolo..
but I will do that with my stratocaster project..
(This I will keep, cause its my first (electric) guitar, and parents gave me it, so it has some nostalgia)
its like a silly sweater mom gives You in christmas.