Learning to play a guitar is a lot easier than tuning one, more so when it is guitar intonation setup you have to deal with. It involves so many factors that need to be understood and if not done right, may cause some injuries and more damage to your instrument. Before you get started, here are some pointers you might want to familiarize yourself with.
A higher action or more distance from the string to the fret will produce a sharper than flat sound. This is so because the cords are stretched farther. The problem you will encounter here is a difficulty in getting in tune, sometimes you have it, the next time you do not. What you need to do is to set up your instrument all over again to get just the right height and make sure you have the desired length.
Neck relief or the bowing in the guitars' neck is next to being examined. If the string is too tight, it will shorten the space between the saddle and nut. Another effect is you will be raising the height of the cord farther to the frets. This set up will lead you to press harder than normal, if done softly it will be out of tune. Truss rod should be adjusted to obtain the suitable relief.
You need to check how the saddle leans. What you should be after is a saddle that is sitting firmly on the bridge. The moment you see it leaning forward only means it is loose, thus shortening the string making the intonation sharper. If you have a problem here, then you have to replace the saddle to get a proper fit.
Next to be worked on is the saddle crown. Deep notches are the common sight causing problems in this part. The result of these indentations is variations in the measure of the strings' length making it almost unattainable to create the correct tune. Having this dilemma gives you only to action plans. You can refurbish the crown or replace it entirely.
Another common problem every guitar owner experiences is a worn out fret. Overtime, continuous rubbing of the string will thin it out. It will no doubt affect the inflection as it modifies the cord length and height. A damage fret can be remedied but for cases with acute damage, you have no more alternatives but to replace it.
One last very important thing to consider is the quality of your string. Getting an unknown brand may save you money. But you will eventually learn you would need to get a new one. Cheap strings have been known to loosen sooner cause sound and intonation issues. Always go for known strings as they will last longer.
Now you should have a basic idea of the ins and outs of guitar intonation setup. Doing it by your self is not a feat without a solution. It will however require a lot of patience to learn all the concepts and principles first. Do not hesitate to seek assistance from professionals because they are the best people to get advice from.
A higher action or more distance from the string to the fret will produce a sharper than flat sound. This is so because the cords are stretched farther. The problem you will encounter here is a difficulty in getting in tune, sometimes you have it, the next time you do not. What you need to do is to set up your instrument all over again to get just the right height and make sure you have the desired length.
Neck relief or the bowing in the guitars' neck is next to being examined. If the string is too tight, it will shorten the space between the saddle and nut. Another effect is you will be raising the height of the cord farther to the frets. This set up will lead you to press harder than normal, if done softly it will be out of tune. Truss rod should be adjusted to obtain the suitable relief.
You need to check how the saddle leans. What you should be after is a saddle that is sitting firmly on the bridge. The moment you see it leaning forward only means it is loose, thus shortening the string making the intonation sharper. If you have a problem here, then you have to replace the saddle to get a proper fit.
Next to be worked on is the saddle crown. Deep notches are the common sight causing problems in this part. The result of these indentations is variations in the measure of the strings' length making it almost unattainable to create the correct tune. Having this dilemma gives you only to action plans. You can refurbish the crown or replace it entirely.
Another common problem every guitar owner experiences is a worn out fret. Overtime, continuous rubbing of the string will thin it out. It will no doubt affect the inflection as it modifies the cord length and height. A damage fret can be remedied but for cases with acute damage, you have no more alternatives but to replace it.
One last very important thing to consider is the quality of your string. Getting an unknown brand may save you money. But you will eventually learn you would need to get a new one. Cheap strings have been known to loosen sooner cause sound and intonation issues. Always go for known strings as they will last longer.
Now you should have a basic idea of the ins and outs of guitar intonation setup. Doing it by your self is not a feat without a solution. It will however require a lot of patience to learn all the concepts and principles first. Do not hesitate to seek assistance from professionals because they are the best people to get advice from.
About the Author:
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