| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1517.1 | I think this is what you are looking for | CSC32::MOLLER | Nightmare on Sesame Street | Thu Oct 12 1989 00:48 | 23 |
| Intonation is where you adjust your guitar bridge so that your
frets actually play the correct notes. If you intonation is off,
the further that you play up the neck (the higher frets) the
more incorrect your note becomes. You can do a simple intonation
test by playing a string open, then fretting the 12th fret and
listen to see if it's sharp or flat (the notes should be exactly
an octave apart). If it's sharp, adjust the bridge saddle towards
the back end of the guitar. If it's flat, adjust the bridge saddle
towards the neck. If you have a bridge that cannot be adjusted
one string at a time (Lots of Arch top guitars & some Gibsons
with STOP tailpiece Bridges have this restriction), you may have to
try for the best average of all of the strings by moving the bridge
assembly back & forth or at an angle.
Tuning can be done after the intonation is set. If the Intonation
is off, the guitar really can't be tuned such that all notes are
accurate. You may find that the fret spacing may contain errors
on some guitar necks, and these errors can't be corrected by tweeking
the bridge (I haven't seen a guitar with this problem in some time,
but it was quite common on real cheap Japanese guitars in the late
1960's).
Jens
|
| 1517.2 | | LARVAE::BRIGGS | They use computers don't they? | Thu Oct 12 1989 07:15 | 23 |
| I find intonation an interesting subject (well relatively speaking!).
For instance, intonation is affected by the gauge (thickness) of the strings
you are using. So, theoretically, if you set intonation up using
one gauge of string then if you change strings to thicker or thinner
ones then the intonation must be out, maybe only marginally.
Also, you see left handed guitarists playing right handed guitars.
OK, they've swapped the bass/treble strings around but the bridge
is STILL angled for right handed playing. The instrument must be
chronically out of intonation. I've seen Paul McCartney with such
a set up on TV!
Lastly, the question of 12 string guitars (I have one). If you think
about the various octave pairs of strings and the fact that you
cannot adjust intonation for each string on your average 12 string
then the guitar by definition is only in tune with open chords and
even then, is probably marginally out. But this is probably what
gives the 12 string its unique sound.
Any views on these aspects of intonation?
Richard
Basingstoke, UK
|
| 1517.3 | a foot note | EXPRES::JONEILL | | Thu Oct 12 1989 07:33 | 5 |
| I thought intonation was a foot disorder............
(sorry, couldn't resist)
|
| 1517.4 | equal distances before you finetune... | MPGS::MIKRUT | Don't you boys know any NICE songs? | Thu Oct 12 1989 09:23 | 5 |
| As a general rule, the distance between the nut and the 12th fret
is about the same as the distance between the bridge and the
12th fret.
cheers/mike
|
| 1517.5 | | ZYDECO::MCABEE | les haricots | Thu Oct 12 1989 14:56 | 11 |
|
In practice, the distance from bridge to 12th fret has to be slightly longer
by an amount depending on the type and gauge of string.
Intonation is a bit more general than just placing the bridge saddle. It
refers to the instrument's ability to play in tune. Tuning the strngs to the
proper pitch is one aspect of correct intonation, and placement of the bridge
saddle is another. Fret placement certainly affects intonation as does the
pitch (angle) of the neck.
Bob
|
| 1517.6 | Intonation can be a personal problem | AZUR::DOTTI | Ernesto Dotti - IS ADG @VBO | Fri Oct 13 1989 05:44 | 4 |
| Use fretless instruments and then you move the problem from the
bridge to your ears & fingers...
E.
|
| 1517.7 | It's still a compromise | XNOGOV::EVANS | | Fri Oct 13 1989 12:26 | 21 |
| Re 1 (I think):
It's true that if the intonation is correct, the open string and the same
string fretted at the 12th fret should be an octave apart. An easier way
of checking this is to check the fretted note at the 12th fret against the
harmonic - they should be the same.
Besides 12-strings, there's a compromise involved with all guitars
without individual adjustable saddles, eg most acoustics, old-style
Telecasters (with two strings to a saddle).
Incidentally, because of different string gauges across the neck, at any
given fret the intonation on some of the strings will always be out, no
matter what you do. There are some classical guitars which solve this by
having each fret made up of six separate segments, one for each string,
each set slightly back or forward from the "standard" position. But it's
not too practical for string bending...
Chris
|