Not because of my guitar, but because everybody’s guitar had intonation problems! When we’re talking about musical intonation, we are talking about the pitch accuracy of a musician or musical instrument. Once done, hold the note at the 12th fret and compare it with the harmonic. That is our aim. Intonation: How do I check and properly set the intonation on my own guitar? So to properly check intonation, follow these steps: 1. If you think your guitar’s intonation may be off, it’s quick and easy to check. Though guitars do often sound better with age, good intonation can be much more elusive with these instruments. Essentially the top is now more in tune with the strings. Intonation refers to the instrument being in tune along the fretboard. Checking Intonation. Frustrating, of course, but this is because of the way your guitar has been set up. 2. Learning Guitars : The Academy Series by Taylor Guitars, Five Great Guitars for Students Going Back to School, Announcing the Taylor Guitars Holiday Gift Guide, 8 Guitar Gift Ideas for the Holiday Season, Acoustic Guitar Innovation Spotlight: The Taylor Neck, A Guide To Taylor Acoustic Guitar Model Numbers, 8 Tips for Trying Out and Choosing an Acoustic Guitar. With Taylor guitars, provided there is no fret wear, the setup often solves serious acoustic guitar intonation problems. 2. On most electric instruments, you’ll likely have adjustable saddles to easily compensate each string. The technician will check the guitar’s action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard), as well as the instrument’s neck relief. For example, any open string should have its perfect octave at the 12th fret. When you play alone, it’s hard to find a frame of reference for intonation issues that your guitar may have. For guitarists who record or play music live, intonation problems can ruin a recording session or a live performance. If you’re attempting to adjust the intonation of an acoustic guitar, then this is a different technique entirely. When you are happy, move on to the next string and repeat the process until you have done all six strings. You should be turning the screw by tiny fractions each time. A setup is a way of fine-tuning the relationship of the guitar’s components, such as the guitar strings, bridge, nut, saddle, neck angle, and with electric guitars, pickups, all to optimize the guitar’s feel and sound. While the string composition affects its stiffness and density, the tension as well as the pitch are also affected that lead to intonation. Perhaps the higher that you go on the neck, things start to sound out of tune. We experience that chaos as dissonance, the beating or wavering sound that occurs when you play a chord voicing that the acoustic guitar isn’t built to reproduce accurately. This refers to the slight bowing intentionally created in the neck to set the action. Otherwise, a technician can find the sweet spot on your guitar that provides the best possible intonation all the way up and down the neck. This refers to the slight bowing intentionally created in the neck to set the action. You can tell when your intonation is out if an open string harmonic at the 12th fret (lightly touch string at the 12th fret and pluck it) and the fretted note one octave higher (hold the string down at the 12th fret and pluck it) are not the same. So if any of this is happening to you, it might be a sign that your intonation needs adjusting. What makes this noteworthy is that bracing normally isn’t even associated with intonation; usually intonation issues are addressed along the fretboard, through the guitar’s setup and compensation. However, when you do begin to introduce different voicings across the rest of the fretboard, this is where you can find some discrepancy, and things can start to sound off. The technician will check the pitch of each string at the 12th fret to ensure that it’s in tune with the pitch of the open string. HOW to setup INTONATION? The technician will check the guitar’s action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard), as well as the instrument’s neck relief. So the tuner will need to be sensitive to these. While tuner apps aren’t highly accurate, there sufficient enough to conduct this test. First, we should define what intonation is. So to properly check intonation, follow these steps: 1. New strings that are unplayed are free from the flat areas that strings develop on their underside from being pressed repeatedly against frets. Guitar intonation must be checked on every string on your guitar. by Craig Bourne | May 14, 2020 | Guitar Maintenance | 0 comments. If you are in tune, you can move on to the next string as the string you have checked will not need to be adjusted. And keep in mind that another factor that can affect acoustic guitar intonation is a person’s playing technique. If you have questions about intonating your guitar, check with an authorized Taylor service technician or call our Customer Service department. If the fretted note is sharp, move the saddle backward (away from the neck); if the fretted note is flat, move the saddle forward. However, many high-level players still appreciate a luthier’s specific attention to intonation, because it will address each player’s style and technique on that particular instrument. This removes the extra variables and makes it easier to dial in the intonation. If a note on the 12th fret is out of tune, that indicates a flaw in either the manufacture or configuration of the guitar. Double that measurement to find the scale length of your guitar. However, when a string is fretted, the tension on the string increases, which bends the pitch of the note slightly upward. When you look down the neck of your guitar, it should be perfectly straight. You can preset the basic intonation of your guitar by taking a tape measure and measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the 12th fret (the fret wire itself; not the fingerboard). You might find that you are a smidge sharp or flat here and there, so it becomes an exercise in finding a compromise. Basically the vibrating top isn’t completely in sync with the vibrating strings. However, when playing with other musicians, or even when recording your guitar and multitracking it, you may find that certain chords or notes are clashing. If there is some variation between the two, then you will need to move the bridge saddle backward or forwards slightly to compensate. Without those clashing waves, those slightly dissonant chords sound clearer with more harmonic agreement, and without the sourness that can be heard with certain voicings. In early 2018, Taylor released a new internal bracing system called V-Class, which dramatically revoices the top of an acoustic guitar. On most guitars, intonation is adjustable at the bridge. Guitar Frets: How do I properly clean and polish my frets to a mirror finish? Not strictly necessary, but we have a helpful article highlighting that process and the tools needed to keep your string height optimal. Strobe tuners are among the best tools for the job. To set intonation, locate the screw that allows you to change the position of the saddle. It can be controlled by tightening or loosening the truss rod, which is located in the neck. While adjusting the acoustic guitar intonation is conceptually the same as an electric guitar, due to certain differences in construction (e.g., different types of saddles) the processes vary in some respects. So when we are checking our intonation, we do not want octaves of any given notes to clash, wherever played along the neck. First, you’ll want to tune your guitar as best as you can using a good quality tuner like the ones we have named above. Follow the below steps to check your guitar’s intonation right now: Step 1: Tune Your Guitar Guitar makers set up their instruments according to their own specifications, and any guitar service technician can easily handle either a basic setup or a more customized setup to suit a seasoned player’s preferences and playing technique. On top of this, manufacturers make bridges that are usually only tested and designed for a wound G-string. X-bracing, by virtue of its design, creates disorderly zones of vibration in the top that cause clashing sound waves (think of choppy sea conditions). So once we have the tools to hand, have a fresh set of strings on the guitar, and a decent quality tuner, we can begin. Setting the intonation to where the guitar plays well and the intonation accuracy is within an acceptable window. Most of us aren’t going to have access to these or even want to use them. With older instruments, there’s no guaranteed method for perfect intonation in all positions on the neck. At Taylor, we have the added benefit of our proprietary neck design, which ensures that every guitar is built with proper action and accurate nut and saddle location. This means that low action tends to produce more accurate intonation. The Truss Rod: How do I know when, how, and which way to adjust it. So if you are a newbie when it comes to setting the intonation of your guitar, hopefully, this article demystifies the process and gives you the courage to give it a go yourself. Ultimately, learn to trust your ears. Since there are so many variables, we recommend that players change their strings before consulting a service technician to adjust their intonation, since guitar strings naturally lose some elasticity with time and wear.
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