intonation and string height
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Posted on Apr 15, 2005 03:14 am
fortymile
Member Since: Jan 18, 2003
i just set intonation for the first time ever, on my older squier. i think i got it perfect--my tuner seems to think so, anyway.
ah, what a good feeling.
but now i want to adjust this new squier, because there's a problem with string height.
the fifth string is higher off the board than the sixth, which makes my fingers trip when i move from 6th string power chords to 5th string power chords. other strings may be suffering too, but this one jumps out at me and i have yet to check the others. i think i should lower this one and take it from there.
question topic one: why did it come this way, can i lower it, and what do i have to watch out for if i do? like, to avoid fret buzz, what do i look at? my goal is to lower it to the height of the other strings, but suppose i do that and get a buzz on the 5th string. then i would have to find the lowest setting i can make it, right, and raise the other strings instead? and that will be my Minimum Possible Action (MPA)
question two: do i have to take into account the curvature of the fretboard at all? like, i have to make all the strings be the same height above *thier* part of the fretboard, right? cause i think fretboards are, like, convex. you know, i just really have never paid close attention to a lot of things. or maybe that's the problem: maybe thats what these strings are doing as theyre set now? maybe all the strings should be level from the perspective of the hand, and not the fretboard?
question three: i have to re-set the intonation any time i raise or lower a saddle, right?
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Apr 15, 2005 09:34 am i have had only one guitar come setup up properly, and it was my carvin. squiers are made overseas, and im sure they dont get setup decent from factory even if they did by the time you buy the guitar, it has most likely been through alot of climate changes and sat around in a warehouse, and the wood has probably expaned and contracted.
you can lower the 5th string,just do it in small amounts and check for buzz and when you get it where you like re-do the intonation. But ultimately Your saddles should match the radius of your fretboard, not sure what radius squier is 10"? and remember neck relief and your nut are big factors in your action. so to get your MPA all of these things need to be checked and possibly adjusted.
one more thing your frets are most likely not level and that could be the reason your 5th string was set high, and thats a whole other ball game.
Apr 15, 2005 11:12 am ok, i'm no expert but here's a few basics that i kinda know.....
first is neck (truss rod) you should be able to fit one or two business cards inbetween the strings if you lay it flat, and press the fret that lies ontop of where the neck meets body (16th or 18thish) and hold the first fret down with your other hand. put the business card middle...no frets should be touching the string.
bridge : for string legnth, get ahold of the best tuner you have available, hit the 12th harmonic and tune, now hit the 12th fret, should be Exactly the same.
string height should be done with the neck adjustment and can be more or less done to taste...lower = hotter sound and easier bends (err i think) and higher gives you more "room" and is a bit easier to play accurately
that's about the jist of what i understand...i'd like to know more...OH set aside like 3 hours cuz if you wanna do it right, it takes time!!
peace
wyd
Apr 15, 2005 03:00 pm ok, im going to either buy a fantastic book on this stuff i saw, or have a luthier do it. the truss rod stuff i would want to learn more about first.
xtc: what you mean my frets are likely not level?
when you say saddles should match the radius of the fretboard what does that mean? the curvature, you mean? i noticed on my older squier that the 'concavity' of the saddle arc is very, very slight--almost level. by contrast, the saddles on this new guitar display a pronounced hump, in thier vertical arrangement.
Apr 15, 2005 06:17 pm Quote:
xtc: what you mean my frets are likely not level?
they arent consistent up and down the neck. maybe not seated perfectly, or maybe just not dressed properly. my epiphone dot had some wacked out frets, so i had a luthier level them.
yes the saddles should have the same arc as the fretboard..
Jason H.Jack of all trades master of ___Member
Since: May 28, 2004
Apr 15, 2005 11:21 pm Not to twist the forum topic but I have become a guitar-a-holic...I don't own many, but plan to.
Anyone here ever build one or consider building one???
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 16, 2005 12:56 am Yes! And patients is big deal when you are building one.
Apr 16, 2005 10:48 am jason,
some day im going to put together a guitar from warmoth,or maybe even do a carvin bolt kit. I dont have the skills to build one from scratch(make the body and neck)
Apr 16, 2005 11:52 am had a friend who made one outta 2" x 4"
called it "The Plank" used it to practice at work (Saturn)
Apr 16, 2005 03:35 pm "they arent consistent up and down the neck. maybe not seated perfectly, or maybe just not dressed properly. my epiphone dot had some wacked out frets, so i had a luthier level them."
hmm. i dont know why you would make a remote diagnosis like that. as near as i can tell, the string is just high because that's the way they set the strings. frets seem ok. but the saddle's arc is HIGHLY pronounced on this guitar. it makes a caricature out of the fretboard's arc. i checked, and it's not just the fifth string. the first three rise, the second three fall.
thanks for that link, beer
Apr 16, 2005 06:05 pm Quote:
hmm. i dont know why you would make a remote diagnosis like that. as near as i can tell, the string is just high because that's the way they set the strings.
i wasnt diagnosing your problem, it would be impossible without having the guitar, i was merely suggesting that it could be a possibility that the guy in korea(or where the guitar was made) realized the "a" string was buzzing like crazy and just raised its height well above the other strings to fix the problem.?! just a thought i had based on experiences ive had with korean made mass produced guitars.
