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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Re: tuning method advice needed.

11/17/1999 3:13 PM
Bob Predaina	Re: tuning method advice needed. Doc's comments about the difference in string tension between the 12th fret harmonic and the fretted note at 12 are dead-on. all of the fretted notes on your instrument will differ from the open notes because the length and tension of the string is effected by the fret height, your string gauge, and your fingering style, among other things. some people still prefer comparing the fretted and harmonic at the 12th fret. the bottom line is that you should use whatever technique makes your instrument sound best. if you are having problems with loss of intonation as you proceed up the neck, try tuning to the fretted notes, rather than the open notes. when you're doing this, its important to have a good tuning standard. a strobe tuner is best. a tuning fork is second best. the inexpensive digital/electronic pocket tuners are unfortunately a distant 3rd. although they tune your open strings well, they just don't give you the accuracy in measurement that's necessary to do a good job of intonation. (even though i sell strobe tuners, this isn't a sales pitch.) . when fretting the string to check intonation, care must be taken not to press the string too hard as if the fret is a little too tall, the pitch of the note can be changed. this is really a problem with the "Malmsteen" style scalloped necks. its a good idea to remember that most guitars are built with tempered tuning, that is to say that thre are slight imperfections built in to compensate for the fact that the pure mathematics of music does not always add up for every key that you play in. these imperfections are slight, but they will definitely show up on a strobe tuner, so these variances can be averaged out to calibrate the bridge positions for acurrate intonation at the frets you play most. after all, having a guitar in tune where you play is alot more important than a neck that is perfectly calibrated in areas that you never use. . with regard to the technique of tuning the high strings sharp and the low strings flat -- this technique is referred to as STRETCH TUNING. it is a very standard practice in piano tuning, and is very important for tuning basses as well. to do it properly requires a very expensive tuner. . these are the types of considerations that professional luthiers will use to provide a good set-up for your instrument. unfortuantely, getting the best results requires some very expensive equipment, and its hard to do with the inexpensive tuners. if you have a serious problem with intonation on your guitar, you may be best off having a professional (or someone you know with the right equipment) help you. . there's a little info on this sort of thing at my website: www.geocities.com/custom_basses . regards, . bob

11/17/1999 3:13 PM

Bob Predaina

Re: tuning method advice needed.

Doc's comments about the difference in string tension between the 12th fret harmonic and the fretted note at 12 are dead-on. all of the fretted notes on your instrument will differ from the open notes because the length and tension of the string is effected by the fret height, your string gauge, and your fingering style, among other things.

some people still prefer comparing the fretted and harmonic at the 12th fret. the bottom line is that you should use whatever technique makes your instrument sound best.

if you are having problems with loss of intonation as you proceed up the neck, try tuning to the fretted notes, rather than the open notes.

when you're doing this, its important to have a good tuning standard. a strobe tuner is best. a tuning fork is second best. the inexpensive digital/electronic pocket tuners are unfortunately a distant 3rd. although they tune your open strings well, they just don't give you the accuracy in measurement that's necessary to do a good job of intonation. (even though i sell strobe tuners, this isn't a sales pitch.)
.
when fretting the string to check intonation, care must be taken not to press the string too hard as if the fret is a little too tall, the pitch of the note can be changed. this is really a problem with the "Malmsteen" style scalloped necks.

its a good idea to remember that most guitars are built with tempered tuning, that is to say that thre are slight imperfections built in to compensate for the fact that the pure mathematics of music does not always add up for every key that you play in. these imperfections are slight, but they will definitely show up on a strobe tuner, so these variances can be averaged out to calibrate the bridge positions for acurrate intonation at the frets you play most. after all, having a guitar in tune where you play is alot more important than a neck that is perfectly calibrated in areas that you never use.
.
with regard to the technique of tuning the high strings sharp and the low strings flat -- this technique is referred to as STRETCH TUNING. it is a very standard practice in piano tuning, and is very important for tuning basses as well. to do it properly requires a very expensive tuner.
.
these are the types of considerations that professional luthiers will use to provide a good set-up for your instrument. unfortuantely, getting the best results requires some very expensive equipment, and its hard to do with the inexpensive tuners. if you have a serious problem with intonation on your guitar, you may be best off having a professional (or someone you know with the right equipment) help you.
.
there's a little info on this sort of thing at my website:
www.geocities.com/custom_basses
.
regards,
.
bob

11/19/1999 1:36 AM
Charles Arsenault	This is a little off the topic but.............. I noticed the other day that when I play my Stratocaster I get a really annoying beating (wavering ) effect when I play any note on the 3rd string between the 10th and 18th fret, the 18th being the worst. One fret up from the 18th is completely beat free. This phenomenon occurs either through an amp or even accoustically ( unplugged ). The beating only occurs on the third string because if I play those same notes on the 2nd string I don't get this effect. The first time I really noticed this problem is when I was using distortion, that really magnified the beating effect. I've just put on a fresh set of .011s and the problem still persists. My intonation is set fairly well, maybe it needs some adjusting? Maybe this is a typical trait of the Strat? At first I thought it might be a case of Stratitis but even when lowering my Texas Specials pickups the wavering was still there. Anyone have any ideas on this? Please help!

11/19/1999 1:36 AM

Charles Arsenault

This is a little off the topic but..............

I noticed the other day that when I play my Stratocaster I get a really annoying beating (wavering ) effect when I play any note on the 3rd string between the 10th and 18th fret, the 18th being the worst. One fret up from the 18th is completely beat free. This phenomenon occurs either through an amp or even accoustically ( unplugged ). The beating only occurs on the third string because if I play those same notes on the 2nd string I don't get this effect. The first time I really noticed this problem is when I was using distortion, that really magnified the beating effect. I've just put on a fresh set of .011s and the problem still persists. My intonation is set fairly well, maybe it needs some adjusting? Maybe this is a typical trait of the Strat? At first I thought it might be a case of Stratitis but even when lowering my Texas Specials pickups the wavering was still there. Anyone have any ideas on this? Please help!

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