How to: Set Proper Intonation

Intonation refers to a guitar’s ability to stay in tune in different positions.  As you move up the fretboard on your guitar, the spaces between frets become narrower, and occasionally the notes will not be in tune like they are on the lower frets.  This is a telltale sign that your intonation is off. Adjusting intonation can be  a little tedious at first, but with some patience and practice, it will save you money not having to go to a repair shop, and build your confidence with repairing guitars.

Some guitar players  just notice when their guitar sounds “off” even though it has been tuned. If you are like me, and do not have perfect pitch, you have to grab your favorite tuner to tune your guitar. Tune the guitar however you like, and then check the pitches at the 12th or 14th fret. If you see that the notes are perfectly in tune, your intonation is good, but if the notes become sharper or flatter as you move up the fretboard, you have to adjust.  The reason this happens is because the distance between the nut and 12th fret is not the same as the distance from the 12th fret to the bridge. Ideal intonation exists when these two spaces are equal. If the higher notes are sharper, distance to the bridge needs to be increased, if the notes are flatter, distance needs to be shortened. This is most commonly done by adjusting the saddles on your guitar’s bridge.

Here I will be showing how to adjust a Tune-O-Matic bridge. These are equipped on most Les Pauls, SG’s, some Fenders, and nearly all Schecters.  Although you may not have this bridge type, the same principle applies.

If you take a closer look at the bridge, you will see that each saddle sits independently, and can be moved closer or further with a simple Phillips head screwdriver.

This is what your bridge should look like, and since my intonation is too flat, I have to bring my saddles closer to the head of the guitar.

Once your guitar is in tune, and you know if the higher notes are sharp or flat, it is time to adjust the bridge. To do this you are going to have loosen one string so that you can reach the screws on your bridge. It is easier to do this one string at a time.

Take the screwdriver and move the saddle closer or further depending on what you need. Once you have done that, place the string back on the saddle and tune it back up. Check the higher frets to see if they are in tune. Be aware that it may not be exact, so you will have to loosen the string and adjust the saddle again. Keep doing this until your tuning gets as precise as possible. For your first time, this may take about half hour to get t done, but once you are familiar with adjusting intonation, it can be done as quickly as 10 minutes.

Now you can play your guitar without hearing certain chords and notes sound dissonant and out of tune.

How to: Restring a Guitar

So you finally got yourself a guitar, and maybe even learned a few songs, but eventually you will have to replace the strings that came with it. Changing the strings on your guitar is essential maintenance, like changing the oil in your car, and with proper care, will sound better and be easier to play. In a few simple steps, I will show you how to save the 30 dollars that most instrument shops charge for a few minutes of work.

The first step is to find a pack of strings that you like, and gather some tools like a screwdriver and wire cutters. I chose Ernie Ball strings.

Next, examine the type of bridge on your guitar, taking notice of how the strings are placed. Remove the old strings by either clipping them off, or by unwinding the tuners. Either way works.  After that, take out the new strings and feed them through the bridge.  Some guitars have stop-tails, like  Les Pauls, fixed bridges, like Fender Strats and Teles, or are fed through the body itself. If you have a Floyd Rose style tremelo, you can look here.

Once all the strings are pulled through the bridge, you can begin winding them through the tuners one at a time.  Make sure to leave enough slack so that the string can be wound about 2 to 3 times around the tuning peg. This ensures better tension and makes tuning higher or lower a bit smoother.  Also, make sure to wind towards the outside of the guitar.

Once all the strings are taught, clip off all the excess wire, and grab your favorite tuner.  Tune the guitar, and then you are ready to play.  Remember that with a fresh set of strings, you may have to tune more often so that the strings can get broken in and stay in tune longer.