Your preferred intonation method.

mwd

mwd

Power User
I've always tuned my open string and fretted the 12th, in a playing position, to set my intonation. Watched a Sweetwater vid where they used open and 12th fret harmonic to set. Have seen other methods using 5th & 17th and so on. Not trying to start a Ginger vs Mary Ann war but wondering what methods others use and why.
 
Fretting the 12th is plenty close enough for me!

I will also on occasion fine-tune it for any chords I may play up high.
 
Setting intonation using the 12th fret is sometimes all that's really needed, especially if you use 'sweetened' tunings. However, I start with the 12th fret then check the 3rd and 15th frets of each string and adjust if they are considerably out of tune with each other. I use this method for the simple reason that chords and notes are played by pressing the strings against the fret. This method helps improve consistency of tuning up and down the neck.
 
JoKeR III said:
Setting intonation using the 12th fret is sometimes all that's really needed, especially if you use 'sweetened' tunings. However, I start with the 12th fret then check the 3rd and 15th frets of each string and adjust if they are considerably out of tune with each other. I use this method for the simple reason that chords and notes are played by pressing the strings against the fret. This method helps improve consistency of tuning up and down the neck.
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Going to give that a try.
 
I use the Fender factory method to start and then adjust as needed. Started using this method like 10-years ago since it gets me in the ballpark super fast and (for me) requires minimal adjustments to finish. And yes... Mary Ann!
 
Intonation problems show themselves more as you go up the neck. So, I do open & 12th fret to start. Then, go further up the neck: 15th, 17th, 19th, 21st, etc. Play some Maj7 inversions on the top 4 strings up high, etc.

Also, if your nut is too high <insert middle-school jokes here> you'll have intonation problems in the lower frets. So, it is always good to check 3,5,7 etc.

Basically, check every fret ;)
 
fractalz said:
Intonation problems show themselves more as you go up the neck. So, I do open & 12th fret to start. Then, go further up the neck: 15th, 17th, 19th, 21st, etc. Play some Maj7 inversions on the top 4 strings up high, etc.

Also, if your nut is too high <insert middle-school jokes here> you'll have intonation problems in the lower frets. So, it is always good to check 3,5,7 etc.

Basically, check every fret ;)
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If you start checking every fret your going to end up chasing your tail.
 
Also... Your guitar will sound different on your bench vs. on your body w/strap, playing sitting down, etc. So, it is OK to do the first pass on the bench, but I'd also check it in your normal playing position and fine-tune.

Lastly, you may end up having to compromise and not get every fret in tune. You may find that 12/12 intonation leaves other areas of the neck un-intonated (?). Depending on how/what you play, you may choose to have the intonation best in a different area.

And, really lastly, realize that the guitar can never really be in tune. Don't believe me? Play an A triad in 2nd position (2nd fret on D, G, B strings). Tune the strings so this sounds super stable. OK, now play an A triad in 5th position: 7th, 6th, 5th frets on the D, G, B strings. How does that sound? Tune strings so that is stable. Now, go play the 2nd position A chord and weep.
 
Thank you for the replies and ideas and yes to Mary Ann...lol. I ask about this topic because I have had 2 brand new $2200.00 guitars, in the last 6 months, arrive with (not minor) intonation issues and that is after the purported '55 point inspection'. The Strandberg I traded off because of tuning and intonation issues. Now I have a new Tele Ultra that when I tune open low E and 12th fret the saddle literally won't go back enough and when I fretted 3rd the G was ridiculously too sharp. I then started considering the nut was too high and sure enough it was. I filed the slots to more reasonable specs, and it was an improvement, but no where near what I would think a guitar in this category should be.

I realize non-temperament guitars are mathematically incorrect and $$$ don't always equal quality but I have some much cheaper guitars that are far more spot on. I think I will be trying some fret to fret methods to eliminate possible remaining nut errors.
 
mwd said:
Now I have a new Tele Ultra that when I tune open low E and 12th fret the saddle literally won't go back enough
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Fender has been notorious for the low E intonation issue, particularly with the modern saddles. The spring at the back of the saddle will need to be cut down or possibly removed to get closer to proper intonation.
 
JoKeR III said:
Fender has been notorious for the low E intonation issue, particularly with the modern saddles. The spring at the back of the saddle will need to be cut down or possibly removed to get closer to proper intonation.
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This is not true that they have an issue BUT a brand new string in a thicker gauge when forced over a saddle at a sharp angle ( as in a Fender Strat) will continue to arc forward until it beds down and the core bends. While this is happening the intonation point is actually in front of the witness point hence you can't seem to put the saddle far enough back. The solution is simply press down on the string just in front of the saddle to ensure a proper contact with the witness point. Suddenly you need to intonate the guitar again and it is within the saddle range.
 
BBN said:
@Andy Eagle - I'm curious how you intonate the guitars you work on (and build)? Would you care to share?
(sorry if you already have in another thread)
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Intonation last thing in a setup . Everything else must be right or this won't be. Tune your guitar to fretted notes on the third fret and intonation to the fifteenth. This tempers the fretted notes and eliminates the effect of the nut . If you do this and it sounds off to you ( particularly in the lower register ) the nut is probably too high. Remember it is not going to be perfect everywhere and you can temper tune it to taste. Also not all tuners sound perfectly in tune and you may feel the need to tweak it. In fact the ONLY tuners I have every been 100% happy with are the big old Peterson strobe (none of the new ones) and the Turbo Tuner. I think the best tuner on the market by FAR is the Turbo Tuner (all versions.)
 
Maybe I am misunderstanding the original post, but, the 12th fret harmonic will always be exactly one octave above the open string. I mean, by definition the harmonic is created by isolating the first overtone (the octave) on a vibrating string. Finding out whether the fret placement relative to the string length agrees is what intonating seeks to achieve. This is why a violin's bridge placement (for example) is done purely by sight and can be tweaked by the player depending on their style.

I always check harmonic against fretted pitch at the 12th fret. It can be helpful to check pitch at other frets but, I would do this more as a diagnostic for a problem instrument since there are sometimes very small errors in fret placement on some guitars.
 
I think whichever spot you choose to reference the intonation from, that area of the fretboard will be better intonated and "worse" as you move farther away.

The normal guitar fretboard isn't perfectly intonated anyway so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

if people really want their notes to be as accurately intonated as possible, they should get true temperament frets , I believe they better intonate each note depending on the fret position.

even then it's not perfect as string height isn't consistent from lower to higher frets, which will affect intonation
 
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