How to Intonate an Electric Guitar

More videos like How to Intonate an Electric Guitar 👉 • Guitar Lessons
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Learn MORE about intonating an electric guitar 👉 www.sweetwater...
Don Carrs heads over to Sweetwater's Guitar Workshop for an expert lesson on intonating an electric guitar, with one of our in-house luthiers, Greg Reszel.
After you watch, check out Sweetwater.com today for all your music instrument and pro audio needs! 👉 www.Sweetwater...
0:00 - Intro
0:32 - What is Intonation?
5:22 - Intonating A Guitar
11:00 - Thanks For Watching!
#Sweetwater #HowToIntonate

[@sweetwater]

You're going to love how sweet your guitar sounds after following these steps! Have a question? Drop it in the comments 👇

[@ceb4382]

All of the pickups should be lowered.

[@flashy5150]

It, what about the elastic band,won’t that hold the string back from a successful intonation, rubber does grab on anything serrated, like a guitar string. Will using an elastic band screw up your intonation? That’s my question. Thanks

[@dmeemd7787]

Thanks so much for this video! I literally do all these things that you showed Oh, so it makes me feel a whole lot better when I do work on my friends guitars for them! You can never learn or relearn enough! Plus your store is great and the list goes on! There are too many channels out there that don't have very good information or a really long don't get to the point, this video gets right to the point with lots of detail given in a manner anyone should be able to understand. 😊🤘🏻 Everybody wants to be an expert yet no one wants to keep an open mind LOL :-)

[@nikojnemavakvo]

why is the half of the video useless info

[@bdgdr7722]

What is it that makes the g-string such an issue

[@bbrotherton6345]

I have been playing and setting up guitars for 65 years. I learned a couple of useful tips from this video.

[@andrepalomaro353]

Concise and effective review! Thank you for your guitar service! 😂❤

[@zackcarpenter5936]

this guy explains everything in a way thats super understandable unlike most other luthiers that dont think to explain things in a way that easy for a non guitar tech to understand. I even learned something on this video! 👍👍👍

[@dancarr8185]

I disagree

[@RR31982]

I learned a few things from this video 😁 thank you

[@RR31982]

@@dancarr8185 what was hard to understand from this video for you 🤔

[@lucas-kanemutti6963]

@@NubsWithGuns literally

[@lucas-kanemutti6963]

@@dancarr8185 same, i switched off when he started going on about the gravity of the neck lol

[@efebezmez6903]

3:32 I watched about 5 videos about intonation. None of em put it as simple as this. Thanks.

[@cmkilcullen8176]

At Efe R. Because it ain't, unfortunately...

[@jimvandemoter6961]

I started playing in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I'm 71 now and I still play. I've also been doing setups over 30 years and this is one of the best tutorials I've seen. This guy knows his stuff. Great video, thank you.

[@Left_hand_clapping]

Excellent video. I already understood how to intonate a guitar but the statement about using a high resolution strobe tuner recommendation took my setup to the next level. I thought my previous tuner was good enough but I just picked up a strobe tuner accurate to 1/1000 of a semitone and wow what difference it makes. Thank you Greg!

[@imoffendedthatyouareoffended]

I use ableton live’s tuner. It’s so damn accurate I love it. It goes by hz which I prefer much more over a note.

[@soupernutt9508]

I looked up Greg's tuner, the Peterson. It's about $995 on Sweetwater's site now. It's accurate to 0.1 cent. Same as yours. They also sell another Peterson for $4,383.99. But, it seems to have the same accuracy and features.

[@bigbasil1908]

A strobe tuner sounds like overkill lol. Most times when I tune I just do it by ear, though I have an Ibanez electric acoustic that has a built in tuner and I've used that a few times just because it's there lol

[@pe777vidmax5]

@@bigbasil1908 Have to say a 900$ dollar tuner is like buying a 250$ guitar cable. Maybe a tad overkill. Like one of the "😲👉🏼🎸oh my God I just bought a expensive guitar and it sounds amaze balls" youtube unboxing videos. Or the "Filling my guitar body with jello pudding, it's ethereal" videos. 😆

[@brooksphillips2234]

​@bigbasil1908 it's not necessarily overkill. They are faster and have lots of sweetened tunings usually. Any tuner is fine for getting your guitar in tune but when doing intonation it's better to have a good strobe tuner.

[@Jeff-11_354]

I've been playing guitar 25 years. We just moved, and I don't know who the reputable tech/luthiers are in my new area. I knew that my main guitar was sharp, but didn't want to take it to an unknown shop. Thanks to this video and my Peterson tuner, I'm playing in tune again. God bless you.

[@bulletbeatz5979]

I’ve always loved sweetwater. They don’t feel artificial like so many other companies. I needed help setting up my Alesis keyboard that I got off of amazon and mistook them for the manufacturer. I was on the phone with an employee and he helped me even though they gained no money from it. I’m buying a prophet rev2 and a kc 600 amp from them within the next month. Thank you sweetwater!

[@KipCount]

Would love a video on working through different scenarios, one being you need to lengthen a sharp string, but your saddle is all the way back. Things like that.

[@EWilliams81]

Ahhh, the mysteries of intonation. Thanks for shedding some light. And much love as always to Sweetwater.

[@beansrgd]

Buying my first beginner bass from Sweetwater in a couple of weeks!! They make the customer so comfortable- There’s Nothing like feeling you are talking to someone who care’s versus someone who just works at a retail store . A completely different experience. Never rushed on the phone .

[@marcwormjim]

All things considered, Gary Moore’s looking GREAT here.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Les is MMoore!

[@HeltonMoraes]

And so does David Ellefson!

[@DuggyDugunder]

That's Dean Ween, duh.

[@S1LVERflyin]

@@HeltonMoraes that aged like milk 😂😂😂

[@dgerch]

Weird Al and Dean Ween

[@michael_caz_nyc]

Love Sweetwater - only place I shop, since 1993. I see he has: 3 in 1 oil, Feed & Wax, & DeoxIt. Glad I am using the same products. I also love some of the Music Nomad stuff. This was great. oNe LovE from NYC

[@homemademusic7]

Greg you just gave me the instructions and confidence to do it myself, and not have to take my guitars to the shop for setups anymore. Thanks man, and God bless!

[@FRANANGELICOONA]

I found that laying my guitar on its back makes the strings go sharp. So I tune my guitar in the position I play

[@YesuAiNimen]

This is the best method

[@briankoncyk3379]

Sweetwater does a great job setting up your new guitar when buying it! My Randy Rhoads Pro I bought years ago was closest to perfect you could get when it arrived. Great place to buy a guitar from and great people if you need anything. They really care about their customers. Helpful video. Thanks!

[@deadnthehead4557]

I don't know how many years I have been practicing with a guitar with the intonation messed up. This was an awesome tutorial for my first time setting up an electric guitar. The sound of everything is a hundred times better. Chords or scales I thought I was playing badly sound amazing!

[@yayayaokoksure]

Haha changes everything right!

[@markrichardson5442]

So you never noticed and I bet no one else did.

[@cliffordesolomon8923]

Thank You Don and Greg I never before since I was five years old deadened all strings except the one I was tuning intonating but then I only had a wa wa peddel when ten years old none of this new fantastic gear I got from You at Sweetwater now but now I'm 63 years old and learning still.

[@ScragNath]

I played (and recorded) in the 70's/80's not knowing about intonation. Always wondered why my axe sounded great on some strings and rubbish on others. Managed to blag my way through gigs for years.

[@DirdyBirdy]

Best detailed video about intonation ever! Many thumbs up! I finally got my baby sounding great and I didn't have to spend a lot of dough either!!!

[@brianchamberlain3485]

WOWZERS !!! Super fantastic video tutorial on intonation. I knew nothing about "intonation", and had the "horrid hellbent harrassment" 3rd string (G) problem when I bought a used electric......your step by step method and excellent instructions made this intonation process inviting rather than scaring me off of even touching any of the parts involved. You've given me a new perspective....I was ready to toss my guitar out the window, but this simple and quick adjustment process gave me the positive attitude back, and I'll be ever grateful to you for "tuning me back in to playing guitar"!!!!! CHEERS TO YOU!!!!

[@alextai6638]

possibly one of the best video about how to do intonation, most accurate and covering all the details

[@stanadams3481]

One thing he did not mention was to talk with the player and get feel for how light or aggressive of a player he/she is and how much pressure they used when playing. That makes a difference also. Other wise great video Sweetwater!

[@michaeltihon3485]

I was wondering what intonating a guitar was, super, super useful info, thanks 👌

[@johnnym.wright7644]

Sweetwater, the best customer service in the business

[@BatEatsMoth]

On the tuning with the neck pickup thing, I find the same to be true of bass. I also pluck the string over the neck pickup when tuning. I get the best overall tuning regardless of where I pluck the strings if I do it that way.

[@gonzo5648]

That is a good observation. They talked of splitting hairs, and I could see how where we pluck, or impart energy into it would effect how it rings out. The pickups tend to sit directly under a harmonic node, so striking it there would mean that the waves settle into their nodes more quickly and accurately than if we struck it between them in a non-mathematically accurate, or harmonious, way. All those small things add up to one big thing in the end.

[@CuzaAlino]

6:24 Hats off to you. That's where I knew you really know how to do the job correctly because a lot of luthiers I've been seeing do it with the guitar laying on a table.

[@GS-uy4xo]

I love passionate guitar techs!! And he’s a natural teacher👍🏼👍🏼

[@HOVREDDY]

Breaking it down Barney style. Outstanding work and confidence in your craft Greg, I’d love to hear about what you have to say about the nut and pickup height, as well as truss rod adjustments. Aspiring luthier here 🙌

[@RonTimmonsM1]

Greg is a great person, very knowledgeable and he is a great guitar player regardless if he gives himself credit or not. This video will help many people not get things thrown at them LOL I am glad to see this video posted.

[@MegaChoo2]

About 3:29 comes a great verbal visual on what to do. Thank you guys.

[@stevenclarke5606]

Thanks for an excellent explanation, very clear and concise allowing me to fully understand the importance of the intonation.

[@TheOcing6]

Beautiful explanation on this process. Thank you very much. Super helpful.

[@trulsdanielsen1060]

5.33 I really must say this video must be one of the most valueable I have seen since I don't remember already. Seen dozens already and and a few of this sidenotes he pushes in before he even begins I have never considered before and makes perfect sence. Wll try this at once. Thanks for the tips.

[@MrAllan9]

Glad I found this site, I've been setting others intonation for years, but you made some really good points. 👍

[@NormanRea]

Great video. Learning alot. I am a new player and am just learning all this.

[@Thelongesteconoline]

Thumbs up on Bahco screwdriver. The rubber grip won’t scratch the guitar finish and its a European tool company owned by Snap-On. So this guy doesn’t just buy a cheap Chinese screwdriver. Guys that work with tools for a living know that tools count. Its also a great vid and I learned how to intonate this guitar I’m fixing up for my daughter for Christmas. Thanks for the vid. Great channel and cool luthier tech with useful info.

[@grumblyone3334]

Many thanks! Just threw my little Takemine GX- 200 TB back together after years of neglect, & REALLY wanted to get that nailed! Big help.

[@adsicks]

Strobe tuners are so integral to this process all my buds always just called setting the intonation "strobe tuning"....once my guitars are set up I tweek them here and there for different strings. When they start getting bad, back to the bench to strobe them....

[@davidrice3337]

I worked in fabrication and layout in the metal trades - The little tricks make all the difference

[@sturm4n]

The point about letting the strings stretch in and a bit of playing the strings in really helped! I tried intonation set up straight away with new strings and a few days later I was horrified! Worse than before! I think this could be the simple reason! Thankyou very much!

[@davidfrank2824]

Let me say I do really love this channel. This video is one of my more favorite one. I like to technical part of guitar playing. I can appreciate what it takes to get everything out of it as you can. Most of my friends bring their things to me. Whenever they want to change things out or upgrade they asked me for help. Most of them do not even know what end of the soldering gun to use. Whatever this video pops up on my KZbin account I always watch it. I don't care who you are there is always things you can learn. Nobody knows everything. That's my biggest reason I appreciate KZbin. People from across the world can learn from one another. I know I can only hit the like button once and of course I am a subscriber.

[@BasilHayden]

Glad that he made the point of mentioning he intonates in playing position. A lot of techs do it flat like in the demo.

[@scottrichardson6226]

Bought a Marshall full stack, a Geo Harrison Gretsch, an Epiphone Les Paul and an original Gibson Les Paul. Then 6 months later developed Dupetryns Contracture in my left hand. Life sucks at times!

[@censored7881]

0:33 - I usually use my guitar's neck as an armrest as well. I find it helps overall tuning.

[@DarnelNeel]

great talent guys at Sweetwater !

[@astrofiachaire]

This is great. I just gotta learn some about setting up the neck and I'll surely give it a go!

[@JOHNATHAN0110]

I needed this video last week 😭😭

[@mungrel6668]

Great informative video. Not as daunting a job as I expected. Thanks for the vid!

[@mikeg3660]

Great, down to earth instruction.

[@SkraightLarry]

best video on intonation. my crappy guitar would be sharp on the 12th fret. i was able to fix that with a clip on tuner after watching this video. is using a really good tuner better? yes. but you got to use what you got and i achieved a pretty good sounding with guitar all chords in tune(as much as they can be)

[@wendelllanders8439]

Thank you!Watching which way to turn the screw to elongate or contract the string.Answered my question!!!Thanks again!

[@user-vp1vm1gn2c]

Your explanation is spot on Greg !

[@SirAser.F__k.you.Google]

KZbin is mostly full of crap - the more I love to actually find peals like this. I love watching pro guitar restoration and caretaking - who actually know and are able to explain the more technical details of how guitar’s work. Thx a ton!

[@billdelaney4222]

Wow the epiphany I never had myself thanks so much man this was great I neede this the guy Dave Sumner in Delaware retired and I’m lost lol thanks again

[@aliensphyncter9528]

Thanks for this I needed it iv never touched the Seattle from factory. Somtimes it would get a lil funky. But now I know how to fix it thanks

[@Stephen_M.]

Thanks for the great details!

[@TheSyko7]

Wow. I never thought of comparing the harmonic. I used to intonate by ear. I was always close but still found spots that were off. I gotta try this. Thanks.

[@adampellin1560]

Dude I have played guitar as a hobby for over 10 years and never even touched those little screws on the bridge. I always figured it was “luthier stuff” lmao. Thanks for the info! Hopefully my playing will sound a lot better :)

[@ŁeChíí-Diné]

As true as the saying: Right tools for the right job. Thx a mil, another aspect for us learners.👍🎸🤘

[@Gordonhermederme]

Sweetwater rules. Simple, useful instruction.

[@jeffstanhope4335]

very helpful, just what i needed

[@robertbernardo783]

Thanks! Very informative video.

[@dougmorissette459]

Fantastic video! Very well done, informative and detailed instructions.

[@russshaber8071]

Humidity changes have a big impact so you need to stabalize the guitar humidity before you adjust. Sometimes that corrects the problem.

[@soupernutt9508]

And then after you get it perfect, maintain it in the exact same temperature and humidity, and never play it. (but yeah, wood moves)

[@Davidckennedymusic]

Thank you!! NOW I get it!

[@randydalton8418]

For me It's better to leave the guitar set up as to which you were going to play it Lowering pickups correcting intonation raising pickups Will make the same Out of tune sound you guys are great love your vids

[@noahtenshen]

First time I heard anyone talk about the wound third string and bending--or maybe why it is a fail if you do bend. I found this out the hard way and was puzzled, but feel better (informed) now. Good stuff.

[@ernestgrouns8710]

It's fascinating to watch someone who is a master of their trade. Excellent video, learned a lot!

[@eivindramsdal9496]

Great video, helped me so much! 😊

[@johnnie3Chords]

I'm about to apply everything I just learned on my refinished 83 Ibanez ROADSTAR 2

[@jackstark1860]

Wow I really did not expect this video to answer everything the way it did, absolutely fantastic work. Greg is the way.

[@kyleplunkett2490]

Best intonation tutorial video ever!

[@pe777vidmax5]

I didn't know Dean Ween intonated his own guitars. Awesome.

[@YAMANAZOR2004]

I was looking for this comment lol

[@armoredsaint6639]

I drop mine off at Lightning Joe’s Guitar Heaven in Arroyo Grande Ca. When I come back it’s perfectly intonated and adjusted! Easy!

[@zakman1964]

Thanks for your time and help on this one

[@johnkenny4052]

Greg…that’s so incredibly easy to understand…Thank You👍

[@javierf55]

That's a Saturday morning whole enjoyable plan to do. A whiskey or tequila will help a lot in the process.

[@lowmin]

Thanks Deaner!

[@MH-ql8ue]

thanks for answering that question. I never fully understood the intonation vs. tuning, now i do

[@AlinFlorida]

Outstanding explanation of the finer points of intonation! A couple of suggestions: for those of us who are brand new to guitars it would be helpful for the camera to show that you re-tuned after each turn of the screwdriver. Also, it would help if you explained which way you were turning the screwdriver. Some of us (me, anyway) are coming to this with no guitar tech knowledge whatsoever. Thank you for this easy to understand video!

[@legoharry100]

Would y'all be able to do a video on intonation with a Floyd Rose or Ibanez Edge or something?

[@mrmisterman999]

I could if you really wanted to know

[@darkindustry]

Thank you ever so much, good man!

[@stubaker2574]

Thanks for the demo and easy to understand instruction's...now Im confident to do it myself !!

[@jochenpijls]

Thnxs for the info champs🎉

[@firearmsinstructor320]

Awesome instruction. Mandy Patinkin is awesome😂🤣😅 But seriously folks. The tapping on the saddle with the screwdriver was my uncle's trick too ! Thanks for this Sweetwater.

[@anaphylastiks]

I'm glad everyone has problems with the G string. Even alternate tunings it's always just that string. Sometimes I've just left it out of the equation completely.

[@amandazeller787]

Thank You! ! ! This is exactly what I was looking for & desperately needed. :-D

[@DVTOM]

Why does everyone have such a hard time with this? Learn the mechanics behind properly doing it. I have 6 Ibanez's with all different trems and learned how to set it up properly years ago. I once sent my JPM100 to a shop and will never do it again. It's either me or Ibanez techs that touch mine. It's easy to do. Neck adjustments, wiring all of it if you properly learn it. Great video!!!!!!!

[@pukefacetoilet]

Fantastic explanation on how to do this. Top points

[@dolly_alvarado]

Love y’all thank you

[@j-eccentric]

So much info packed into this one video, thanks for making it easy to understand!

[@andrewdaileychufable]

That was so incredibly helpful! Glad to know I can do this at home with just a screwdriver as well

[@nicolasdominguez8539]

Thanks Greg! Thanks Sweetwater

[@mickclark4861]

Thank you so much, never seen a video explaining this before.

[@dustchip8060]

Very well explained.

[@72secondprize]

Good video, chaps. Nice one.

[@cudapaul957]

That was very informative it's really breezy thank you so much for posting awesome lesson

[@ronaldtober9443]

Simple and Sweet , I mean Simple and Sweetwater!!! . Thanks a bunch made it look easy.

[@johnmoyer5515]

Nice video, i have my old hollow body univox to work on my dad bought me back in 67