How to intonate your acoustic guitar properly and near perfectly by Randy Schartiger

This video I tell you how to correctly set your intonation on an acoustic guitar and explain how you can modify the nut slots if needed for perfect intonation when saddle adjustments isn't enough. thanks for watching!
win a guitar!
/ pretorious

[@buluiz]

6:27 scared the shit out of me lol

[@RandySchartiger]

lol keeps the viewer alert :P

[@buluiz]

@@RandySchartiger Didn't expected at all :D Anyway nice job ! :D

[@smartmind23]

this just hit me in ways unimaginable...

[@tajolariffin6147]

hahaha it really is 😆 with a voice like that

[@fukusamon4277]

Legit gonna have nightmares

[@hangyang2641]

I've been wondering if perfect intonation was possible with acoustic stringed instruments. I'm so glad I found this video. The lack of intonation has been bothering me for years 😂

[@taxisteve929]

One thing I'd like to suggest for players, something I've done for years, as a lot of players have, is have multiple saddles made. Like most people, I want low action with minimal rattle, but to get that changes with the seasons, so I keep 2 saddles. 1 for dry cold winter, the other for summer, and swap them out in spring and when the furnace comes on. Heck, some will even have saddles made for different string gauges. I guess if you normally play 12's playing solo, and then have to strum louder rhythm in a band, might want to move to 13's. That saddle is the biggest tone changer on the guitar, and like Randy says, must be shaped as close to perfect as you can get. For those wondering why no bridge with individual saddle height/depth setting capabilities like an electric, it's all been tried. Some work just ok, and some are total failures. With ALL volume and tone coming from just the wood /bone/strings, the opposite of an electric, which gets 99% of that from pickups/electronically, it just doesn't work. Acoustic players want their guitars to sound like acoustic guitars, NOT electrics. Those adjustable bridge saddles made in the 60s for a few years never really cut it. Some sounded ok, but I never heard one that didn't improve when a traditional bridge was put on. Remember the plastic bridges Gibson tried? Awful. I have a Kalamazoo Epiphone that had one, and replacing it made an enormous difference. Great video!! Rambled more than Jack Ellliott here!! Sorry about that. Someone once said to me "Your the kind of guy when someone asks what time it is, you tell them how to build a clock". Lol

[@kwilley9287]

I feel ya on the last part. I was once told I can talk the face off of a wooden Indian. Didn't understand the reference but got the point lol

[@iklimhunianrumahbordil9375]

saddle for each season is great idea, thanks

[@nickh9712]

Do you have any recommendations for what materials to use for the saddles? I've noticed that the jawbone saddle i have has worn down very easily.

[@davey306]

why not humidify the room at a constant then no need for all this saddle changing. your guitar should be humidified anyway if not it will ruin it . my Martin d 35 action is so low its like an electric with no problems.... keep humidity no less than 45 % ever a little higher naturally in summer good luck

[@nobodyanderson4353]

@@kwilley9287 I can talk a glass eye to sleep.

[@jeremysimoneau3387]

Thank you for explaining that it CAN be done, but that there’s not much room to work with and that its not that easy! Truss rod and fret height adjustment needs to be spot on before even considering touching the bridge

[@erinikeuchi6447]

This was extremely helpful. I installed bone nut and saddle on my guitar and the high e string was a little sharp when fretted. This worked perfect

[@RandySchartiger]

thank you my friend and thanks for watching very glad to hear it helped!

[@taxisteve929]

Excellent as always!!! As close to perfect as one can get!! Like a friend who got tired of watching me re-tune 30 times years ago said, If you have perfect pitch, or are obsessed with your instrument having perfect tuning all over the fretboard and on every chord you play, find another instrument to play, because this thing is wood and glue, and has fingers pressing at different angles and pressures, and that is why we compensate...it's "an imperfect instrument"..... have to give and take. I have seen some players use an expensive electronic tuner, go through the open strings, and that is it. I can hear the guitar is off!! They say "no it isn't..look..., then play the open strings showing me the guitar is in tune. YES...the open strings are in tune, but the most important part of tuning is the last thing you do.....and that is "Tune the guitar to itself". ...which will make sure that rather than 1 thing being perfect, and the rest off by miles, you have everything just barely off, so everything sounds good to the ears and don't make you cringe because you play a new chord or move down the fretboard. Again, GREAT video!!!!

[@RandySchartiger]

Your friend was spot on the money with what he said. The laws of physics simply does not allow for a guitar to be built to intonate perfectly on every string and every fret without some kind of compensation, and even then it will never be 100% accurate all the way up the fretboard. If you've watched my video about tuning your guitar wrong you'll see that each string is lowered only a few cents under perfect open string tuning so that when they are noted they sound much closer in tune, it corrects the intonation as much as possible and accounts for the problem of never being able to get a guitar to intonate perfectly. Thanks for checking out the video and commenting mate is very much appreciated!

[@taxisteve929]

Love it!!! So correct. I remember finding out why a few years back. "The human ear prefers very slightly flat", so even if you could get a guitar "perfect", it would probably sound a little sharp to us!!! Thanks again. Love the great insights!!!

[@taxisteve929]

Going to find that tuning video tomorrow and watch it. when I get up. Sounds like a winner, and I missed it somehow. Geez....3:18am.....have to go back to drinking. I was in bed sleeping by noon on weekends!!! This not drinking stuff is costing me a lot of sleep!!! lol

[@RandySchartiger]

taxisteve929 lol I know what ya mean brother I had to start drinking again too just so I could get to sleep earlier lol cheers! :)

[@cowsongs]

Superb! Helpful! I never thought about filing the nut or bridge to get the string to come a little further off one one edge or the other to correct intonation. I just used this trick and it works superbly. Yes, you only have about 1/16" to 1/8" of material to play with. But if you have a decent guitar, you won't need to correct more than that. My advice to anyone who tries this is GO SLOW. You don't need to move the string position much to shift the intonation on a string. My two low E and A strings were annoyingly sharp by the 12th fret. Using a small round jeweler's file, I eased the bridge slots back only about 1/4 of the width of the saddle and that set the strings dead in tune all the way up the neck. I didn't move the break point more than 1/32". But believe me, it matters. THANK YOU again.

[@barry_hue1552]

I am watching this video in 4/2024, and I noticed your work bench has served you well.

[@josechisimo1763]

My idea was to put something in front of or behind the saddle. Of course, it overcompensated. I watched your video and because of this the intonation on my acoustic bass now allows me to play the entire neck. Thank you

[@walterfish2]

thanks.....I'm passing this on to a friend of mine who just doesn't understand why he can't tune his acoustic correctly.....this will get the point across..thanks

[@RandySchartiger]

My videos about "tuning your guitar wrong" and "how to tune" might help him too. Thanks for watching!

[@joemcgraw5529]

always could work on electrics but you showed me yes you can intonate a acoustic guitar very valuable info thanks for all your time

[@RandySchartiger]

thanks my friend and thanks for watching!

[@jackoshaw]

Good Tips on this one......I watched this video the other day, and Monday, I pulled the saddle out of my old guitar and went to work......Here's something you don't want to do.......:D I got her apart, took the saddle out to the garage and filed it down enough to make a difference, for sure...... I replaced it back in the bridge and strung the E string just to check to see how close I was .... Tuned her up to "E" and put my finger on the octave fret to check it...... The tuner read "D!" .... What the Heck? ...... You know, when you're checking your intonation , It's best to have your Capo, holding the strings on, off the second fret! ......... This is the shit you go through when you get old!

[@RandySchartiger]

lol well I can relate, especially to the getting old part, just wow! EVERYTHING changes when you get old! I hope you get your guitar lined out! thanks for watching and good luck!

[@jdwilliams5244]

Thank you for your instruction. First time I have ever heard about adjustments on an acoustic guitar.

[@yessure5291]

Thanks for explaining - I just bought a Yamaha LL-TA TRANSACOUSTIC and I checked it and it is absolutely perfect to my surprise. It is nice to know.

[@darrenoak7187]

Excellent explanation on intonation setup on an Acoustic Guitar, thanks Randy this helps me.

[@RandySchartiger]

glad to hear it! thanks my friend! and thanks for checking out my videos!

[@malcolmmurchison8974]

Thanks Randy I really appreciate your easy to understand down to earth information. I am trying to learn how to work on guitars and get the best sound possible out of them. I collect old guitars.

[@gergemall]

Wow professor Randy . Another great video lesson. You’re gifted in so many ways 😊. Thank you for making the videos . I’m 66 years old and have been playing since I was ten years old. You’re a wonderful instructor.🎃

[@kellybupp3436]

Best acoustic intonation video on the tube . I am working on my luthier skills and intonation was next in line . Thank you . Outstanding .

[@stephenquail3168]

nice job explaining the mystical magical acoustic compensation methodology. read guys were throwing a compensated tusk saddle on expecting to match what compensation there guitar needs.keep on Rollin Randy .thanks again.

[@RandySchartiger]

+Stephen Quail Those compensated saddles help a lot, but if you get into them with a file you can really fine tune them to almost perfect intonation but it takes a lot of time. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment Stephen, it is greatly appreciated!

[@erinikeuchi6447]

Just the video I needed to see. I just replaced the nut and saddle with bone by the high e string is not balanced. I’m hoping this will work. Thanks for the help!

[@paulfrench3356]

Thank you very much for taking the time to fully explain intonation ,, very detailed as to be expected and a job not for the faint hearted if you have an expensive guitar

[@josep43767]

a new bridge and nut are pretty cheap, so you don't have to worry too much

[@mateuszsabuk7497]

I have no idea why didn't i think of it earlier Love the video, helped a lot

[@RandySchartiger]

than you my friend! and thanks for checking out my videos!

[@SuperBlackguard]

Hey Randy, love your video very helpful man and your accents very down to earth, cheers from North West England keep up the good work, well explained

[@9jmorrison]

Makes a lot of sense, and I learned some thing new, thanks

[@BretAmes]

Thank you. I never understood how to do the intonation on an acoustic all these years. God Bless You

[@DodgeDartSongs]

Thanks, Randy. Very good explanation. I picked up the Dan Erlewine Guitar Player Repair Guide which sadly dances a bit around the subject of HOW to intonate an acoustic. Just gives an explanation of compensation. So your video confirmed what I suspected was the HOW: I gotta file the saddle and/or the nut.

[@RandySchartiger]

yep you can finer tune them at the saddle and a slight bit at the nut. good luck with yours! and thanks for watching!

[@vivianeb90]

After watching the video: I took old string off, took saddle off, filed saddle down accordingly. The intonation problem was for the "top" E and B strings, they were D# and A# respectively, now they are exactly right! This was the trick! I cannot begin to say how helpful this was, all my life I have had this problem and presumed it was the quality of guitar, but now I have an instrument for life!

[@before120]

thanks for taking the time man, I appreciate you and your tutelage here and there ... ... long-time player and new watcher...hope ya hand gets better sooner than later my friend!

[@howardsix9708]

really enjoyable.always had electrics and was used to them........the great-grankits bought me an acoustic for my 82nd....and I always wondered about intonation..........explained it all ( and im a leftie !!).excellent, thanks.h6 ukvet

[@6deste]

Fantastic video, really helpful. Thanks Randy

[@RandySchartiger]

thank you my friend and thanks for watching!

[@rudychavez8805]

That's a damn good zoom on your camera, I can see where the bridge has been filed on the 1&2 & more off the 3rd plus the 6th is filed close to the third string. Two thumbs up 👍👍, and "are you with me" 😁 slow-mo video reference, but so cool I have to include... I love this new but used guitar I bought, so I'm looking high and 80 proof low to know what to do to give me a clue on what I have to do to keep me and my 10 year old used guitar happy and in tune while I'm feeling lonely and blue and that's everyday. A dry winter is hell on an acoustic so this will help me address intonation with moisture videos combined. Crazy how most songs have to do with a female... damn it. At least my guitar doesn't intentionally do me dirty, so, I go out of my way best as I can to treat her well, with love... I can hear the appreciation in my guitar, but somethings we can't avoid disappointment and that's when things get cold. So these are good tips to avoid our guitars from turning into a cold hearted bitch ,thank you for the intonation video... it makes good common sense. Thumbs up on this vid!

[@deedubslite]

The best description of this I've heard. Thanks!

[@RandySchartiger]

+deedubslite Thanks for checking it out and commenting! :)

[@MrGavinspoppop]

So I listened to your instruction and damn if it did work !!! Only thing is my set of new strings was missing an E string ,,, usually breaks ... so I de-tuned it to D ... sounds fantastic ... TYVM my friend ,,, hope all is well with you and yours ..stay healthy !!

[@TheMisterMonkeyman]

Absolutely right about not setting the intonation or action with old strings. But also when setting intonation, make sure you have broken in your new strings. Play on them and stretch them for a couple of days until they settle and stay in tune. Just wanted to mention that. Another great video man. Thanks for the important info. Peace.

[@WeAreNotAmused]

I tend to agree

[@MrStreetboy80]

Wow Iv done it! My E string was really bad, I only needed to take a small layer off the bridge to increase the distance, the E was really sharp. I was getting annoyed with how shit it was sounding when I moved up to the 12th fret. Sounds lovely now. Thank you 👌👌

[@rectify2003]

Dude you Rock.. You just saved me money. My Guitar is only a fraction out now, with the build in tuner, which I think might be slightly out. I have another tuner and the one on my iPad also Subscribed.

[@RandySchartiger]

very cool! thanks for subscribing and thanks for checking out my videos!

[@Eric-db8uf]

Very cool sir. Informative. Personal. Charismatic sense of humor. And appreciate the candid explanation. Well done.

[@PanMu]

good work thanks there is an opening for the invention of a saddle with individual sections for each string.

[@RandySchartiger]

someone could get rich from it! thanks for viewing!

[@markBAMBOO12]

Thank you sir yeah the harmonic is not in tune in my guitar 😅 not the same that why thats my problem right now but i will now adjust it ,thanks sir

[@Garuda0190]

just wanted to say this: thank you Randy! :)

[@petergolan242]

do not underestimate this cat. Terrific informative video. Thanks boss

[@electricgeorge5589]

Had to watch again,to let the information sink in.Always Good from a Good Person.

[@gerritmeijer8260]

Great teaching. If you do not understand how to intonate your acoustic guitar after this video, you better do not touch.

[@acousticguitarcanada]

Thank you, Mr. Schartiger

[@RandySchartiger]

thank you my friend fr checking out my videos!

[@scotthunter2746]

Thanks, Randy! I built a guitar without really understanding the subtitles of the saddle, intonation and how to make adjustments. Now, I should be able to correct my guitar's problems.

[@paulopinheiro8126]

I knew how intonation works on at least some electric guitars, I've done it successfully on my strat, but I have an intonation issue on the G string of my acoustic guitar and I wasn't sure how to manage it on acoustic guitars, thanks to you now I know, it's not easy at all, the whole process makes perfect sense, but in the end, despite of all efforts it might not be enough, but I might consider trying it. Thank you so much!

[@RandySchartiger]

that's usually the problem is whether or not you have enough adjustment to get it to intonate right. good luck! and thanks for checking out my videos!

[@paulopinheiro8126]

I didn't get to try your suggestions, I was in a bit of a rush to get my acoustic intonated so that I would sell it, I found an alternative way to compensate the intonation, by adjusting the truss rod (found a good youtube video about it) , which helped enough to sell it, If I'd wanted to get it to perfection I'd try your compensated saddle instructions, I would hesitate to try the nut suggestion, because I've seen people getting string buzz because of strings that don't sit totally on the nut, this must require a bit more acquired experience to get it just right. Thanks again for your video, I still think it's of great value.

[@risuku2002]

Literally fallen asleep at 6:00 minute and he woke me up. Its like he can tell if i am watching XD

[@RandySchartiger]

lol thanks for checking out my videos!

[@EnglishRain]

A quick fix trick that might work if your guitar was sounding fine before and suddenly went bonkers: push or pull the problematic string on that bridge up or down. Note the change and see if it fixed it.

[@guitarstruggles3140]

Man, that's some intricate work. If I ever get an acoustic and it needs to be intonated, I'm sending her right off to you brother! Cool video!

[@RandySchartiger]

+guitarstruggles Thanks brother! I appreciate you watching and commenting! And yes man, send me a guitar anytime you need work done I would be happy to do it.

[@ytmember2136]

Great. Actually moving the nut a tiny bit from the fret on one side towards the peg helped a lot to tune my E string soprano.

[@johnbrown8740]

I'm thinking that as you file material off the saddle to change the angle, you are also dropping the height of the contact point and you are messing with the string height and therefore the radius as well folks.

[@RandySchartiger]

If you're very careful not to remove any material from the top but only just enough from the front or back of the saddle to change where the string leaves the saddle it won't change the string height, you have to be careful and not remove anything from the top of the saddle tho.

[@kevino6670]

I can dig it! Very helpful, thank you

[@apollohill6733]

Cool man! Really blows my mind. Gonna jump on it. Thanks for showing.

[@RandySchartiger]

good luck man and thanks for watching!

[@florascent9ts]

just got a lovely but abused 000 Recording King that was left to dehydrate in the upper midwest. it's got new strings, but I'm currently rehydrating it to get rid of as much of the sunken top as possible. it's working but it's slow, and the scale length is slowly increasing as it uncups. intonation is already really close, but can be better. i can't wait for it to be stable and unsunken, so i can intonate. this method is exactly what i suspected it would be, though that nut info was eye opening. glad i watched, thanks for the info!

[@RandySchartiger]

I'm glad you watched too lol thank you for checking out my videos! and yep, rehydrating takes some time but it's amazing how well it can bring a guitar back.

[@James-fu8fj]

Thank you for the information very very helpful. Thank you.

[@malte1984]

That is one nice acoustic guitar. Thanks for the vdeo. It was helpful.

[@petergreck3237]

Hi Randy, really appreciate the time you took to make this video. It answered a lot of questions I had about intonation. I have an old fender 12 string which I never play any more due to high E always being sharp. I actually used to place a very short bamboo skewer in front of the nut to correct the intonation but this method made the High E sound dull when played open. Looks I got some work to do. Love ya work mate. Pete from Jan Juc in Oz

[@davidwilliams7552]

Its all mathematics really. I taught myself how to do this on cheap ukuleles and had wonderful success making them sound sweet with tiny adjustments.

[@andyyolesen]

Just bought a beautiful Almansa classical guitar that is rose wood back and sides with a cedar top...ideal for softer sound... abit worried at the time when I buy it, good price, $800, ... Got it home and sure enough, after 12 years the top has bellied up ever so slightly, but enough to affect the intonation... I sorta terrified a friend saying I was going to file the bride blade and nut to reset the string lengths for correct intonation... even my local shop wont do it for me. But here is the thing... after 12 years this guitar is likely not going to belly much more, if at all, the woods settled well where they are... and better sounding aged woods too, basically a better guitar than it was new, but totally garbage without good sounding intonation up and down the fretboard... a good enough reason for why a musician breaks a guitar on stage... This advice makes my 12 year old guitar now valued at over $2,000 ... Thank you

[@thecareyaffair]

Thanbks Randy........awesome info mate.! from Aust.

[@banacek60chord43]

Great video, as always, with essential information. Don't forget though that electronic tuners vary greatly and the good ol' ear [or someone you trust] is the best judge. The human ear has a natural tendency to tune 'sharp', which is why just going across the 'V' [IV for B] fret, usually won't do and we have to even things out and cross over with octaves and whatever else we do to average things out. This is especially true on the 'B' string for some reason. [primal scream, alarm?] that's why the steel 'B' is compensated at the saddle but strangely the 'G' on a Spanish guitar with nylon strings. So before getting the tool box out, make sure there 'is' actually a problem and don't rely on an electronic device to tell you something's wrong, use them for confirmation of something not sounding right I usually find bum notes to be sharp, rather than flat and caused by a high spot on the fret, although Randy has already dressed the frets to perfection. I can attack these rogue spots, rather than the whole fret, with a small file and usually tame them. Is the hand healing Randy?

[@RandySchartiger]

+Banacek60 Chord That is some good additional info thanks for sharing it! I always have trouble hearing the B string and B notes on key, to ME it's the hardest to get right. Hand definitely on the mend now! :-) Still stiff and little pain at times but definitely much better than just a week ago. I can tell the mending process seems to be speeding up each day.

[@melwynalmeida50]

Thank you Randy !

[@captainemeritus5927]

Great vid! A very clear explanation. My question is, when you are finished with the saddle, and still think you need more, and begin work on the nut, does that ever cause you to have to readdress the saddle. You know, sort of chasing back and forth? The success I’ve had with all the mechanical adjustments on my electric guitar, gives me confidence to move on to my acoustic, and your vid is very educational. Thanks for putting it up for ALL of us.

[@RandySchartiger]

usually not, I always set the nut action first, then neck relief, string action and lastly intonation, saves me from chasing the problem in circles. thanks for checking out my videos!

[@chipfilmstv]

Love this channel! Learning so much much about guitars. I just bought my first acoustic. I'm not ready to tinker with it but I do appreciate the knowledge.

[@RandySchartiger]

Very cool! I hope my videos are helpful! And welcome aboard my friend! :)

[@LifeDigitized]

Hi Randy Great learning experience! Nobody on KZbin has gone into such depth on this subject! Thank You Dave from Delaware

[@RandySchartiger]

I try to cover as much info as possible, yet keep the videos short, at least under 30 minutes, thanks for checking them out David! :)

[@RoxxHoffner]

I agree. I've played guitars with different saddles and/or nuts and noticed the difference in how it sounded but never thought of experimenting with my own. Like it says in the video, it can easily be changed back to the way it was if I don't like it. Seems obvious and makes perfect sense but why didn't I think of that?

[@9jmorrison]

Excellent class, thanks!

[@johnbee1069]

This is by far your most awesomest video yet! Belated of course

[@Todd_Connelly]

You sir, are a hillbilly genius!

[@simonliew9728]

Thanks for sharing Randy. You are a great guy.

[@RandySchartiger]

+Simon Liew Thanks for your kind comment Simon! And thanks for checking out my videos! :)

[@MrStreetboy80]

My E string is out of intenation, I was Gona pack under the E string on the bridge end. Iv got a day off work so I'm Gona spend it getting my guitar set up properly. Thanks 👍

[@RandySchartiger]

Yup it doesn't take much to make a huge difference! It does make all the difference in the world tho if a little time is put into it, glad to hear you got your guitar set up properly! Thanks for viewing! :)

[@david-ky7rt]

Interesting video Randy .

[@OhanaFilms]

Love my two Blueridge guitars

[@adayatatyme]

Best way I've found to intonate is to tune another string harmonic in unison to the 12th fret harmonic of the string you are working on, and then hit the 12th fret fretted note and compare the that other string harmonic that you tuned as reference. No tuning machine, which I hate, required.

[@robervk2534]

Awesome video Randy, i am starting my knowledge regarding tuning and saddle adjustments, so thank you for your clear explanation about this topic, Cheers!

[@elvissorna8861]

Works like a charm 😎🤘

[@deanhowell6730]

Good stuff and I realize you are of a higher standard Sir I learned a lot ,thank you!

[@WindOfTheWisp_Janine]

Hey Randy...thanks so much for another informative video that covers info that is hard to find anywhere! Yes, it would be so nice if acoustics had adjustable bridges & saddles like electrics do! But I guess that will never happen, since even though it's been attempted, it never caught on due to the mass of an adjustable bridge/saddle being a tone killer on an acoustic. All the time we spend shaving saddles to adjust action! And then we have to deal with bridge pin hole wear, & all sorts of other stuff that can mess with an acoustic! But I think what you are saying here, is, it's good to know how to check your intonation, & that you can adjust the intonation, but it's probably best to not try it if you don't do it all the time & don't have the experience. I could see where it would be so easy to mess up a saddle or nut! And if you change string brand or gauge it may change again & you might not be able to adjust things back. I've been lucky that most of my acoustics have pretty good intonation...at least, nothing so bad that it's really noticeable. Glad that relief got mentioned in the comments, also. So often how to adjust relief is discussed without explaining what it can effect. It's my understanding that you want to get the neck as straight as possible, increasing the relief only enough to stop any buzzing, since increasing the bow in the neck too much will throw off the intonation & raise the action. Glad your hand continues to heal! BTW, still playing my new Seagulls (12 & 6 string) every chance I get...can't get over how incredible they are! Thanks again...looking forward to your next vid! Take care!

[@RandySchartiger]

+WindOfTheWisp Many thanks to you Janine for taking the time to watch and comment! And you are correct, acoustic builders most usually are chasing the tone and trying to get as much of it and a certain sound as they can get, and by lesser moving parts they are able to transfer vibrations better, equaling better tone and more volume usually. It sure would make my job easier if they had adjustments on them. haha! You're also correct about the relief! I think I read somewhere Steve Vai prefers a completely flat straight neck, several other electric players do too but you can bet their touch is extremely light. Glad to hear you're enjoying your Seagulls! I hope you can make a video of them sometime I would love to see them! Thanks again my friend! Stay tuned! :-)

[@WeAreNotAmused]

Like melodious water you want to tune your guitar and get it perfect to where it's most pleasing to the ear

[@briansteffmagnussen9078]

Wonderful info. My only concern is if the angle of the bridge-nut will be too sharp so there is a risk that the strings can break.

[@cmgill2gill135]

If the break angle on a string saddle is back facing and needs to be more forward - on an already compensated saddle like yours - moving it forward with a file will lower the string height (and could make it buzz), also filing the nut back on your 3rd fret scenario would flatten the note not sharpen it.

[@robdawg1017]

I dig it maan, I dig it!!

[@plevine1]

Correct me if I am wrong but you would need to loosen the string in order to access the saddle. Make very minor adjustments and retune. If you file to much off you are forced to replace the saddle.

[@RandySchartiger]

yes! string needs to be completely out of the way! thanks for watching and commenting!

[@WeAreNotAmused]

He is right about playing hard Truth is the more rigid your attack the more sluggish and strained the feel

[@garytrim1761]

Hello Randy,I just found your KZbin videos and have learned more in an hour about my guitars than fifty years of playing them. Thanks for the insight.I have a vibration problem with my new 2015 Taylor 614CE maple acoustic guitar, which I would appreciate your input. The guitar looks great, has a fantastic sound and plays awesome, however, it has a slight "vibration noise" when strumming two or more strings at the same time. It's an AFTER strumming noise. It doesn't make this noise when playing individual notes. The noise is around the saddle/bridge area. My guitar has a Tusq nut and Micarta saddle. My authorized Taylor repairman worked on it nearly two hours and couldn't remove this irritating sound. He adjusted the truss rod, put on new strings, reset the action, checked the saddle and bridge, etc. After watching him for over an hour, I went in the "high end" acoustic guitar room and played all of their guitars. All of the Taylors had this same vibration noise problem. I finally played a Gibson dreadnought, several Martins and they played clear as a bell. No noise vibrations what-so-ever. Actually none of the cheaper brands made this noise either.I also own a 1956 Stella acoustic, 1975 Epiphone dreadnought and they certainly didn't make this noise either. So what's going on with Taylor guitars? Is it a problem with bracing, saddle, bridge, strings, etc? Maybe my ears are too sensitive and I shouldn't hear this irritating noise. My Taylor guitar came with Elixir nanoweb phosphor bronze, HD Light, .013-.053 strings. I tried Elixir medium gauge .013-.056 but that didn't reduce and/or eliminate the noise. I switched to John Pearse strings but my guitar actually sounded horrible with these strings. So I put another set of Elixir strings on it again. (This is getting a little expensive). Still no improvement, so I decided to try a set of D'Addario coated phosphor bronze EXP16 strings (.012-.053) . It sounds great but that hasn't fixed the noise either.For an experiment, I cut a thin strip of sticky foam rubber and laid it on top of the strings above saddle. It dulled the sound a little but almost completely eliminated the "vibration" noise around the saddle and bridge. Do you think this noise is coming from the saddle, bridge, strings, etc. or maybe Taylor guitars have a major flaw and/or problem?

[@RandySchartiger]

+Gary Trim Wow that's a mysterious one, if all the Taylor's you played make the same vibrating noise is really strange. A loose brace inside the top will cause this to happen but surely all those Taylor's didn't have loose braces? I never was much of a fan of Taylor's bolt on necks, perhaps it's something to do with the mechanics of that. I would almost bet it's either a loose brace or a loose voicing bar inside the guitar. Try tapping around on the top of the guitar mainly around the bridge area and lower bout with the tip of your finger and see if you can still hear this noise, if so it's very likely a loose brace or something inside loose. Possibly even some of the electronics vibrating. IF it's a brace you will soon start to see it belly up over time.

[@gmanmanning277]

hey brother I did that. it worked amazing not to mention action is way sweeter gonna do it to other acoustic also but I want to upgrade my plastic nuts and saddles. Can I do that.? with what type file and how can I keep it consistent flat all the way across I lucked out on my plastic one. bone tusk harder to work? I also use the harmonic to tune also. you have great tech stuff man. keep it up.

[@RandySchartiger]

To do it correctly you wouldn't want your nut or saddle to be flat across the top, they should be arched to the same radius your fretboard is, I use radius sanding blocks to do it, the important thing is to use one that's the same radius as the fretboard. Tusq is a little harder to work down because it's so hard of material.

[@Gingerjake2]

Fascinating! I had a bit of sharpness with the Guild & it's good to know what can be done to correct that. I guess this is where my old Framus with it's adjustable bridge & saddle has it over all the regular acoustic. Tho' if anybody could screw something up by adjusting it, you're looking at her! I wouldn't touch it even if someone was holding a gun to my head...lol! Thanks randy, once again you answer problems for us, & do it well! ~G~ ♪

[@RandySchartiger]

+Gingerjake2 Thank you Ginger for watching and your comments! Yeah I really like the setup (so to speak) of your Framus, I'm surprised a lot more acoustic aren't built that way, it's an excellent design! I should have made mention that this design DOES exist on acoustics but never thought of it until now. lol Even as complicated as it looks I'd much rather adjust one like yours than do all the filing and measuring like has to be done when only the bare saddle is about all to work with.

[@akfisher7138]

I am though confused as to which way to file the nut if the A string say is sharp and there is nowhere else to go with the saddle. I get which way to file the saddle, as you explained that really well-thank you. But if it is still too sharp should I then increase the scale length and therefore increase the tension or file the nut so that node is nearer the fretboard?

[@TheKujisha]

Thank you for the video bro! Tell me if I have it right, flats = shorter, sharps = longer, right?

[@RandySchartiger]

You are correct! Thanks for checking out my videos! Cheers!

[@anuragdongre4942]

Thanks for sharing the information

[@FrumPilot]

Hi thanks for your video. I have a classical guitar that the A and low E strings play flat on the 3rd 5th and 7th frets more than they do the other frets. Any suggestions how to correct for that? Thanks!

[@dannywoody5497]

Just curious where you’re located this is a great video on intonation having a rough time with this 1942 southern jumbo re-issue

[@RandySchartiger]

thanks my friend and thanks for checking out my videos! I'm in wv. some of those old guitars the saddle is completely in the wrong place and have to be routed in the correct place to get them to intonate. good luck with yours.

[@jonbenson8179]

makes perfect sense, well done, thank you for sharing

[@9jmorrison]

Randy One area of confusion is that the lengthening of scale to flatten a sharp is by trimming the front of the saddle, and if fret is flat then file the back of the saddle thus shorten the sale(4 minute mark). Yet to increase the scale length at the nut you file on the back? (10.50m)

[@stratbluesman]

hmmmI learned something new today ! Thanks

[@EdDanaGuitar]

Never thought of that! Thanks Randy!

[@RandySchartiger]

+Ed Dana You're welcome bro thanks for checking it out!

[@dennydoobles559]

Best explanation of intonation I have heard. But what about a saddle that has been shaved down on the bottom? Does that have any affect on the break angle?

[@RandySchartiger]

+Denny Doobles Maybe a tiny bit, but it wouldn't be enough change to make any difference in the intonation, the biggest difference of lowering the saddle other than to drop the action is making the downward pressure from the strings a little bit less, with less downward pressure sometimes looses a bit of volume and tone. Thanks for watching!

[@nayaleezy]

great advice ty

[@patrickjobling8676]

Most excellent mr randys .. im a fixin to be intonationingkts all over the place ..take noo prisoners .😍😎😁

[@artavenue4286]

Cool and very informative vid. Sorry to hear about your hand problems. Having some issues myself and as result checking out short scale guitars etc.. Also eating a lot of mussles in hope of recovering the needed joint’s lube .. Thanks for valuable facts !

[@bobgwinn5091]

ty for sharing.. my strings are digging into the plastic saddle... ugg time for replace with bone

[@georgewocosky]

I've only seen a couple guitars that were perfectly intonated . . . 'seems it's always a bit of a compromise ! It may sound crazy , but string gauge can make a big difference; as well as string BRAND ! Small changes added together can make incredibly big differences in playability and intonation - if a guitar is way out of intonation , it likely won't be played much for that reason ! ( Neck set is another bugger that can make intonation a real BEAR ! ) Thanks for putting up this video , it'll help those who take the time !

[@RandySchartiger]

+georgewocosky You are exactly right! It's amazing just how touchy they can be and what tiny changes can do. I was telling someone the other day if they changed the gauge strings from light to heavy, the setup and intonation and all should be checked, they thought I was joking! lol Thanks for watching and commenting mate, this is more good info people can use that you posted.

[@georgewocosky]

Thanks Randy ! Hope this helps somebody !