How To Intonate Your Guitar In 3 Easy Steps

[@AArchAngell]

I've been playing for 15 years. Today was the first time I actually set up my guitar and in less than 20 minutes with no swearing. Thanks!

[@shikaku_]

Swearing is the best part how tragic

[@aricroy4258]

you’ve been a moron for 15 years, and lazy

[@peaner083]

​@@shikaku_😂

Same here. I just searched for guitar intonation videos, this popped up near the top. Intonated two guitars with no sweat.

[@PicksPaints]

Remember this should be the FINAL step. Set your action BEFORE you set intonation. Adjusting the bridge/saddle height also changes the intonation.

[@michaelgallagher3640]

You beat me to that one.

[@strat0871]

Absolutely, that's just what I wanted to add, get the lowest action for every string without any buzz, (if that's the way you like it, I do!) and maybe do a little truss rod adjustment if necessary, and then, do what Philip tells us.

[@kwispykweme8791]

Can you guide me through that process please

[@PicksPaints]

@@kwispykweme8791 setup is pretty straightforward. Bring your strings up to pitch. Check the nut, make sure the slots are cut correctly. Easy way to tell is, is your guitar still in tune across the first 3 frets. If you're pulling sharp, the nut is too high or the slots aren't deep enough. Correct that. Then set your bridge/saddle height. Next you'll want to set the neck relief with the truss rod. This will allow you to get the lowest action possible (if that's your thing). Providing all that works out, then and only then do you set the intonation. Use a good tuner, if the open string and 12th fretted note (octave) are in tune, move along. If the fretted note is sharp, move the saddle back away from the neck. Conversely, if the fretted note is flat, move the saddle closer towards the neck. Loosen your string tension every time... it's a back and forth thing, but you'll figure it out pretty quickly.

[@kwispykweme8791]

@@PicksPaints thank you, can you clarify how you can set the saddle/ bridge height. I am gaining lots of buzz around the 2-4 fret. I'm a newby and dont trust GC center to touch my guitar.

[@bryanmannoia8410]

the direction of the arrow on the tuner is the direction the saddle goes. brilliant! I will not forget again. thanks.

[@kongandbasses8732]

"Go chase the needle" is the way I learned setting up the intonation. Nice and easy to understand tutorial, as allways.

[@joenuts5609]

Easiest, and most straight forward tutorial. It’s about time!

[@cementheed]

Exactly, this made so much more sense. BTW, there's a great pro-tuner on the Fender App for Android - costs $4.99, but has the chromatic scale and you can get the intonation with it.

[@garycrouse1918]

couldnt agree more

[@adamcolbertmusic]

Yes, there are only two directions that intonation can be adjusted: this way or that way! No need for a long video on the subject! I came here because it was the shortest video that got straight to the point! :)

[@fumanpoo4725]

I just tune it. Works just fine.

[@Mazzucchelli44]

Why aren’t all tutorials this straightforward and simple? So easy to follow. Thank you 👌

[@nemonucliosis]

Because the other videos discuss string height and piickup depth ..you know full intonation

[@WallyBoots]

This is probably the quickest most informative video on KZbin regarding intonation. Thanks Phil for making things easier for us newbies trying to learn guitar set up.

[@trevortrevor7759]

I recently just picked up my newest guitar in 11 years and I had never had any problems with my tuners saying the string is in tune but when playing any notes on the fretboard, it was way out of tune. this video helped me figure out the problem! I've been playing for 20 years now and Im still learning new things about guitars. thanks for this video and all the helpful tips!

[@Kylora2112]

"And if you have a guitar with a Floyd Rose, just pay a tech to do it for you lest you spend 9 hours and spend more on Advil to deal with the headaches than the tech would charge you."

[@strat0871]

With FR guitars, put a wrench with a wrap around cloth under the rear of the floyd, so it stays flat, and then change strings one by one, to avoid money and headaches..

[@K3vinK]

I’ve never had issues with FR

[@springbloom5940]

Shim and block it, so its fixed.

[@sunpark9195]

Got an Ibanez with fr 10+ years ago. Never touched it

[@B4its2L8guy]

@@strat0871 I fold the old string pack and jam it under the FR. Keeps the position while changing the strings 1 at a time!

[@Bloodloch]

OMG, I was trying to tune the string, then "tune" the intonation, which takes the string length in the wrong direction. Thanks, Phillip. Your instructions were crystal clear and now my guitar sounds creamy good along all twenty-four frets.

[@A.J.K87]

I always find that if the guitar is lying on a bench with a neck rest supporting it, the weight of the guitar can put a bit of strain on the neck and bow it slightly. So if you then intonate the guitar and then pick it back up, the strain on the neck is removed and it flattens out again throwing your intonation of again. This is why, like you said in the beginning of the video, I like to intonate with the guitar in playing position.

[@axegrinder3746]

Agree, I never use neck-rest. I place a towel down on a flat surface and allow the neck to "float" in the air away from the surface, table/counter top, etc. with only the body resting on the surface. It may not matter that much in the great plan of things but I feel better about it so I do that. Anyway, great video, no BS just the skinny!

[@OniHasan]

So glad I came across this channel 🙌

[@senseiruss]

The clearest, best-explained and easiest tutorial on this topic that I've ever seen! Thanks, Phillip!

[@cadpereira1]

I could set up all my guitars, only because of the things I learned from your channel. Thank you very much!!!

[@Damaged262]

Yeah, Phil is not a pretentious jackhole, everyone else makes it seem so difficult. No wonder he's got haters, Luthiers must hate his common sense approach. Gotta suck to lose $50 for a ten minute job.

[@cheftekard7165]

Me: My guitar intonation sucks (tries to fix it). Guitar tech: who set up your guitar last time??!! Also me: 😔

[@christianadrian28]

Bruh my guitar has been fucked up for years since I didn’t know this, I fixed it today, and I never heard it this good before

[@liddlesj]

THANK YOU! I love the tip about whichever the tuner needle is pointing is the direction you take the bridge (in summary). This helped it all make sense. Very easy!

[@decapnz]

This is one of the most helpful videos regarding guitar setup I have seen, particularly the scale length explanation part. Much appreciated, Phillip :)

[@homemademusic7]

I just used your tutorial and intonated my axe for the first time by myself. Much appreciated man, and God bless!

[@marcauerbach8447]

Thanks!

[@PhillipMcKnight]

You bet!

[@tommyperkinsmusicofficial]

Man thanks for this video! I've been so frustrated with one of my Teles I couldn't get intonated right, and you're the only instructional video I seen that talks about going back to the scale of the guitar if it keeps going sharper and sharper despite turning it the right way. After watching, I did just that, and it made it so fast and my Tele sounds great agian!

[@Donald.W.Rissler-ARTS]

Good concise description of the process. I would add " make sure your happy with your string heights before intonating". Changing string heights and .or Arc will throw off your intonation.

[@alienentity369]

I can intonate a guitar. But I always research and watch you tube vids. I love how you say do your own thing, what's comfortable for you. Learning is making mistakes, and learning how to correct it. Thank you for making your content

[@senspartech3533]

That part at the end is absolute GOLD. Wish I had seen something like that when I was starting out! Also good to note is to try to have consistent finger pressure each time you check. Most of us know we can make notes go sharp by pressing hard, but some (myself included) can have different.. uh.. brain modes when playing versus working on the instrument.

[@NorthMetal]

You sir make me love KZbin again. The quality of the video, your voice and the easy step by step explanation make it feel easy. Thank you for all the hard work you put into these videos.

[@Dildaw69]

yeah i did this on my sg and the pitch on the 12th fret didn’t change at all even when the saddle was pushed all the way forward

[@terrystephan7144]

Thank you, Phillip! I couldn't find any other videos that tells you to measure the distance from the nut to the saddles for each string. That's the most important thing. Every video I've encountered, is making an assumption that you have that set from the factory. If you take all the saddles off maybe to upgrade and clean you have to start from scratch. For me, I set length scale length 1st for all the strings. Then I set the neck radius using a radius gauge that closely matches the neck radius. Measured about an inch away from the bridge. Then set the action for each string which will change the radius just slightly to give a good taper following the neck from the low E to high E. Finally intonate. Feels really comfortable especially on the vintage smaller radius necks.

[@piotrbalmusic]

This video definitely helped me to set up my Strat and Tele. Thanks.

[@1972-Chevrolet-Monte-Carlo]

You have no idea how much this helped- with two things, actually. First being that I could finally intonate and tune my guitar!! (I'm a first-time player as of July 2023) Second being my anger and mental issues (almost) getting the better of me when I couldn't find out how to set up the guitar, so you also made me keep my self harm streak clean for another day. Thank you for this amazing tutorial!! Keep up the amazing content and have a blessed day!!

[@richszmal1653]

As a tech i think you did a great job on keeping the video simple and teacching people that don't already know how to do it.

[@philreeves2404]

Yours is one of my favorite channels. Phil, I've learned so much about working on my instruments from you. Thank you. 😊

[@rawhideleather]

Something else to consider IF you have some fret wear (which most used guitars do), is that since fret wear definitely affects intonation as well, you may want to try to hit a happy medium between 12th fret intonation and intonation on the notes that are fretted at where you have the most fret wear. Generally speaking the 2nd and 3rd frets have the most wear so that is where I also check the intonation on each string. If for example you just set the intonation perfectly at the 12th fret, then the notes will be sharp when fretted at the worn fret locations. On my electric guitar that means I have to set the 12th fret intonation a bit flat because I would rather my first position chords sound sweet vs higher up the neck where I normally play less chords and also where I usually am bending or using vibrato on single notes which makes perfect intonation there less important to me. Make sense?

[@shikaku_]

Or just replace your frets when they wear so you aren't limiting yourself to one part of the fretboard. Frets and wood glue are cheap and easy to replace

[@HowardBaileyMusic]

Also, frets are like brake rotors. They can be resurfaced (dressed) several times to give them a new finish. A good set of frets should last between 5 and 10 years depending on your playing style. If I'm full-time gigging I get my frets dressed every 8 to 12 months. If you play just one ax and you're an aggressive player you might want to get it done more often. Properly dressed frets are as good as new.

[@andrelp9596]

What a straightforward and easy way to do intonation on a guitar. Phil, you made this so simple and easy to understand. You sir are a Rock Star 🤘. Thank you.

[@internalmethods]

THANK YOU!!! Most concise video on this EVER. No intonation video should take more than 4 min.

[@magicrobharv]

This channel has the best guitar explanations and tutorials !

[@Skullskalle]

So glad I found this old video. Best and easiest to understand intonation video I have seen. Thank you from a long time subscriber.

[@juhahartonen4600]

nailed it Phil! hope you do video like this with all the most common tailpiece styles

[@truespiderman]

That was way cool. First time I've seen/heard a clear explanation of intonation. Thanks Phil 👍

[@sam45845]

I just used this video to walk me through the intonation of a 2014 Gibson les Paul melody maker. Replaced the lightning bar bridge with an aftermarket wraparound bridge with adjustable saddles. Now I’ve got it perfectly in tune..This was very helpful ....Thanks 👍

[@iraevans2013]

Love the comments section of your vids. Love the helpful community and nuanced detailed advice. Ty ev1 for being non judgemental and supportive to beginners. ❤️

[@Lisbonized]

I will actually check my intonation on all frets past the 12 using the tuner. If you've got the action right too you get a super in tune guitar for an OCD guitarist like myself!!

[@Yavore346]

Thanks a lot man. Tried to follow Fender's instructions from their set up guide but it didn't really work too well. Your tutorial worked brilliantly, my guitar now sounds beautiful.

[@AetherCS2]

Thank you man I have my first electric guitar coming in a couple of days. I've been binge-watching your videos because I wanna be able to repair/setup during quarantine. I hope you're doing well out there!

[@40rpt]

Brilliant! Wonderful mnemonic for remembering which way to move the saddle. Until now, I always felt like I had to double check and watch a video or read up on the process before I did this. Now it will be easy to remember!

[@totalrobot]

Man this was perfect for my A.D.D. - quick, to the point, and highly educational. KUDOS GOOD SIR

[@BlipA]

This was super helpful. Thank you!

[@eugenevedensky6071]

I was able to intonate my guitar for the first time by myself thanks to your video.

[@pooshNchums]

KYG is amazing. Short and to the point. Thanks Phil!

[@richardcurtis477]

Perfect timing. On an entry level Epiphone Les Paul Special, I had just replaced the stock wrap around bridge (pre-cast intonation estimates) with a new bridge where intonation can be adjusted. Was about to go searching for a video tutorial, and here this was in my subscribed feeds. Super clear. Thanks!

[@Mojoclatan]

You have answered every question I have ever had regarding intonation. Amazing! You earned a Subscriber.

[@user-zg1qz8oz2u]

One of the very best, straight forward tutorials I've ever seen. Great job and thanks so much!!

[@wileypurchase239]

Great video reinforcing what I just did to my Tele after adding a nashville pick-up. I had to take off the neck to get the pick guard off. After re-bolting I had to adjust the truss rod and set the intonation but now it plays great.

[@mikezingone9471]

You are just so darn good at simplifying things that are usually confusing!! Awesome!! 👍

[@danduan]

Thank you so much!!! was always afraid to go near this in case I messed it up.. after going through this it turns out mine needed doing badly. Thank you.

[@hijmestoffels5171]

I could figure it out myself how to set up my guitar, because I was so lucky to have a very good science teacher in highschool. His lessons about how strings vibrate were very inspiring. It is very helpful to understand the relations between length, tension, thickness of a string and pitch. But if you don’t, just follow Philip’s tips and tricks.

[@josephbrewer7026]

And if you’re not sure of the scale length of your guitar, measure from the fretboard side of the nut to the twelfth fret and multiply that length by two.

[@stonkmyconk2741]

words cannot describe how helpful this was

[@mikefinley4367]

Kept it simple, to the point and no wasted babbling or talking just to hear yourself talk. Both thumbs up!

[@lylesgarage]

Good video👍🏻 Been a decade since I’ve done this, figured I’d watch a video to refresh. Very well made video, gets right to the point. Thanks

[@spoon7250]

Best tutorial ever. Straight to the point.

[@e51v50h]

Be great to see this simplified explanation on intonating an acoustic guitar. Love your explanation style. Thanx!! :)

[@smalltowninnewmexico]

FINALLY!!!! I, I,, I UNDERSTAND INTONATION AND STUFF!!!!! Thank you good sir! you are a legend dude✌✌👍👍🎸🎸✔✔⚡⚡⚡⚡

[@JohnnyBeane]

Thanks Phil!

[@jfk8469]

You made it so easy and without watching a 20-minute video. Thank you!

[@n.h.moreno]

Thanks, Philip. Glad I stuck around til the end, because my problem on my guitar us exactly the one you mentioned. I have a brand new Jackson Hard Tail. The problem is exactly as you addressed. The saddle is ALL THE WAY to the end of the bridge and the spring is squished totally flat----but STILL it reads---E#. So, thanks.

[@keso5599]

Thank you for this, my guitar plays beautiful now and i stayed late just playing with it. I instantly fell inlove with my guitar again

[@vocalion9519]

And with a floating bridge (like on that Stratocaster), the bridge may have rocked slightly in one direction or other in the end resulting in the strings you intonated first no longer being properly intonated, so make sure to re-check the intonation across all of the strings again.

[@kenwittlief255]

yes, if you are not using the whammy bar take the back cover off, screw the float-springs in almost all the way (till they get hard to screw in) and lock that bridge down

[@hotdogshake4764]

if you dont have a tuner, you can also use harmonics from the 12th fret

[@dannywoody5497]

Thank you so much for this straightforward video. I was just able to get my intonation right now. If only I could figure that out on mine gibson 1942 Southern jumbo re-issue.

[@bikersoncall]

Thanks, I'd forgotten how to do this and never really kept up with it. One of my newer guitars had an extreme bow in the neck, I think this was a huge factor in why my chording was just sounding so off. When I got the guitar a month ago, the neck was flat as a rail, just about perfect, but in my climate it bowed after that month, I had not noticed, so I was pulling the strings really far to get them to the frets, lol. Moving the saddles wasn't helping at all lol, I got out my tape measure figuring on returning to 'nominal' scale length, and then thought I might check the neck for shts n' giggles, and yeah wow, really bowed. I re-tensioned the truss rod, which had no tension at all on it from the factory, got the neck back to pretty flat, used this method in the vid and got the intonation adjusted much better, to an acceptable point.

[@thomashubbell1960]

Another great video Phil! I've been following your videos and podcast for a couple of months now and I have to say you've inspired me to start doing my own setups. I'm about to take the plunge and replace the nut on my guitar - with plenty of guidance from your videos.

[@mylemonblue3070]

This is one of the best how to videos on KZbin. Thank you. ❤️🎸🙏

[@TheMarkness]

As bonus this video also explains what intonation even is.

[@JimTheune]

Big TY! I have been playing for over 35 years and my guitar was way out. Embarrassed, but I noticed it always sounds like it's a little out of tune. Fixed ty.😊

[@lengross4126]

Wow, you made that easy. I was always comfortable making a truss rod adjustment but just asumed setting intonation would be too complicated. Thanks!

[@WesternWearEnthusiast]

Finally an easy to follow step by step guide on intonation. Thanks Phillip.

[@eErudius]

really appreciated the tutorial... I picked up a cheapy from a pawn shop and I think I found out why it was there... the G string intonates correctly but when I play on the 3rd fret it's consistently flat. All the other strings are perfectly fine.

[@johndance1362]

Thanks Phillip!😸 I've got friend or two I need to share this with. It will save them a lot of time!

[@billysmether6237]

Thank you for teaching me the final step and turning me into a guitar tunning wizard!!

[@LiveToPlayGuitar]

Thanks Phi! I truly enjoy these tech videos you make the most...

[@MikeHoncho3]

Thanks for taking time to do videos like this, it helps a bunch.

[@jeffreyschroder8004]

Just getting ready to dive into intonation on my guitars. Also, just ordered and received, the key tool for my Floyd Rose, from StewMac; whom I only learned about from your channel. Thanks, man 👍🏼

[@EclipseAtDusk]

I always used “Sharp = short, low = long” to remember direction. If the note is sharp, the string is too short - pull the saddle back to lengthen the string. If a string’s flat (low) then it’s too long - move the saddle forward to shorten it. That short, alliterative phrase has been much more helpful that I’d have imagined, and much more memorable

[@polyphonicgroove]

This is awesome.....I learn so much from Phil's channel. Great content, thank you.

[@theemptybox8343]

That’s last tech tip was so helpful! Thank you so much man!!

[@dalepal]

Great job showing how to intonate which is something every guitarist should know.

[@kiezersosay49]

Dude this video is perfect. It answered all my questions and even filled me in on more important things I didnt know...you the man! And yeah I got the strobostomp. All about them strobos.

[@CoreReactorMusic]

The way you explained it was very easy to understand! Thank you!

[@sonicclang]

I really appreciate this video. I was literally doing it backwards :D couldn't figure out why I couldn't get my $2,000 PRS intonated. The direction you move the saddle seems backwards, but it makes sense now. Thank you.

[@ramtinsoltani6109]

This really helped making the intonation easy. Thank you \m/

[@deliotk]

Found your channel a week or so ago. Very informative. I have been doing my intonation using the harmonic at the twelfth fret. I'm guessing I shouldn't do that any more. Thanks for your detailed examinations and easy to understand explanations.

[@kft590]

I build guitars and the scale length is double the distance from the nut to the 12th fret along the HIGH E String. So if the distance to the 12th fret is 12 3/4" then the scale is 25.5".

[@lellegrolle9495]

something that is important to is that the tremolo springs is not lose it can be almost impossible to hold the guitar in tune if so, i always begin with tightening the skrews on the spring tremolo(fender, ibanez) then tune the guitar, then adjust string height(action) then lock for fretbuzz, if i have fretbuzz on the first fret near the headstock i give the trusrodd 1/8 relife, if the fretbuzz is away, i then adjust the intonation, and the last thing i do is adjust the pickup heigt, i always lower the pickup because i dont like the tone with to high output not good for your ears, this is how i adjust guitars and it work good most of the time, note that the trusrodd is very sensitive , adjust it little bit at a time is important

[@A.WebbAndFriends]

Phil, I need to offer a slight correction - Those tuners that clip onto the headstock (like a Snark) are great - Luv'em, nothing worse than playing a guitar out of tune BUT for intonation purposes they are NO GOOD - These style tuners feed off the vibration when you pluck the string SO when something interferes with the clarity of the vibration like the guitar neck support, the clip-on tuners do not give an accurate reading. For ELECTRICS I would use the BOSS pedal style tuner that plugs directly into the guitar (make sure the guitar volume is all the way up), and for ACOUSTICS I would use the portable tuner that has a MIC. BTW - luv your channel!! Only 3 guitar influencers I watch - You, Darrell, and Shane :) Thanks for your great videos.

[@A.WebbAndFriends]

BTW - I agree with you Phil - Intonating from the "Playing Position" is the best way for accurate results...

[@creepymccreepers]

I finally tried it all on my own after all these years….it wasn’t so bad

[@SpikeF14]

I'm 5 years late, but this video alone made me subscribe..... Thanks

[@mtrooze]

Not only do I like to do setups and intonation in the playing position, I like to do it standing with the guitar suspended from the guitar strap. Stress on the neck of any kind does affect intonation to some degree. Just think about how often you bend a note by bending the neck. I've gotta agree with the other commenters - easy, straightforward instruction that I wish had back in the 70s.

[@jmar482]

Great little video demonstration Phil.

[@martinsvensson276]

Easy and straight forward. Humble regards from Sweden

[@FollowTheLion01]

It might be worth pointing out that (possibly) the best way to determine the actual scale length is to measure from the nut to the 12th fret and then double the number. I mention this for the folks out there that might have different guitars that could be different from the Fender and Gibson standards that have been adopted by so many manufacturers. You should be able to use that more accurate scale length to pick the starting point for the bridge saddles, getting your pretty close to the right intonation as a starting point.