How to Set your Intonation on an Electric Guitar

[@donwade-di8ny]

I've been a player and a tech for more years than I want to remember... This fellow is a real tech! Trust me!

[@erichfrederick9229]

Nomad makes the best tools and videos for their tools. Great job. I'll keep buying your products.

[@99muddy99]

IMO, Geoff provides the best, newbie guitar setup instructionals on YT. They’re detailed, well thought out, clearly articulated, and moreover, the camera is used judiciously, to show you important details. For example, there is no assumption that one knows how to use a strobe tuner. Not only does he give advice as to winding back the tone for greater accuracy, he “shows” us repeatedly, what accuracy “looks” like. I’ve been playing guitar for 50 years; however, I’m a setup newbie. You’re an excellent teacher, Geoff. Thanks very much!

[@99muddy99]

And I bought all your tool because of it!

[@Themis781]

The best intonation video I hav ever seen. Thank you for a great demonstration. I have been struggling with my intonation on my BC Rich Warlock. Your video got me as close as I have ever been. Thanks again and happy new year for 2023.

[@MusicNomadCare]

Glad it was helpful!

[@LassetUnsSpielen]

If you're in a band, you should intonate your instruments together. you may not hear that the [12th] fret is a bit sharp, but if you're jamming with your [2nd guitarist], who is a bit flat, you can definitely hear it

[@mcclain63]

Very detailed in the setup, Would like to hear chords played from different positions along the fret board to hear the results.

[@phoebephoebo8548]

From Oklahoma to Sonoma, Geoff is the best! Good to see him and Music Nomad rocking. Great video.

[@neilsilverman6224]

Thank you for this video, it was incredibly helpful and straight forward. Only needed to make one adjustment for the D string and now just sounds so much better. This was on a '93 Les Paul with a Tunomatic bridge, using a Peterson as well for the tuner. Peterson Tuners are game changes in my opinion, have the Strobostomp, best tuner I have ever used. Thanks again!

[@RichardKraneis]

Thank you. I clicked the subscribe button.

[@truedoom]

Oof that tuner is really confusing me 😁 I'm sure you're well used to it, but it looks super busy 😁 One thing I always like to do, after adjusting the saddle, is I'll just lift the string off the saddle and place it back on. I found that sometimes, especially on cheaper bridges the saddles still have a bit of wiggle room. This just ensure it's not going to slip out a little more. Then just go and check the tuning and intonation again.

[@bass3966]

Turning the tone down... Brilliant and thank you 🤟

[@rstevenhanson]

Is this guy a mountain biker or something? Look at those Popeye arms! Great vid. Love your educational endeavors that match the quality of your tools. Thank you!

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

Do you want to ride with him?

[@statikgaming1216]

I have one question. What should I do if my low e saddle screw is all the way slammed back and my 12th and 17th fret are still around 20 cents too high? Awesome video tho! I was getting passed trying to figure out why I was out of tune…

[@MusicNomadCare]

Thank you for reaching out. To best answer your question we need a little more information, can you email [e-mail]?

[@shoghimusic]

I really wanna know who are the 2 people who disliked this :| by the way awesome video, thanks a lot

[@dhirenjazz8100]

Great info video indeed!! I'm getting problem in 6th string intonation, tuner getting fluctuated not showing exact reading, i changed string, why is???? Plz give idea

[@MusicNomadCare]

There could be a couple scenarios please email our guitar tech direct at [e-mail] so we can go through and help you further

[@jonbrowning-zr9mb]

Hey I wanna set my strat up for some solo jazz recordings, mostly between 5th and 12 frets. Any tips?

[@MusicNomadCare]

Thanks for reaching out, can you email us at [e-mail]? Thank you.

[@rhodesshah4603]

So Geoff as far as intonation goes which brands of guitar are as you say “right on the money”?

[@MusicNomadCare]

You should always check your guitars intonation to make sure your guitar plays in tune up and down your neck. Anytime you make any adjustment or change string size on your guitar you should check your intonation.

[@RikJSmith]

Are you asking which Brands , for example , Ibanez or Gibson , have a reputation for having better manufacturing intonation than others ?

[@garychen483]

The intonation shown on the tuner should be the same as open strings do? Otherwise it’s not intonated?

[@MusicNomadCare]

Yes your open strings should match when fretting at the 12th fret that is how you know your intonation is correct

[@custommelody7091]

My Les Paul is intonated correctly, but now i have a strange pattern. A string saddle is much closer to the pickups than D and E string. Is it always should have stairway looked pattern or nothing to worry until guitar plays well?

[@MusicNomadCare]

If the guitar intonation is proper on all strings and playing in tune up the neck then intonation is correct. You can email [e-mail] if you have more questions.

[@custommelody7091]

What if it is sharp but there is no place to move anymore?

[@MusicNomadCare]

Depending on the guitar there could be different scenarios. On and individual saddle with springs, sometimes the spring needs to be cut down or on a fixed radius bridge it is possible the bridge has been turned around. For specific help to your guitar email us at [e-mail]

[@tomasaristizabal6044]

I've tried everything and all of my strings are still flat after the twelfth fret :(

[@MusicNomadCare]

Intonation is one of the final steps in the setup process. Make sure you have dialed in all the other steps: Truss Rod, String Radius, String Action, Nut Height to help potentially resolve this issue. We show videos on each step. If still having issues you may have to take it to a local tech to troubleshoot.

[@Moneymakinshark-dawg]

Take it to a shop

[@Darkness780]

Yeah same

[@archielouis2843]

So here’s my problem, I’ve adjusted the saddle as far forward as I can but it’s still flat, idk what to do about this, do you have any ideas?

[@MusicNomadCare]

Thank you for reaching out! If you can email [e-mail] our team will be happy to assist you further with your specific instrument. Thanks!

[@Ghost-jv8vt]

there's a problem with my guitar where no matter where I move the saddle on the Low E and A the 12th fret note doesn't change at all, I have adjusted the truss rod and the action. any reason why this is happening and how can I fix it?

[@MusicNomadCare]

Hi, Thank you for reaching out. If you email [e-mail], our guitar tech will be able to help you out.

[@0000song0000]

please someone tell me what am i doing wrong i have a LP style with strings that go thru the body with ferrules, it has an old style abr tone pros bridge so far i have to: see if my 12th is sharp/flat check where i have to move the saddle loosen the strings, *take off the bridge cause i cannot fit a screwdriver there* move the saddle *put the bridge back on* tune the string check if my 12th is sharp/flat (repeat infinite times) even if i dont take the bridge off, i do have to loosen the string because due to that guitars design and the angle of the strings, i truly cannot fit a screwdriver in there. 😛 i do not know how he does it on 6:40 cause there's no close ups

[@MusicNomadCare]

You should be able to loosen the string and move it to the side to get access to the intonation screw. If that does not work for you please send us a close up so we can help you further. You can send the photo to our guitar tech [e-mail]

[@zeroninejames9507]

Would being intonated all the way to the 24th fret be reasonable with all the strings? Is that possible? I'm confused on different intonation tutorials. There is only 22 frets available or nobody's mentioned 24 feet guitars.

[@chaksumlee9520]

Hi. I would like to ask which cleaner from you guys do you recommend for cleaning a bass neck in Wenge or maple? And would like to ask if F-One is suitable for wenge fingerboard? Thank you,

[@MusicNomadCare]

F-ONE will work great on your wenge fretboard. If the back of your neck is unfinished/raw wood you could use F-ONE oil and you will want to make sure you wipe any remaining oil that did not absorb into the wood. If it is a finished neck you will want to use the Guitar Detailer MN100

[@chaksumlee9520]

@@MusicNomadCare I see. Guitar Detailer sounds like sth that can apply on cleaning every part on a bass/guitar.

[@Mrguitarcraze]

What stinks is that Gibson uses the Pythagorean tuning system whereas others use the Equal Temperament tuning system. That’s why Gibon’s are typically flat to the 12th and sharp the rest of the way up.

[@callaghancarping7854]

Only my E and A strings buzz, can I adjust the bridge slots to fix just these strings

[@MusicNomadCare]

Please email [e-mail] to help assist you with your specific guitar.

[@callaghancarping7854]

@@MusicNomadCare OK thank you

[@guitarproguru9411]

Good video, thanks. However, as soon as I heard you say 17th fret, I thought you likely meant 19th...... Seems you did.

[@MusicNomadCare]

Thanks. There are lots of differing opinions on setup advice and we respect that. In our collaboration with Master Guitar Tech Geoff Luttrell and other top repair techs, the most common frets to set intonation are the 12th as the main check and 17th (not 19th) as the double check.

[@guitarproguru9411]

@@MusicNomadCare - Thanks for the response. It’s just that, watching the video, he frets 19 and not 17, so my point and confusion remain.

[@guitarproguru9411]

In all fairness, earlier on he does fret 17, but later 19. All good. :)

[@EM-km8em]

Does this set up step allow for the strings to vibrate longer and feel softer when picking the strings? I have played some guitars where the strings feel very stiff and hard as opposed to others where the strings vibrate longer, are easier to pick and allow for easy bending.

[@MusicNomadCare]

Intonation adjustment is what makes the fretted notes play tone with the open string. Check out the full setup video for your guitar, if you perform the full KISS setup for your instrument the guitar will come out playing and sound great!!

[@michaelk5889]

So do you fret the 12th or harmonic the 12th to compare the open note? I’ve seen both methods. Which is correct? Thx.

[@MusicNomadCare]

The open note and harmonic note are the same reference to compare with the fretted note when performing intonation. Use the open string or harmonic note at the 12th fret to compare with the fretted note at the 12th fret. You can email [e-mail] if you have more questions.

[@jamesbondaygee]

Hi there I was thinking of buying a jay turser Strat vintage. The neck feels pretty good, but the intonation is not very good. I tuned it up, and it sounds horrible on the first and second frets of the low E and D string. Do you think adjusting the intonation will fix this? For example playing the E octave low E string and then the octave on the d string is out of whack right there on the second fret.

[@MusicNomadCare]

It sounds like you have height nut slots. it is important to go through the entire flow of the KISS method in the proper linear flow. Any more questions or clarification email our guitar tech at [e-mail] www.musicnomadcare.com/How-To-Advice/Setup-Hub/The-Setup-Flow/

[@elarmuzik]

What to do if when i adjust a saddle and string that freted in tune but after that open goes detune...and oposite((

[@MusicNomadCare]

It sounds like you may possibly have a high nut slot, but email our guitar tech some detailed info on what your experiencing and he will help troubleshoot your issue. [e-mail]

[@HateCrewReaper]

So if my intonation is dead on for every string but say I'll hit an A on the E string it comes out flat... That's just an example every note between open and 12th seems to be off. Is that because I have too much relief in my neck? I wasn't able to adjust my truss rod because jackson decided to use a special tool instead of an allen like every one else....

[@MusicNomadCare]

We will need more information to help you. Can you please email us with your details to [e-mail] so we can help you further

[@HateCrewReaper]

@@MusicNomadCare thanks for that but im digging deeper in the whole setting up a guitar thing and turns out ive got more things to learn and do on this guitar to get it where i want it. this is a 17 year old guitar, the frets are completely fucked and need leveling, the nut height is awful and like i said i need to adjust the truss rod. also, i meant sharp not flat earlier talking about the notes, and the pressure i put on the strings greatly varies the pitch of the note, guessing thats because of the frets..? so yeah, im in the process of buying the tools i need to work this out, wont be cheap but ive got 3 others guitars and a bass that are gonna need some love so itll be worth it.

[@MusicNomadCare]

The setup is based on having level frets. If you have any bad frets or the frets are worn it will effect your intonation and other steps in the setup process. You will need to address your fret issue before you can proper setup your guitar

[@HateCrewReaper]

@@MusicNomadCare that's what I figured thank you for the reply!

[@rishi2641]

Hey bro can anyone reply me plzz I just adjust my electric guitar brige And now the sting tension feel so tight plz i am suffering from this like for 1 month Plz can anyone help me 😭😭

[@MusicNomadCare]

There could be a few different scenarios... did you go through the entire KISS setup in the proper flow? If you did not do the proper flow of the setup that could be the issues, email our guitar tech at [e-mail] on what adjustments you made to your instrument and what you're experiencing and he will help you troubleshoot the issue

[@sarthaksharma8389]

What if it's flat on the 12th and sharp on the 17th??

[@MusicNomadCare]

You can split the difference, or if you play mostly around the 12th and rarely around the 17th, have it more in tune on the 12th.

[@sarthaksharma8389]

@@MusicNomadCare okay!! Thanks for replying 🍻👍

[@MusicNomadCare]

@@sarthaksharma8389 of course, check out all our KEEP IT SIMPLE, SETUP Gauges and Tool Kits, allows anybody to set up their guitar.

[@llengford]

Same old same old. Nobody shows were the bridge setting start from left to right?

[@littlefrankie2353]

Huh huh in

[@owengrant9066]

so I adjusted the saddle to the point where it cant go any further and my intonation is exactly the same still? perfectly in tune on the open E but sharp on the 12th fret?

[@MusicNomadCare]

You need to get your saddle back further and there are ways to do this but to help you further we will need to know the guitar you are intonation you can respond here or email our guitar tech at [e-mail] so we can help you dial in your intotation

[@owengrant9066]

@@MusicNomadCare Thank you, I appreciate any help you can give me, I actually was able to put the saddle further back and it did make the note on the 12th fret a little flatter, but its really tight now. My guitar is a GIO Ibanez GSA60 Walnut Flat.

[@MusicNomadCare]

Can you email our guitar tech so he can walk you through what needs to be done

[@owengrant9066]

@@MusicNomadCare Thank you a lot btw. I have sent an email.