Have you ever tuned your guitar only to find that chords higher up the neck sound out of tune? This frustrating issue is often due to incorrect intonation. Intonation is crucial for ensuring your guitar plays in tune across the entire fretboard, not just on open strings. Getting it right can dramatically improve your playing experience.
In essence, intonation refers to the accuracy of pitch as you move up the guitar neck. A properly intonated guitar will play in tune with itself, meaning that notes at the 12th fret and beyond will be correctly pitched relative to the open strings. When intonation is off, your guitar might sound fine when playing open chords, but notes and chords higher up the neck will sound noticeably sharp or flat. This article will guide you through the process of intonating your guitar, ensuring your instrument sounds its best.
Why Guitar Intonation Matters
Think of your guitar as a finely tuned machine. Like any machine, it requires regular maintenance to perform optimally. Factors like temperature changes, humidity, string gauge changes, and even the age of your strings can affect your guitar’s intonation. These factors can cause the string length to change slightly, leading to notes being out of tune as you fret higher up the neck.
Regular intonation is a key part of a complete guitar setup. A setup is a comprehensive maintenance procedure that addresses various aspects of your guitar to ensure optimal playability and sound. Intonation is arguably one of the most critical elements of a setup, directly impacting the overall tuning accuracy and sonic quality of your instrument. Ignoring intonation can lead to a perpetually out-of-tune sound, even after careful tuning of open strings.
Understanding the Mechanics of Intonation Adjustment
Fortunately, most guitars are designed with adjustable bridges specifically to address intonation issues. The bridge, located on the body of the guitar, houses saddles for each string. These saddles are typically adjustable, allowing you to lengthen or shorten the vibrating portion of each string. By making these adjustments, you can fine-tune the intonation of each string individually.
The goal of intonation adjustment is to ensure that the fretted note at the 12th fret matches the pitch of the 12th fret harmonic. The 12th fret is precisely at the halfway point of the string’s vibrating length. If the intonation is correct, the note fretted at the 12th fret and the harmonic at the 12th fret should be the same.
Checking Your Guitar’s Intonation
To check your guitar’s intonation, you will need an accurate tuner. Electronic tuners, whether handheld devices or smartphone apps, are ideal for this task due to their precision.
Here’s how to check each string:
- Tune the open string: Ensure your guitar is properly tuned to standard pitch (or your preferred tuning).
- Play the 12th fret harmonic: Gently pluck the string directly over the 12th fret to produce a harmonic. Note the pitch reading on your tuner.
- Fret the 12th fret: Now, fret the same string at the 12th fret and pluck it normally. Compare the pitch reading on your tuner to the 12th fret harmonic.
- Correct Intonation: If both the 12th fret harmonic and the fretted 12th fret note are in tune, your intonation for that string is good.
- Sharp Fretted Note: If the fretted 12th fret note is sharper (higher in pitch) than the 12th fret harmonic, the string is effectively too short and needs to be lengthened.
- Flat Fretted Note: If the fretted 12th fret note is flatter (lower in pitch) than the 12th fret harmonic, the string is effectively too long and needs to be shortened.
Repeat this process for all six strings to assess the intonation across your entire guitar.
Step-by-Step Guide to Intonating Your Guitar
Once you’ve identified which strings need adjustment, you can begin the intonation process. You’ll typically need a small screwdriver or Allen key to adjust the bridge saddles, depending on your guitar’s bridge type.
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Identify the problem: Determine whether the fretted 12th fret note is sharp or flat for each string that needs adjustment, as described in the checking process above.
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Adjust for Sharpness (Fretted note is sharp): If the fretted 12th fret note is sharp, you need to lengthen the string. Move the corresponding bridge saddle away from the neck (further back towards the tailpiece of the guitar). Make small adjustments and re-check the intonation after each adjustment.
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Adjust for Flatness (Fretted note is flat): If the fretted 12th fret note is flat, you need to shorten the string. Move the corresponding bridge saddle towards the neck. Again, make small adjustments and re-check the intonation.
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Re-check and Fine-tune: After each adjustment, retune the open string and re-check the intonation by comparing the 12th fret harmonic and the fretted 12th fret note. Continue making small adjustments until both pitches are in tune.
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Repeat for all strings: Work through each string that requires adjustment until the intonation is accurate across the fretboard.
Pro Tip: Initial Saddle Positioning
For a starting point, you can use a ruler or tape measure to roughly set your bridge saddles. Measure the distance from the nut to the 12th fret. This is your guitar’s scale length (up to the 12th fret). As a starting point, set the distance from the nut to each bridge saddle to be slightly longer than this measurement. The saddles for thicker strings generally need to be slightly further back than thinner strings. This is just a starting point, and you will still need to fine-tune by ear and tuner as described above.
Maintaining Proper Intonation
Once you’ve intonated your guitar, it’s not a set-it-and-forget-it task. Intonation can drift over time due to various factors. Regularly checking your intonation, especially with seasonal changes or after changing string gauges, will help keep your guitar playing in tune.
Intonating your guitar is a fundamental skill for any guitar player. While it might seem daunting at first, with a little patience and practice, you can easily master this essential maintenance procedure and ensure your guitar always sounds its best.
To further enhance your guitar knowledge and playing skills, explore the vast resources available at Fender Play for lessons and tips to keep your instrument in top condition.
