Finally a complete explanation on how to achieve intonation. Other videos usually only explain part of it, but you have a completely different approach. I now finally have my guitar in full tone, whether I play on the first frets or on higher frets on the fretboard, it doesn't matter, neatly in tone everywhere, and that plays so much better and nicer and sounds 100x better. Thank you very much for this professional explanation from your side...
You are most welcome .... I have been the "voice in the wilderness" for years. Glad to see that it is finally sinking in to the general guitar population. Cheers MMcC
Superthanks for this video finally I get it how to do it. Whats left now is lots and lots of practice, I own a bunch of cheap guitars and nut blanks I bought from you to practice on though so there is hope now lol. Again many thanks
Wonderful video with great explanations.I will be looking for the tuner app you are using. Great stuff on your channel. I am sure I will be watching all your videos. For a kit guitar it looks like they did a fantastic job. Stay safe.
Yes he did do a fantastic job ! He built this guitar under guidance of Tony Carol ... who does spectacular work. Now that it plays perfectly surgically in tune .... it's a "lifer" !
My 1972 Epiphone F150 acoustic guitar (a gift from my young wife those many years ago) Was actually an unplayable POS. The bolt on neck had a zero fret to begin with and the fret spacing was not correct. The bridge and saddle were not placed properly and the guitar could not be tuned because intonation was impossible to achieve. Oh yeah and the action at the 12th fret was in excess of 3/8th's inch. The guitar spent 15 plus years in the case and when it got opened the neck, still under string tension. jackknifed up and smashed the top around the soundhole because the upper brace glue failed and the brace was lying in the bottom. I have repaired everything since except repositioning the bridge. Compensated intonation using small chips of bone as replacements for the zero fret helped and now action is 6/32nd's at the 12th fret. It works nice and has a sound that is great. Miracles happen.
That is what I need to learn how to do. Especially since I have all these high grade tone woods, frets perfectly leveled, crowned, dressed and polished, copper shielded, twisted wires, CTS pots and orange drop capacitors guitars. Am just going for perfection. Good at making traditional nuts and getting the slot depth perfect. Just missing a compensated nut for perfect intonation! Gonna be my winter projects is switching all of my guitars over. The mertlewood acoustic, the modernized 72 thinline and the casino are the ones that need it the most. They all need it. The new quarter sawn one piece swamp ash and quarter sawn maple rosewood compound radius neck micawber build with a 59 neck humbucker and a hot single coil bridge pup. That's is conceptually a warmer, more resonate, and smoother Micawber. Like a smooth jazz and blues prog rock type of guitar. Where the real Micawber is a little more raw. A compensated nut will just add to the smoothness. The only one I'll probably leave alone is 57 reissue strat. But next summer I building a super strat. Have an extra light flat sawn one piece body, gonna get a modern compound radius quarter sawn maple neck. Aerosol nitro finish it with wood sealer and grain fill. Just like the old days. Trying to blow the custom shop away. Those are my expectations, anyways. Otherwise it is pointless I'll just go buy a custom shop.
@@StringTechWorkstations definitely a little OCD. With good reason. Since I started working on guitars I've been playing better guitars than I ever imagined.
Good job and it obviously works well. Personally if I had to do this to one of my instruments - and I do my own basic work even though I'm no professional - I would route out a much wider slot and then use individual pieces of saddle for each string with shims either in front or behind to adjust the intonation. I'd be a little afraid with a cantilever system that you might get some weird artifacts from the pressure trying to lean the saddle forward. I'm hardly ever concerned with keeping the vintage or original aspect of a guitar because I'm all about playing the heck out of it while I'm alive and it's alive.😅
OPK Garflips: Lol ! I get it totally .... made-to-be-played ... not worshipped. I am with you on that. As far as the cantilevered saddle: The cantilevered portion usually has a ( approx ) 12" radius on the leading edge. This cantilevered portion rests on the wood of the bridge just ahead of the slot. The radius disc sander conversion kit for the drill press ( that I designed ); allows the Guitar Techs and Luthiers to accomplish ( literally ) in seconds ( about 14 seconds to be exact ) what would normally take MUCH more time to do by hand. My concern with the individual pieces; would be lining up all of the multiple surfaces ...making sure that all of those surfaces make the same amount of contact. Under string pressure I would be nervous about rattling or extraneous noise .... with individual saddles vibrating against themselves ... or not seating intimately ( especially with any type of under-the-saddle transducers ). Also slotting a bridge with an extra wide slot, increases the chance of that front lip ... possibly cracking or breaking off. This upcoming video with the Tsai Guitar with the Carpathian Elm Burl back and sides ... will illustrate .. again ... that it is quite possible to get a good press fit AND have the proper support for the cantilevered portion. Thank you for your comments... it gets us ALL thinking. Also : Although you are obviously not a part of the "Originality Police Force" ... the way I do this .... IT IS REVERSABLE ( if you were crazy enough to put it back to original ... Lol ! ) Keep on playing while you are still alive ! Cheers , MMcC
Greetings sir 😊 when you say to remember to get that action at the bridge as close as possible to the final height do you mean the action at the 12th fret?
Before calibrating the compensated nut I try get the bridge saddle as close as possible to the final height, for a more accurate overall read on the intonation. This also helps at the very end of the calibration process, as I put that final set of strings on, and ultra-tweak ALL of the values, for the final run. Thanks for asking.
Fair enough questions. The adjustable electric guitar bridges are an entirely different animal. The "adjustability" is unnecessary on an acoustic guitar ... once it is calibrated for the exact string tuning and scale length; there is rarely any need to "re-adjust". IF any adjustment is needed, the values at the focal points on the saddle can be adjusted slightly. Floating bridges are used on most Arch-Top guitars .... but ... the way the the " flat top " guitars are designed; the bridge needs to be attached to the top, to " drive" the soundboard. Cheers ! MMcC
On another note, I noticed that at the nut, your strings are sitting "above" the nut slots, and not fully enclosed. Although the contact point is true (and is sufficient for intonation), the sides of the nut slot lack "structural support". Does this reduce the vibration transfer, since it has a smaller surface area that contacts the nut? Or does most of the energy transfer occur through the node/contact point only? The node would create the downwards pressure and use up energy that way, but the "walls" of the nut slot would surely eat up some energy too, right? My strings are swallowed by the nut slots. How deep is too deep? Surely the same result could be achieved by cutting the bottom of the nut instead of digging a hole to China lol.
Do you have any tips for setting intonation around down-tuning? I'm in Drop C (D standard) and every time it comes to intonation, the guitar wants to go sharp. I find this to be the case for most guitars, acoustic or electric. Usually sharp, not flat. I want this tuning to sound like home for the instrument. I know most guitars are built and scaled to match E standard at 440hz...is there anything in particular that would limit my ability to make the necessary adjustments? More of a physics question than a trial-and-error question.
Very interesting video. I do have a question. Could you just change the gauges of the strings to match what the guitar "wants" to be played with, and get it perfectly intonated using that approach ?
I was surprised to see you intonate the bridge using 5 and 17th fret (though it does make sense), but I don't quite get how you intonate the nut and then adjust height and intonate again. Can you please explain the steps briefly? @@StringTechWorkstations
One of the best intonation videos I've seen! Very methodical, and good job annotating all your adjustments so we know exactly what's going on!
Glad you enjoyed it! MMcC
the best tutorial in youtube
Finally a complete explanation on how to achieve intonation. Other videos usually only explain part of it, but you have a completely different approach. I now finally have my guitar in full tone, whether I play on the first frets or on higher frets on the fretboard, it doesn't matter, neatly in tone everywhere, and that plays so much better and nicer and sounds 100x better. Thank you very much for this professional explanation from your side...
You are most welcome .... I have been the "voice in the wilderness" for years. Glad to see that it is finally sinking in to the general guitar population. Cheers MMcC
Wow what an amazing video. Great !!!
A gem.
Nicely done!
brilliant
that's a lot of work involved..extraordinary job
th-cam.com/video/8RAVQ5RG2cE/w-d-xo.html
Wow. Amazing.
We can tell you were diggin' that guitar at the end there.
😄😄
Great Video Mike and beautiful guitar now.
Thanks Mike, enjoyed that immensely. Rob from UK.
Wow! That’s a tutorial. Thank you very much!
You're welcome! MMcC
Superthanks for this video finally I get it how to do it. Whats left now is lots and lots of practice, I own a bunch of cheap guitars and nut blanks I bought from you to practice on though so there is hope now lol. Again many thanks
Glad it helped
Amazing stuff
Awesome now his guitar is perfect. 👍👍
This is just the video i needed specially the compensation at the nut ive ran out of room on the saddle
Hang on ... another video coming right up ;^ ) ! MMcC
Fantastic job!!! Congratulations!!!
Bruno from Brazil
th-cam.com/video/8RAVQ5RG2cE/w-d-xo.html
I've been follow you so many years, and today wanna thanks for your videos, so many lesson i learned from you ❤️👍🏻
Awesome! Thank you!
Very informative. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Wonderful video with great explanations.I will be looking for the tuner app you are using. Great stuff on your channel. I am sure I will be watching all your videos. For a kit guitar it looks like they did a fantastic job. Stay safe.
Yes he did do a fantastic job ! He built this guitar under guidance of Tony Carol ... who does spectacular work. Now that it plays perfectly surgically in tune .... it's a "lifer" !
My 1972 Epiphone F150 acoustic guitar (a gift from my young wife those many years ago) Was actually an unplayable POS. The bolt on neck had a zero fret to begin with and the fret spacing was not correct. The bridge and saddle were not placed properly and the guitar could not be tuned because intonation was impossible to achieve. Oh yeah and the action at the 12th fret was in excess of 3/8th's inch. The guitar spent 15 plus years in the case and when it got opened the neck, still under string tension. jackknifed up and smashed the top around the soundhole because the upper brace glue failed and the brace was lying in the bottom. I have repaired everything since except repositioning the bridge. Compensated intonation using small chips of bone as replacements for the zero fret helped and now action is 6/32nd's at the 12th fret. It works nice and has a sound that is great. Miracles happen.
Bravo ! Sounds like quite the journeyth-cam.com/video/li8s3mzvwCU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=V65YS4G1YwGbXWAy
That is what I need to learn how to do. Especially since I have all these high grade tone woods, frets perfectly leveled, crowned, dressed and polished, copper shielded, twisted wires, CTS pots and orange drop capacitors guitars. Am just going for perfection. Good at making traditional nuts and getting the slot depth perfect. Just missing a compensated nut for perfect intonation! Gonna be my winter projects is switching all of my guitars over. The mertlewood acoustic, the modernized 72 thinline and the casino are the ones that need it the most. They all need it. The new quarter sawn one piece swamp ash and quarter sawn maple rosewood compound radius neck micawber build with a 59 neck humbucker and a hot single coil bridge pup. That's is conceptually a warmer, more resonate, and smoother Micawber. Like a smooth jazz and blues prog rock type of guitar. Where the real Micawber is a little more raw. A compensated nut will just add to the smoothness. The only one I'll probably leave alone is 57 reissue strat. But next summer I building a super strat. Have an extra light flat sawn one piece body, gonna get a modern compound radius quarter sawn maple neck. Aerosol nitro finish it with wood sealer and grain fill. Just like the old days. Trying to blow the custom shop away. Those are my expectations, anyways. Otherwise it is pointless I'll just go buy a custom shop.
Man on a mission ! Bravo !
@@StringTechWorkstations definitely a little OCD. With good reason. Since I started working on guitars I've been playing better guitars than I ever imagined.
Good job and it obviously works well. Personally if I had to do this to one of my instruments - and I do my own basic work even though I'm no professional - I would route out a much wider slot and then use individual pieces of saddle for each string with shims either in front or behind to adjust the intonation. I'd be a little afraid with a cantilever system that you might get some weird artifacts from the pressure trying to lean the saddle forward. I'm hardly ever concerned with keeping the vintage or original aspect of a guitar because I'm all about playing the heck out of it while I'm alive and it's alive.😅
OPK Garflips:
Lol ! I get it totally .... made-to-be-played ... not worshipped. I am with you on that. As far as the cantilevered saddle: The cantilevered portion usually has a
( approx ) 12" radius on the leading edge. This cantilevered portion rests on the wood of the bridge just ahead of the slot. The radius disc sander conversion kit for the drill press ( that I designed ); allows the Guitar Techs and Luthiers to accomplish ( literally ) in seconds ( about 14 seconds to be exact ) what would normally take MUCH more time to do by hand. My concern with the individual pieces; would be lining up all of the multiple surfaces ...making sure that all of those surfaces make the same amount of contact. Under string pressure I would be nervous about rattling or extraneous noise .... with individual saddles vibrating against themselves ... or not seating intimately ( especially with any type of under-the-saddle transducers ). Also slotting a bridge with an extra wide slot, increases the chance of that front lip ... possibly cracking or breaking off. This upcoming video with the Tsai Guitar with the Carpathian Elm Burl back and sides ... will illustrate .. again ... that it is quite possible to get a good press fit AND have the proper support for the cantilevered portion. Thank you for your comments... it gets us ALL thinking. Also : Although you are obviously not a part of the "Originality Police Force" ... the way I do this .... IT IS REVERSABLE ( if you were crazy enough to put it back to original ... Lol ! ) Keep on playing while you are still alive ! Cheers , MMcC
@@StringTechWorkstations Good points!
Amazing! Which tuner app are you using?
ClearTune
Greetings sir 😊 when you say to remember to get that action at the bridge as close as possible to the final height do you mean the action at the 12th fret?
Before calibrating the compensated nut I try get the bridge saddle as close as possible to the final height, for a more accurate overall read on the intonation. This also helps at the very end of the calibration process, as I put that final set of strings on, and ultra-tweak ALL of the values, for the final run. Thanks for asking.
Beautiful, can you tell me what would happen after you put a capo on it, would it still note perfect?
It'll be fine with a capo.
Are compensated nuts good for low tunings?
Speaking about electric guitars, of coursedrop C/drop B
th-cam.com/video/ADLdC6XVGQ0/w-d-xo.html this LP was tuned way down !
when you’re fretting the 7th and 19th, which of the 2 values (if different) are you using to make adjustments?
The bridge.
I need you in Florida! 🙋🏻♂️
Wonderful channel you have Carlos ! Just subscribed !
@@StringTechWorkstations Thanks!
This makes me ask what address to ship all my guitars to?
I am a one man shop. I book well in advance. Inquire: mcconvilleguitars@gmail.com
at 13;53 when you start talking saddle is that another tweek after the nut intonation?
Yep. That saddle needed lot's of help too.
This is a lot of work. Why don't acoustic guitars use adjustable bridges (like electric guitars), or floating/adjustable bridges like mandolins?
Fair enough questions. The adjustable electric guitar bridges are an entirely different animal. The "adjustability" is unnecessary on an acoustic guitar ... once it is calibrated for the exact string tuning and scale length; there is rarely any need to "re-adjust". IF any adjustment is needed, the values at the focal points on the saddle can be adjusted slightly. Floating bridges are used on most Arch-Top guitars .... but ... the way the the " flat top " guitars are designed; the bridge needs to be attached to the top, to " drive" the soundboard. Cheers ! MMcC
@@StringTechWorkstations That explains everything very clearly. Thanks for taking the time to answer. Much appreciated.
On another note, I noticed that at the nut, your strings are sitting "above" the nut slots, and not fully enclosed.
Although the contact point is true (and is sufficient for intonation), the sides of the nut slot lack "structural support".
Does this reduce the vibration transfer, since it has a smaller surface area that contacts the nut? Or does most of the energy transfer occur through the node/contact point only? The node would create the downwards pressure and use up energy that way, but the "walls" of the nut slot would surely eat up some energy too, right?
My strings are swallowed by the nut slots. How deep is too deep? Surely the same result could be achieved by cutting the bottom of the nut instead of digging a hole to China lol.
Ultimately; 1/3 of the diameter of the string should rest in the slot.
@@StringTechWorkstations good enough for me, thanks!
Do you have any tips for setting intonation around down-tuning? I'm in Drop C (D standard) and every time it comes to intonation, the guitar wants to go sharp. I find this to be the case for most guitars, acoustic or electric. Usually sharp, not flat. I want this tuning to sound like home for the instrument.
I know most guitars are built and scaled to match E standard at 440hz...is there anything in particular that would limit my ability to make the necessary adjustments?
More of a physics question than a trial-and-error question.
It will always be somewhat of a moving target. This Guild was setup for A 432. th-cam.com/video/tjUdzztW0i0/w-d-xo.html
@@StringTechWorkstations you're the best! Love the consistent camera angle too, really helps compare between guitars
Very interesting video. I do have a question. Could you just change the gauges of the strings to match what the guitar "wants" to be played with, and get it perfectly intonated using that approach ?
Each gauge of strings and tuning will dictate exactly how the calibration rolls out.
God job !!! which tuner do you use on your cell phone?
Cleartune.
Damn, it was almost unnatural to hear the guitar so in tune. Sounded almost like a keyboard.
Lol ! Ya' keyboard players and violinists are stunned when they hear this. Ha!
I was surprised to see you intonate the bridge using 5 and 17th fret (though it does make sense), but I don't quite get how you intonate the nut and then adjust height and intonate again. Can you please explain the steps briefly? @@StringTechWorkstations
I do cover this in much greater detail for my Tier 3 Patreons subs. Spec sheets and variations etc ...