How to intonate your acoustic guitar properly and near perfectly by Randy Schartiger
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- Опубліковано 7 жов 2015
- 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
6:27 scared the shit out of me lol
lol keeps the viewer alert :P
@@RandySchartiger Didn't expected at all :D Anyway nice job ! :D
this just hit me in ways unimaginable...
hahaha it really is 😆 with a voice like that
Legit gonna have nightmares
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
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
saddle for each season is great idea, thanks
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.
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
@@kwilley9287 I can talk a glass eye to sleep.
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
thank you my friend and thanks for watching very glad to hear it helped!
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
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.
Thank you. I never understood how to do the intonation on an acoustic all these years. God Bless You
Awesome video Randy, i am starting my knowledge regarding tuning and saddle adjustments, so thank you for your clear explanation about this topic, Cheers!
I am watching this video in 4/2024, and I noticed your work bench has served you well.
Very cool sir. Informative. Personal. Charismatic sense of humor. And appreciate the candid explanation. Well done.
Had to watch again,to let the information sink in.Always Good from a Good Person.
This is by far your most awesomest video yet!
Belated of course
Thank you for your instruction. First time I have ever heard about adjustments on an acoustic guitar.
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!
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
The best description of this I've heard. Thanks!
+deedubslite Thanks for checking it out and commenting! :)
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.
Very cool! I hope my videos are helpful! And welcome aboard my friend! :)
makes perfect sense, well done, thank you for sharing
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
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 😂
Excellent explanation on intonation setup on an Acoustic Guitar, thanks Randy this helps me.
glad to hear it! thanks my friend! and thanks for checking out my videos!
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
a new bridge and nut are pretty cheap, so you don't have to worry too much
always could work on electrics but you showed me yes you can intonate a acoustic guitar very valuable info thanks for all your time
thanks my friend and thanks for watching!
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.
Makes a lot of sense, and I learned some thing new, thanks
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.
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
Fantastic video, really helpful. Thanks Randy
thank you my friend and thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing Randy. You are a great guy.
+Simon Liew Thanks for your kind comment Simon! And thanks for checking out my videos! :)
Cool man! Really blows my mind. Gonna jump on it. Thanks for showing.
good luck man and thanks for watching!
I can dig it! Very helpful, thank you
Thanks posting i have that same problem on ecko acoustic i am using elixer strings was using earthwound what strings are using.
Never thought of that! Thanks Randy!
+Ed Dana You're welcome bro thanks for checking it out!
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!
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.🎃
Best acoustic intonation video on the tube .
I am working on my luthier skills and intonation was next in line .
Thank you .
Outstanding .
do not underestimate this cat. Terrific informative video. Thanks boss
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.
+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!
Thanks mann good tips for what's coming next on the bench hehehe well and clearly explained (a rare thing these days)!!
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!
+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.
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
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 !!
Thank you Randy !
Hi Randy Great learning experience! Nobody on UA-cam has gone into such depth on this subject! Thank You Dave from Delaware
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! :)
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?
just wanted to say this: thank you Randy! :)
That is one nice acoustic guitar. Thanks for the vdeo. It was helpful.
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 !
I'm 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!
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!
I have no idea why didn't i think of it earlier
Love the video, helped a lot
than you my friend! and thanks for checking out my videos!
Good stuff and I realize you are of a higher standard Sir I learned a lot ,thank you!
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!
Thanbks Randy........awesome info mate.! from Aust.
Excellent class, thanks!
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.
yep you can finer tune them at the saddle and a slight bit at the nut. good luck with yours! and thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing the information
This is helpful, thanks! I ordered some bone blanks because my ukuleles are both a little sharp (which I guess is better than flat in a ukulele, but still). I didn't notice until I tried to change one to a low G tuning and it sounded all wrong! I tried different strings and that didn't work, so I was planning to try increasing string distance with the bridge angle because the compensation on my Martin bridge was not helping. Now I am confident that it will actually work! I looked for ukulele videos but none of them addressed adjusting the angle of the crest of the bridge, only the height. Thanks again, now I anxiously await delivery of my bone blanks.
How does tusq sound compared to bone or ebony? I've got plastic on all my ukes currently. I ordered some bone and some ebony bridges and nuts so I can try them out. I wonder if the ebony would lend itself better than bone to the low G tuning.
thanks Randy I wl1 give this a try!
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!
+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! :-)
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.
I tend to agree
Works like a charm 😎🤘
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 👌👌
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.
very cool! thanks for subscribing and thanks for checking out my videos!
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.
Love my two Blueridge guitars
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.
Thank you, excellent video
+ProgRockDan1 Thanks for watching and commenting my friend!
I dig it maan, I dig it!!
Thank you, Mr. Schartiger
thank you my friend fr checking out my videos!
Interesting video Randy .
randy you the man!!!
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!!!!
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!
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!!!
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
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! :)
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!
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.
Hello Randy, thanks for the video, very helpful.
I bought a guitar, (an old Cort) flatop, with a very good sound, but with horrible intonation. The old owner changed the nut and must have done a horrible job ...
I am an average brazilian luthier, I know the basics to make some repairs. I read in an article from Premier Guitar that there is a correct distance between the nut and the first frets. Also, in your video, there is a moment when a pachymeter appears measuring that distance.
I'm going to make a new nut, with the big question, "What's the correct distance between the nut and the first fret"?
Can you help me?
Thank you
Good video Randy And it dose make a difference more than you would think.)))
+Steve Harris Thank you Steve! Yeah it's amazing how much difference a little bit makes!
hmmmI learned something new today ! Thanks
good work thanks
there is an opening for the invention of a saddle with individual sections for each string.
someone could get rich from it! thanks for viewing!
Hey Randy ,great video very informative!!Hooold!!Onn!! Cheers!!
Hold on! :D Thanks for checking it out brother!
Randy Schartiger
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.
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.
I'll check them out, thanks.
Cool vid man, thanks. Getting some tools this week..
+RCK EMY Thanks for checking it out mate! Cool news on the tools! All the best!
Legend. Thank you.
thanks my friend! and thanks for checking out my videos!
Your videos are great , I use to own the blueridge br 60
+TheOlmecindian Thank you my friend I appreciate you watching and commenting! Yeah br160's rock, I've played several other ones and they were all good ones.
Good stuff Randy!
+KY. T.O. Thanks bro! I appreciate you watching!
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?
+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.
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
My videos about "tuning your guitar wrong" and "how to tune" might help him too. Thanks for watching!
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.
Luv your videos. You are a real nerd and I happen to luv nerds 🤓😎👍
Howdy Randy.
A great lesson from You (as usual)
Thanks man.
b.r Alf
+Alf Agerup Thank you bro for checking it out and commenting my friend!
:-) :-)
HI thanks for the video. It sounded at the end with the bridge and nut adjustments are opposite in direction. You lengthen the nut to sharp the note and lengthen the saddle to flat the note. Is this a mis-speak or is it actually the opposite? this is at 10 min.
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~ ♪
+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.
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!
Randy, my guitar has a floating neck does that make it any different adjusting the intonation. Also is that saddle you call proper tusk natural and not plastic and dose it give a louder sound or better tone?
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?
Randy I would like to send my Ibanez to you and have you upgrade it. From scalloping the bracing to doing your master work on tuning and adding pickup.
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.
Right on. Cool video!
+mark ramirez Thanks Mark for checking it out!
great advice ty
OH !!!!Randy!!!very informative!my friend!!!always living and learning !!!thanks for sharing:))thumbs up#67
+tiago hogan Thanks so much Tiago!
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)
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.
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!
Hey Randy, the intonation check at the 12th fret checks out perfect at 0 cents harmonic and fretted. But the B and high E strings go sharp about 5 cents (enough to hear) at the 2nd and 3rd frets, where all the cool chords hang out. What's up with that?
Thanks Randy really appreciate your contribution to the subject would love to see how you go about filing a saddle or the nut if needed, I assume you have to remove the saddle each time for each adjustment and then put it back on and restring up to tension and hope you got it right, so is that right?
that's right, and it's a very slow process, taking the saddle out each time prevents any file to guitar risks tho it can be done leaving the saddle in and just detuning each string one at a time, you can get your intonation as close as the guitar will allow this way. thanks for watching!