Splain this intonation to me

[LiveMusic]

Yesterday, I received my new Washburn D10. I bought it as a Stupid Deal Of The Day because for $129, it was hard to pass up! I think it's a bargain at $199! I really like this guitar, surprises me. And I never ever dreamed I'd be caught playing a white guitar but, hey, another surprise. I actually like it.

 

One of the things that I am so pleased about is that it doesn't sound weird in any chords. After tuning, everything I play seems to be totally in tune. I have a Carvin Cobalt 780 and a Takamini EG240 and they are good but they are not as perfect as this Washburn. Is this simply "intonation?"

 

This really has me curious because it is so refreshing... I am so sensitive to pitch. So much so, I am considering a Peterson strobe tuner. Can ANY guitar arrive at this place with tweaking? Is it cut and dried like some mathematical calculation... can any luthier make any guitar arrive at this wonderful place or is it up to his ear? How could he know what is perfect for my ear without me being there through the whole process?

 

Thanks for any help, I gotta know!

[Trucks]

Do all three guitars have a compensated saddle?

[LiveMusic]

I guess so. The saddles have the b string part that is slanted differently.

 

How do you adjust intonation?

[Eric VB]

Do all three guitars have a compensated saddle?

Well the link to the Washburn has a pic of just a single bridge mounted at an angle (scale progressively shortens for higher pitched strings). So if it has incredible intonation I'd say LiveMusic got lucky with this particular guitar. (Or maybe Washburn really does make stellar guitars; I don't know.) That's why I like to try-before-I-buy, because each guitar is unique, even if they all have the same model number.

 

Since the bridge isn't adjustable, LiveMusic, be sure to always use the same string gauges as what's on the guitar right now. In fact, I wouldn't even change brands. Changing gauges/brands usually means you have to adjust the bridge, but since you can't adjust it just listen to Billy Joel and "don't go changing".

 

Also watch the temperature and humidity on that thing. The last thing you want is to have the wood shrink/expand and ruin the intonation! (Contact Washburn to see what they recommend.)

 

 

The Takamine has the same kind of bridge. According to their FAQ, they string all their six string steels with "D'Addario EXP16 light gauge". If this isn't what's currently on your EG240, give it a try and see if there is any improvement.

 

Same bridge on the Carvin. They put "Elixer NanoWeb" strings on the Cobalt series. On their accessories page they list the "Custom Light", "Light", and "Medium" for their "Acoustic Strings". Didn't see what they ship with on the website; try contacting Carvin directly.

 

 

For a quick check of intonation, play the note at 12th fret and compare it to the harmonic (same place). It should be the same note. Do this for each string.

[Eric VB]

Googling turned up this tidbit on William Foley's 1991 patent application for an "adjustable bridge for acoustic guitar":

Most, if not all, guitar players prefer that their instruments intonate correctly. That is to say, that their guitars play equally in tune at all points on the fingerboard. Correct intonation is achieved by the use of a bridge having means for the length adjustment of each string.

Virtually all acoustic guitars now in existence have no means for such adjustment. Their string lengths are determined by the location of one non-adjustable saddle installed on the instrument at the time of its manufacture.

[LiveMusic]

But... back to the question... can a good luthier make a guitar have good intonation like this one has? Surely you don't have to just get lucky. Or do you?

 

I think this guitar is as good as I've heard in this always-in-tune regardless of what chord I'm playing. And I don't mean chords low on the neck vs. those way up the neck. In general, I just mean chords in the first three frets. Usually, on most guitars, some will sound very slightly off.