so I own a 2008 Am. Standard strat and lately I been having some pretty bad intonation issues on the high E string. Compared to the actual pitch, its horribly flat (logic tells you to shorten the string length). But the only problem is that its sooo flat up on the higher frets, that I can't adjust the intonation anymore.

What does this mean? I haven't noticed it until recently; we are playing a song in praiseband that requires me to go all the way up to the high D (which on my strat sounds like a note 1/2 sharper than C#). If I can't fix the intonation, what should I do? Would getting the strat set up for heavier gauge strings work? or is there something REALLY wrong?

Thanks for any input!
Jim

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Kid: "Hey Smokey! Where did you get your name?"
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(former user jimbo612)

Guitar neck out of line maybe?

Is there a even gap between the highE and the edge of the fretboard compared to the lowE?


Other than that, if you capo the 2nd fret, tune that to concert pitch, adjust your intonation to be correct at 14th fret to the capo'd 2nd fret, does that exhibit the same problem?

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No no and no

I shall premise that aside from this E string situation, your neck is straight, the tremolo is set up properly, etc.

So what you are saying is that your high E's saddle is all the way forward on the bridge plate and still, you are flatting out?

Higher gauge strings may or may not solve your problem. Frankly, based on your complaint, the odds are against it. Besides, you'd be treating a symptom and not a cause this way and I'm sure it is not what you'd want to do to begin with.

You may have something as simple as a bad string or your pickup or pickups are too close to the high E. Having the polepiece(s) too close can and will give you poor intonation as the magnetic pull on the string will be too strong. Worst case scenario is that the nut is cut wrong. I kind of doubt it is the nut though as you used the word "lately" to describe your problem which implies that this problem wasn't there before. Check your pickups' height first and then try changing the string before doing anything else. FWIW, I have a feeling it is the string itself.

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You dig?

There is only one place to measure the intonation and its done at the 12th fret. In case you weren't aware its sometimes useful to tune the whole guitar perfectly and then check it with a harmonic over the 12th fret wire and then I like to also play the 12 note as well.



You didn't mention you had a floating trem setup or a flat trem setup but I'll give you either scenario. You must first string the guitar well with a set of branded quality strings. They will need lots of stretching in.
Never set the intonation until you really have the strings tuning stability (quite different from intonation) stable. Make sure you know how wind the string on the tuners in a string locking fashion.

Next if the bridge is set flat you need to make sure that its not moving while your playing this will throw everything out. If it is floating try to see if the bridge is moving of skew.

If you still have problems and the other strings are fine its almost certainly will be the E strings action height. You can test this.
By playing the note and playing the harmonic and then open you can compare what the true playing intonation is.

If you have an auto tuner that can recognize all notesm play up and down to see where it starts to drift. Intonation will never be spot on but the less the string has to move to reach a fret the closer it will get.
Higher string gauges are harder to bend out of tune.

One other thing also is poor technique can make the guitar sound out of tune all the string needs to make a note is fret wire contact. So when your checking the intonation a moderately light touch will give you an accurate reading.

I'm banking on the strings. I replaced them about a little over a month ago, but I play ALOT... especially the past couple of weeks its been nonstop playing.

& I had the guitar set up in a way so the bridge lays flush to the body, and it doesn't give when I bend notes (I put in some tighter springs months ago, I never use a trem bar). I intonate by tuning it to a perfect pich, checking the harmonic, then the 12th, then making adjustments (wash, rinse, repeat...) but I'll also try it with the 14th fret and a capo.

And if none of that works I'll lower the pickups. I might do it just to see the sound I get from doing it as well I might like it

thanks for the help guys

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Kid: "Hey Smokey! Where did you get your name?"
Smokey the Bear: "Well..."
(former user jimbo612)

If your strings are over a month old and have been subjected to a lot of playing that's a very good reason you're having that problem.When I was gigging regularly I changed my strings at least weekly and if playing a week long gig sometimes changed them after 2 or 3 nights.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

hopefully you've gotten this thing figured out and it was only the string, but i'll give you a horror story from my own experience....

i've had a 98 strat since 98, and a few months back i started noticing that my barre chords in the "e" shape anywhere past g sounded HORRIBLE! when i began to diagnose the problem, i said to myself, it's OBVIOUSLY the intonation.... so i started working on the intonation.

eventually, i pulled the neck off of her, and sighted down from the heal, and on the low e side of the neck, i could literally see a curvature. a piece of gear rested on it, or someone knocked it over and didn't tell me-i don't know. but that thing was screwed! i just bought a used mim strat, moved my pickguard over to it, set her up for action and relief in the neck, and didn't look back.

the other day, i decided to use some pots, a switch, and pickups out of my parts box, install them into the guitar, and i was going to buy one of those things they sell that go over your existing nut to convert it to a lap steel type of thing-you know, a fun new toy to play with. figured the intonation wouldn't matter nearly as much due to the extreme string height, etc.

well, while i was in there, i decided to try something. i sanded the lower left corner area of the heal pocket a bit so that the heal could $@!& to the left at the very bottom, and used a couple of pieces of a cigarette pack for shims in the upper left area to kick the head ever-so-slightly to the right, and i got it to perfect intonation! feels great too-exactly as it did before!

so, the next thing i'll be picking up is a new set of pickups for my new/old guitar!

well it appears i got censored there! the word for a male chicken is apparently banned! we'll say "scoot" to the left then!