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Joe Duplantier - White (Indonesian) - can not intonate.

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  • Joe Duplantier - White (Indonesian) - can not intonate.

    I can not intonate this guitar. Fretted note on the low E is sharp. I can not move the saddle back any further. I flipped the saddle piece around and made sure it was slid all the way back. Raised and lowered the bridge, tried 10's, tried tuning to Eb D Db, same with 9's. I'm not sure what to do. I am sort of new to setting up guitars and haven't ran into this problem yet. I'm out of ideas and can't find anything on line. What do?

  • #2
    1. how high is the action?
    2. how much relief is there on the neck?
    3. does the nut look okay?
    4. how is the intonation of the other strings? do they likewise max out or almost max out the saddle travel?
    5. how hard are you fretting the note when you check the intonation? you should be fretting just hard enough to get the note to ring clear, and should also press with your finger right up against the back of the 12th fret (i.e. do not press dead in the middle between the two frets). if you are clamping your finger down with too much force on the string it will go sharp. this effect is much more apparent on the wound strings. also make sure you're not bending the note sharp.

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    • #3
      Also how close to the strings are the pickups? If the pickups are too close they can mess with intonation.

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      • #4
        Thanks all


        The pick ups are not close enough to cause a problem. At least 1/8 - 1/4 inch away. The neck relief seems fine. I can give you some measurements if you want - when I fret the 12th, I am not pressing hard enough for it to go sharp, finger against the back of the 12th fret. So far have been able to set up my other guitars. They are spot on. One with an Apollo bridge and a eVh dive only Floyd. I figured this one would be simple. This guitar isn't my main guitar. It sits most of the time but has never been intonated since getting it from GC, that is a whole other story.

        I have made minor adjustments to the neck relief as well as the tail piece and saddle bridge. Small increments up and down until the action was borderline too high to function and too low to play, different combinations of strings and tunings - 9's 10's tuned from Db D Eb E. The nut seems fine as far as the height. I am new to setting up guitars, other than taking measurements and watching YT videos I do not have enough experience to do any advanced trouble shooting.

        The low E is the main problem. I have some pics that show pickup height and the flipped saddle. I even tried coated strings this time to see if it made any difference. I tried different break angles etc etc I am starting to think the position of the saddle bridge is off. That it should be angled differently.

        Here is a link to a couple pics.

        https://imgur.com/a/Q2KnfRf

        I got all my stuff out and can give you measurements of whatever you guys need if you think it will help. May install the kill switch and Bourns pot while I am at it.

        https://i.imgur.com/UXuq5Aq.jpg

        I've ordered a couple of replacement saddle bridges that have more travel. Not sure how those are going to work out as it appears the radius on this one is 16mm not the usual 12 or 14
        Last edited by Sleazy_Treats; 09-04-2022, 09:42 AM.

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        • #5
          all the string saddles looks pretty far back. if the action and relief are "normal" then it sounds like it's possible the bridge is misplaced.

          there might be replacement bridges which have more travel. I'm not really a tuneomatic guy so I don't have any specific suggestions.

          this is also an option: you can essentially move the bridge without doing any modifications to the body by using offset posts:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYJIXdlOg-o (go to 2:12 for the instructions). though this is probably only feasible with the abr-1 style mounting. if yours is the more modern nashville style it would be a lot harder
          Last edited by metalhobo; 09-04-2022, 11:50 AM.

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          • #6
            Hi All,

            I managed to get it sorted out for now. The replacement roller bridge worked but it required removing the small bolts that hold the saddles in place on the low and high E. Without the bolts, the saddles have a massive amount of travel. Way more than even Hipshots Tone o Matic and the strings hold the saddle in place. Maybe I could get some tiny shims for each saddle to give it the correct 16mm radius next. 9's tuned to Eb - intonated

            https://imgur.com/QtKoGCp.jpg
            Last edited by Sleazy_Treats; 09-06-2022, 12:41 AM.

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            • #7
              Update.

              Not sure if I should bother updating but I figured why not since I created the account here just for this problem. I decided to go all in and get the Tone A Matic from Hipshot. I figured the guitar deserved something better than a $10 roller bridge half assed modified to get it intonated.

              Wow, so this bridge has crazy travel and I was able to intonate it without maxing anything out. There is also a tonal change for the better. It looks better than the stock one too. The only thing left is to have the saddles filed so the radius is 16mm instead of 12. That I am going to have the luthier handle.

              https://imgur.com/a/XGcuNVt <--- Pics

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              • #8
                Yup. I have an Indo-made Nuno and swapped the Special for an Original - still has issues. I understand. Bought a new Floyd nut, I'll see if that helps.
                8 strings? Because 6 is too easy?

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