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Stabilising the tuning
After each string has been changed and after tuning it to the
desired pitch, hold it with your fingers above the 12th fret and pull it
1cm away from the fretboard for around 10 seconds (fig. 16). Retune
the string and repeat this procedure until the last stretching will not
cause a change in the pitch. After stabilising the tuning, adjust the
intonation.
Attention: an electronic chromatic tuner will greatly facilitate all the
procedures connected with tuning the instrument.
Adjusting intonation
Adjusting the intonation is crucial to eliminating the error in the string pitch on certain frets.
It consists of tuning the string exactly to the desired pitch and then fine tuning its bridge
saddle to make the pitch at the 12th fret exactly an octave higher. If after tuning a string the
pitch on the 12th fret is too low, the saddle of the bridge should be moved toward the front
edge of the bridge (the scale should be shortened). If after tuning a string the pitch on the
12th fret is too high, the saddle of the bridge should be moved toward the rear edge of
the bridge (the scale should be lengthened).
This action is usually repeated a few times in order to achieve precise intonation. Retune
the string after each repositioning of its saddle. When the intonation is set up properly, the
saddles are usually positioned in a diagonal line. If they do not, or if the range of regulation
appears too small, the problem is either the strings being too worn out or of bad quality.
Because of different types of bridges and saddles, the saddle adjustment is achieved by
different means. they are schematically presented in fig. 17.
- 8 -
last fret
8 fret
Underbow
Backbow
first fret
fig. 16
Electric Guitar User's Manual
www.mayones.com
tighten
loosen
fig. 15
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