I have played guitar as a hobby for years and have learned more about guitar in the last couple of days watching your videos than any book I have ever read. I too was afraid of the truss rod, " Never turn it, it is a job for a professional." Thanks so much for your videos. You are what makes you tube so important for the uneducated like myself. PS Love your teaching style. Straight talk, No bullshit
As much as people hate you, from all that I've heard and understood from your videos you know more than most people that claim to know something about guitars on youtube. Thank you for keeping us informed, and for bettering my understanding of my instruments.
Thanks for the reply, I've been enjoying watching your videos. It's good to see someone who offers knowledge and advice that goes against accepted wisdom.
Awesome my friend! I'm so glad that you got the roller saddles too! I bet you will love those SO MUCH BETTER. Thanks for trying this method, may it serve you well! You are so very welcome.
I'm not sure what you're talking about my friend. Those are bass guitars at that time frame. The only 2 Telecaster bridges I showed were older models. The red, white and blue from 1997 and the butterscotch from 1988.
An 8 year old video and I am only just learning about the staircase saddle intonation setup how did I miss this guys channel? BTW an amazing collection including a Camo finish guitar!
Sure enough my friend. I do this all the time. The only way to do it is to file the bridge saddle from the under side. If you have a Dremel tool with a sander on it, that takes care of a lot of that real quickly. Don't do too much at a time though, because there's no going back. So, pull the white saddle out, start sanding away the bottom (not the top) put it back in place and check to see how the progress is going. If you start to get the slightest hint of fret buzz, that's the limit.
I see that more of the "afraid to post anything" tumbs down, shitty bridge Telecaster owners are pissed because they bought an axe with a dumbass bridge on it. They are mad because I'm making fun of their guitar. AWWWWW. Isn't that cute. lol You can always put a REAL bridge on there at any time and be in tune with the rest of the world. It's a quick fix.
Scott, THANK YOU!, finally got my Ibanez in tune and stays in tune. I've had problems for five years and your videos fixed it in 5 minutes. Between the wammy and the bridge not set correctly I didn't have a chance. When I bought it the music store set it up wrong to begin with, I might have a chance to actually learn to play now. Again Thank You!
I just recently ran across Scott's video's. I am learning a lot from them. I found a Peavey T-60 in very good shape and bought it. I need to learn how to play it. I think I will try Scott's learning class's to get me started. Thank s for the help
Scott, I have watched you for a long time now, and I have to say that I agree with you about 95% of the time, but in my opinion, there are some things that YOU ARE DEAD WRONG about lol, just kidding, Its just a difference of opinion on some things, but I respect your opinion, and just agree to disagree. You do a great service by putting things out there for opinion and discussion. I'm sure that most people like I, appreciate you taking the time and making the effort to help people who haven't had 30 or 35 years experience, gigging and touring, like some of us have. So THANK YOU, even if we don't agree on everything. Keep on Keeping on, Brother's In Music. Peace Out.
Dude. People are loving it I keep sending them over. I cant stop laughing at the guitar set up old 2010 video. I'm still lmao. Truth has never been so funny. It's crazy how society can be such followers.
Thanks man. Got an old Fender that was so off sounding I couldn't play it. I'm hoping this will get it sorted out. Very informative videos. You say your long winded on your videos,but I could care less. Loving every minute and learning a lot.
Love this! Scott I just recently got some roller saddles for both my strats and tried the stairstep method in this vid and perfectly intonatted both strats in under ten mins for each that's including restring and cleaning. Thanks a ton! My guitars have never been so in tune!
Hi my friend, I just had 2 of them arrive today! I'm keeping one stock and making a Strat out of the other. They are pretty cool! I'll put a review up very shortly.
You hit it with the last guess. Yes, strings. They are major culprits. That string is either defective (yes, defective strings exist big time) or more likely, OLD. Old strings do not intonate well. It is almost a must to set your intonation with new strings. Anything else will give you false readings.
I belong to the Guild of Luthier's. 40 yrs & I still repair. That being said you expose the plain truth of repair's & I for one love it. Years ago my teacher, Vergil Lay (Akron Ohio). Said, boy "Its like magic" don't tell the secrets. This was one of um". The thing that's nice is your telling it like it is from experience & got the credentials to back it up. Peace Marcus
We used to do the string gauge test on a frequency analyzer in the shop. We would string a guitar up with 6 "G" strings on it (all different gauges) and fire it away, compare the wave form "photos" from each gauge and lay them on top of each other, and there was no difference between gauges that the human ear is able to hear. Yes, we were smart enough to use the same brands and alloys of strings. lol So, you are correct, zero difference between the heavyiest and lightest of gauges.
This just affirmed my 12th fret intonation skills. What is funny is a friend of mine said I wasn't doing it rite because the saddles should be in a straight line. So I kept trying to get a different result but I kept getting a double stair step pattern on the string saddles. All my new guitars always seem to have the same pattern when I get them. Great video.
With Ernie Ball strings, I changed strings 6 times per night at EVERY gig. Every break they were dead, I had to cut them off an throw on a new set. I did that every day, 7 days a week for almost 30 years. Elixir came along and under the same playing schedule, a few months with no problems at all.
LOL, many thanks my friend. I see that one pissed off Telecaster user has already left a thumbs down and didn't leave any comment. It's always the cowards that do that. I'm glad that you enjoyed it though! Thanks again!
Thanks my friend! Trust your own ears first! It keeps you from sounding like everybody else. I'm glad that you are one of the few people that realize that I'm not throwing MY OPINIONS here, I'm just telling the real truth. I couldn't give a rat's ass about this stuff. I bitch about the Telecasters, but I still have tons of them. I simply know that the particular ones I have will increase in value due to thick skulled folks that will fork over big bucks for these stupid things. lol
Yes, I've actually tried them and they are a groovy attempt at solving the problems. It's really interesting to "SEE" just how far off each note really is when you look at the fret shapes huh?
Just slapped on some new strings and set the intonation by your directions and it's all spot on. One question though, if I've got a guitar that I usually tune a half step flat should I intonate it to that or to standard or does it make a difference (I wouldn't think it should)?
Since I've been getting back into guitar playing again I decided to finally get this done right on my own. I did it earlier this week. My guitar has a locking nut (w/ fine tuner bridge) that doesn't look exactly like the floyd or kahler you showed in the video. But I'm having a problem on Low E (6th) where the string is still 2 high pitch at 12th fret (at every fret really) even when the saddle for that string is as far back as it will go. My bridge even though it's supposed to do the same job as a floyd rose uses the standard phillips screwdriver to the butt end of the bridge. Only option I've thought of so far is finding a shorter screw with same diameter / thread so I can bring the saddle a bit further back. Weird thing is the other 5 strings I can manage just the Low E is going all captain crazybutt on me.
Thanks for inspiring me to do this myself! It took some time, but I fixed my own guitar! and actually learned something in the process. I also fixed the action along with the intonation too and got rid of a horrible "stubbed out" low E string that had been plaguing this guitar forever. Now, my *ahem* 3 bridge Tele *ahem* is thanking you. Not that you probably want any thanks from a three bridge Tele, but hey!
Brock Barr That's awesome my friend! If anything I've done helps ANYONE out....I'm all for it for sure! Thanks for writing and and save some money doing the soon to be easy stuff yourself. Cheers!Scott
I'll be damned, I looked at my guitar finally and sure enough I did the intonation right, two sets of stairs! After finding your videos, this is the first thing I've been doing right, thanks for the other corrections, Scott.
Hi Scott - Quick question for you. In your tuning videos you talk about hitting the strings as hard as you're going to hit them when you play to get the strings in tune for "real world" situations. Does that come into play at all when tuning for intonation? When you intonate do you hit the strings hard or soft?
Hi my friend. Same for intonation. EVERYBODY gets this part wrong. Plus, techs put the guitar on a bench or on the guitar's back when setting things up.....STUPID! lol You HAVE to do EVERYTHING with your guitar how it will actually be when you're playing. With the guitar resting on a bench and the neck propped up, the guitar's intonation and whole setup is SOOOOOO off. The guitar will be so very screwed up when you put it on a strap and play it. The tension is different on everything when it's ON YOU! So, always make as many adjustments as you can while you have the guitar ON YOU. Hope that helps. Scott
Scott can you remind me again,which were the best years of the strats? Did it start around the low 1980s than stop at the 1990,s? And which one do you consider to be the best of the best and why! You may have did something like this before,I,m not sure! Thanks in advance....Signed Jerry S.
It would be my pleasure my friend. The Buzz system doesn't work and neither does Gibson's system. So far, the only one that gets the job done PERFECTLY is the Peavey AT-200. The AT stands for Auto Tune. Yep, it is there to keep each and every single note in perfect tune all the time, no matter what your strings are even tuned to, or if they are tuned at all. It's amazing! It's 100% digital, but that is the ONLY way for a guitar to be PERFECTLY in tune. And only $499.00 new. Just crazy cool.
You will not need to change the intonation on a Floyd with gauge changes. You simply adjust the spring tension to put the bride back where it was and NO CHANGES in intonation needed at all. I can change the strings on a Floyd equipped guitar in 5 minutes, stretching of strings and all. So very easy if you just stablize the bridge when you have all the strings off. Easy, easy, easy. It's honesly only horrible if it's not done right. Otherwise, it's a total breeze.
I just took the bridge off my 335 copy and flipped it around and adjusted it in the stair step fashion cos it was ALL fucked up and guess what...it tuned up perfect...I wrote a song that is almost 'jazz' and it doesn't have all the distortion and suddenly the tuning seemed critical....I am SO glad I looked at this...I gotta do all my other guitars now
AWESOME! I love to hear that it all worked out! I'm glad that SOMEONE looked at this video. lol Keep me informed on how the other axes turn out for you!
I've been using Ernie Ball and sometimes GHS for the longest time. The only time I ever used Elixer was on my acoustic. But you got me thinking about string life and all that good stuff the other day with the video where you cleaned the guitar and stuff. How long do those Elixers usually last you on a regularly played instrument? Reason I ask is I'm changing strings twice a month if not more with the Ernie balls and it's a real pain in the ass.
Hey Scott. Great lesson. thanks. I was wondering if you have time sometime, can you do a tutorial on how to adjust the action on an acoustic? My Martin J-15 is set too high and I'd like to learn to adjust it myself. Thanks
Exactly! There a thousands of different guitars to choose from to meet everybody's wants and desires, but something that is known for being impossible to intonate and having to take the neck off to make a 2 second adjustment.....just makes no sense that it still exists. lol
True, you have to go with the heavier gauges if you're one of "THOSE" people that can't play in standard tuning. I figure that if you need lower notes, get a guitar with an extra string. Easy enough.
The 3 x 3 step rule of thumb works as long as you're playing an unwound G string. Otherwise, there will be a 2 x 4 step set like on an acoustic guitar.
Scott, I can't find a video on this. I have a 1957 Les Paul Jr, with a wrap around tailpiece, there are No fixed bridge saddles on it , it is just a rounded tailpiece. there are screws on each side of the tailpiece. I am having a hell of a time adjusting them to get it in tune. do you have any tip's on how to do this? I appreciate any input. Thanks, Gary
Scott,I appreciate everything your showing and teaching me.and i am very grateful.But could you please refrain a little bit from beating down my Telecaster.its like a kick in the Knees,and i can`t walk now from all the bruises.Yes i`ve intonated and tuned my Telecaster,and it can be a pain.but besides that thanks for all your helpful information.take care good health
Yeah, I go for the hard deck to make a serious connection with the body. I'd much rather gain the sustain and just use a whammy pedal. The whammy pedal always comes back in tune. lol
Hey, Scott. I'm confused about something here -- isn't it supposed to be that the 12th fret should be right smack dab in the middle of the point where the strings go over the nut and the bridge/saddle(s), in order to be perfectly intonated? If that's the case, with the nut being perfectly at a right angle to the neck, and parallel with the 12th fret, why wouldn't the saddle positions be exactly the same for all strings, in order to make the distance between the nut and the 12th fret the same as the distance between the 12th fret and saddle for each string? O_o
Am I correct in summising (reminiscing) that the fixed wraparounds are only 'perfect' on PRS guitars because of the high tech placement of all the various bits and bobs and as such can be a bit of a nightmare on other guitars that have been thrown together with lower tolerances ?
I have a question about the PRS stoptail bridge, I sometimes like to play in standard and drop D tuning, is the stoptail bridge designed to intonate for a standard "type" tuning only? In other words, if I intonate my guitar while in standard tuning and want to drop just the low E string to D and keep all other strings in standard tuning, will it still be intonated? Or will the stoptail piece make it impossible to intonate for that type of tuning?
"not the reach-around, the wrap-around" LOL. Thanks for the video scott I was intonating my guitar as I watched this. I fininshed but the thing is, the open and the 12th fret for the A and D string are both in tune/intonated but the saddles are in the same position. did I do it wrong?
Are those long Allen nut things on a Floyd to move the saddles? You say use your finger, but why? I have not owned one in a very long time, but I thought they were adjustable two ways? Please remind me my friend. Plus, how much for the green Super Strat with the maple fretboard? I want it man. I went to buy one with a burst finish localy but it has sold.
i just re-set up one of my guitars that i havent touched in a while, i used the stair step thing before the actual saddle adjustment and 4 out of the 6 strings were dead on intonated.
Hi, great vid. You say that guitars are imperfect instruments. I agree. But what about the counter measures to those imperfections? Have you already tried the "buzz feiten nut"? And what about the gibson computerized milling machine that grinds each fret, one at a time, to ensure perfect distances, given the string gauge? Can you talk about those? Some myth busting would be great in this topic. Cheers!
I recon they could make the 3 saddle bridge intonate properly if they cut the saddles at the correct angle. The PRS SE EG bridge is completely non-adjustable and still manages to have perfect intonation because it's all cut correctly. Oh well looks like Fender don't want to do things right.
hey thanks for sharing your knowledge I have a problem with intonation i have ran out of adjustment and do not know how to handle this situation. its on a strat that was payment for pc repair the neck has been replaced with after market. could that be my problem? lost in the haze here. i am new to this and im doing it for my niece and son who are taking lessons in school.but i do have the tools to do it right i just need to know what right is. thanx and again thank you for sharing your knowledge
Scott i have tried all of your adjustments for intonation and it works perfect but i'm struggling on setting the heights and not getting buzz all over the strings .I don't own the best of guitars its a korean made squire strat am i just screwed or am i missing something .If i set the height real high the buzz goes away or gets beter but them the strings are to high and it plays like crap HELP!!! also i really need help on setting pickups please!!! by the way you rock man its awesome how you cut the b.s out of this and it really isnt hard just like you have said .you have made me more comfortable doing this on my own now .thank you so much man.
Hey Scott, does this have anything to do with not being able to get the harmonics to ring out on my strat. I have a Godin Lgxt whereby they ring out perfectly, cheers Chris
I have a Gibson electric, I have never been able to tune it, but I have found the distance from the nut to the 12 fret is 12&5/16". On my acoustic guitars it is 12&3/4" I wonder if the neck was fretted wrong?
ha,that would be a max payne in the ass if it would not :D.also i;m curios,on those prs compensated bridges,if you do a drop tune (like going to thicker gauge and do a drop c) will how do you intonate it>or the difference is just to small it would not matter?thank you again for a cool vid and prompt response :D.
The narrow slots on tuneamatics that Scott hates because they cut strings...I imagine that if one does use thicker strings, for whatever reason...(I play a lot with my thumb, and it's still in one piece) anyway, I imagine that the thicker strings will not seat properly in those narrow grooves. Better in a rollimatic. (sp?) Also, thicker strings in a nut cut for thin strings..better see if they catch there when you tune the string.
This was VERY helpful. It gave me a starting point of intonating my guitars. But with a 4 string bass, would the G-string be way down and then do the ''steps''?
Howdy Robert. On basses, your G string saddle will be the closest to your pickups and it will be a downward stair step pattern all the way down. On guitar it's different because of the plain strings and then it starts the pattern again for the wound strings.
Ok, I wasn't sure if it would be the same as on a guitar. Thank you again for the tips. I stumbled across your vids and find them both entertaining and informative. Thanks for putting them up! Love your collection of guitars by the way...very impressive collection!
Yes it would actually. It would suck in that bending the G string would be nearly impossible, but the intonation would be much closer. It would still suck, but be closer. lol They are just a horribly designed bridge.
Another very informative video Scott.... have you ever tried a "true tempered" neck or guitar? it looks funky but they are supposedly perfect intonated all over, all frets all strings .. :) I'm sure you've seen those in some magazines or so, or you might have seen steve vai use one of those. :) have a good one
Yea...I've watched your vid on intonation and realised more of the stuff I learned was stuff I knew because I'd heard it somewhere...I get so frustrated with myself sometimes. I should just trust my own eyes and ears. That's what you do, and it help you cut right through the myths and bullshit. That's why I like yer :) Oh, that and you are insanely good playing it too.
Yes, always play as you normally would when make any adjustments and make sure that you are also holding the guitar like you would in a real situation when making adjustments. If you play using a strap and standing, use a strap and stand when making any adjustments. It really makes a huge difference. Cheers.
... ooops hit the return and posted prematurely .... maybe you know why only sometimes I have to set a saddle otherwise than you explain in order to get it intonated? I don't have a strobe, but do use 3 different tuners so figure, chances are I'm within a few cents. E.g., I have a Bass here where the A-string Saddle is maybe 1-2 milimeters ahead of the D-string. Saddle (No Nut, String or Neck issues... so Gremlins? :-) Thoughts? Maybe the strings?
Ya know I really think you have a point there. I've always used 11's on my Gibsons and I decided the other day "Ya know what, that's too heavy for my Fenders so I put 9's on my Strat and 8's on my Tele cause It just felt better trying to fool around with the country stuff ya know? I told my best friend that I had went to a lighter string and the first he said was "Man it aint gone be near as loud?" I said what are you talking about? it sounds exactly the same.
You have to hat those kind of busy body folks. That's another reason that I'm afraid to go outside....I don't have to deal with the neighbors that are five feet on either side of me. lol
Scott, plan your vídeos ahead, I'm spending 1 hour for every one of your videos, Also organize them into playlists, it's hard finding informational videos in your channel with all the other stuff in the way
Fuck that! lol I do my shit the way I see fit. Everything is laid out nice and organized on my site. Why not go there and experience this stuff the way it supposed to be instead of looking up random crap in my super long video history?
I find restringing a Floyd Rose is a bitch. Something worth pointing out to newbs is that if you change the gauge of your strings, you'll need to check the intonation. I put 10s on my Ibanez (set up for 9s) and it was horrible.
The only advantage of heavy strings is that they are better for downtuning. The only thing keeping me from .9's is that I fear they would feel to flubberish when I tune to e flat. When it comes to tone, I believe that the better you play, the better you'll sound, hence, if your playing is strained by heavy strings, you won't sound optimal
Do you any jazzmasters or jaguars? If you do could you pleeease do a video on the dos and do not of setting these guitars up? It's near impossible to find any reliable information on them. Thanks
Mike Porcoro Hi. No, I do not and will not own either of those guitars. Way too much wrong with them design wise. So, to tell you the truth, the RELIABLE information would ultimately tell you to get something else due to the horrible track record with both of those guitars. Sure, you can fix them by adding 80% new parts that are totally different than stock, so....You might as well just get something that actually was built well from the ground up. There are many copies that have done exactly that. Even Fender have corrected them both with various PAWN SHOP versions or other cross bred lines.
Yeah, everything about it is super cool. It will fail because guitar players suck and won't allow things to progress past the 1960's. But, I'll be more than happy to have one for sure.
I have a problem with tuning. I like to change tunings a lot. I like playing in standard tuning but sometimes I like to play a whole step down or two steps down. Then I get bored and change back to standard. My problem is most of the time I like to play in a low tuning. I don't want to change string gauges (cause nines feel perfect for good reason) and I dont want to set up my guitar every time I do this (I used to have a floyd rose and i got used to adjusting it)
