Setting Intonation on a Gibson

OK, on this one, nosotros're assuming you have a Tun-O-Matic span. This is what's by and large installed beyond a huge swath of the Gibson range and it's well-nigh certainly what's installed on your Les Paul, SG, Firebird, Explorer, 335, etc., etc. There are a couple of styles of tun-o-matic but the basic operation is the aforementioned. If you lot've got a wraparound-fashion tailpiece bridge, check out that article.

The aligning screws can be a flake fiddly to access then be careful. Try not to impairment your strings, your guitar height or the screw itself. Use an appropriately sized screwdriver (usually a minor-medium flat-blade)

HOW TO Ready INTONATION ON A GIBSON TUN-O-MATIC

First upward, though, let'due south recap the prerequisites.

The rest of your setup must exist right for you before y'all outset. Intonation is the last thing to fix so go your action, relief, nut and pickups sorted out starting time. You lot should accept fresh strings (of your usual gauge and make) installed, properly stretched, and tuned upwardly every bit normal.

Retrieve, besides, always check intonation and tuning with the guitar in the playing position (i.east. non lying on a table or counter but upright every bit if you lot were playing it).

The basic theory is this:

  1. Option the open string and verify information technology's in melody.

  2. Fret at the 12th fret and option this note. Compare it to the open string—is it apartment or sharp?

  3. If the 12th fret note is flat, motion the saddle forward a footling past turning the adjustment screw. Yous'll usually desire a minor, apartment-bladed screwdriver for this.

  4. If the 12th fret note is sharp, motility the saddle back a little by turning the spiral.

  5. Retune the open cord and go back to 1.

Setting intonation on a Gibson tun-o-matic

GIBSON TUN-O-MATIC INTONATION QUIRKS

  • Usually, the aligning screws are accessed from the back of the bridge. Occasionally, though, you might notice a guitar with the bridge reversed—the adjustment screws are accessed from the front. This can exist a bit tricky—drib your bridge pickup down a little if it helps get to the screws and be careful not to scratch or dent the pickup.

  • Because the tun-o-matic is pretty narrow, and at that place's non a lot of back/forward motion possible, Gibsons may be less forgiving to sure string gauges. Lighter gauge strings tin require more overall compensation. If you've problems intonating your 8-gauge strings, y'all might have to flip saddles or move bridges (see beneath).

  • You can encounter that the Gibson bridge is installed at an angle—farther dorsum on the bass side—in a similar manner to an audio-visual guitar. Since the tun-o-matic bridges are generally relatively narrow, this gives them a 'head kickoff' in the compensation game simply sometimes it's non enough. The saddle flipping play a joke on outlined below might assist.

  • Every now and and so, y'all might encounter a Gibson that only will not intonate. Sometimes, the span is just in the wrong place (seriously—it happens) and, even if you flip saddles, there isn't enough travel to intonate. If you bought it new you can try warranty service. There are also some afterward-market tun-o-matic bridges that are wider and might let extra travel if you can find one. And, as a concluding resort, you tin can have the original holes plugged and the span re-mounted. It's a hurting but it'due south occasionally required.

REVERSED SADDLES ON A TUN-O-MATIC

The big quirk on these bridges is the reversed saddles. It might be helpful if I expand a piddling on the bridges themselves.

While at that place are any number of slight variations, there are two types of span fitted to most Gibson electrics. They are the ABR-1 and the Nashville.

The ABR is the original bridge. Usually, you lot can look at an ABR bridge and see that two or three bass-side saddles are installed 'backwards' (with the sloped or angled side pointing towards the neck). This is to make up for the fact that there is bereft travel on the intonation adjustment screws to get these strings to properly compensate. Past flipping the saddles, you can get a tiny scrap more compensation earlier the saddle hits the back of the bridge. Substantially, it'south a cludge. It'southward a workaround.

Gibson tried to address the event by introducing the Nashville tun-o-matic bridge. This bridge has a lilliputian more than travel and it generally intonates without any saddle-flipping. Of course, as with many changes made past Gibson, lots of players complained they preferred the original and so you'll detect a mixture of Nashville and ABR bridges installed beyond Gibson models.

FLIPPING SADDLES ON AN ABR-1 Bridge

The ABR already has some saddles flipped. The Nashville doesn't. However, on either bridge, you lot'll occasionally have to flip one yourself. Sometimes you'll exist at the end of the saddle's travel—information technology won't get any further back or forward but you're not quite intonated. Flipping a saddle might just get you where you lot need to be.

On the ABR, it's pretty like shooting fish in a barrel (if a lilliputian fiddly) to do.

  • Offset upward, slacken off the string you're intonating.

  • On the bridge, there's a actually thin 'servant wire' holding the saddle screws in place and stopping them from falling out. Employ a small flat-bladed screwdriver to remove one stop from its hole and advisedly move information technology so the screws are free.

  • Lift the saddle and spiral out of the span slot. Yous might need to prise information technology slighly. Be gentle.

  • Dorsum out the aligning spiral, flip the saddle 180ยบ and re-insert the screw.

  • Pop information technology back into the bridge and (the fiddly flake) put the retainer wire back in position over the saddle screws and get the cease dorsum in the pigsty.

  • Bring the string back up to pitch and go on intonation.

Reversing a saddle on a Gibson ABR-one tun-o-matic bridge

FLIPPING SADDLES ON A NASHVILLE Bridge

On the Nashville bridge, y'all can become lucky and find a model that the screws only 'back out of' only most often the screws are 'captured' past a clip of some kind.

This may be a circlip (C-clip) or wire prune. Getting these off to flip saddles is possible but it'south a lot of hassle—specially putting them back once again. The wire prune in detail will probably need to be replaced subsequently.

Arroyo this with caution and talk to your trusted repair person rather than forcing the thing.

Circlip or C-Clip retainer

Acoustic Guitar Action: Final Tips and Considerations

Acoustic Guitar Action: Geometry Class

How To

Gerry Hayes

diy-intonation, diy, how-to, how to, intonation, gibson, 335, 345, les paul, sg, firebird, explorer, flying-v