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J45 / J50 Queston ...


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Gday Friends... Me and my new J50 are getting to know each other ... It came with Tusk nut & saddle and High saddle 4/32 & 3/32 and high nut slots so she will have go to the luthier soon ... Something is annoying me though .. when I play a G chord it sounds like the intonation is off .. I dont now how to describe it but sorta sounds off key ... could be there with other chords but I havnt noticed it like I do when strumming a G chord ... I think its coming from the A string but its hard to pin it down .... Its driving me crazy !! .. Its like when I play the G chord the notes dont harmonize or something ..... Anybody have this same experience ?? ... Would appreciate any thoughts of remedies ............. Kind Regards ... Davey

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Gday Friends... Me and my new J50 are getting to know each other ... It came with Tusk nut & saddle and High saddle 4/32 & 3/32 and high nut slots so she will have go to the luthier soon ... Something is annoying me though .. when I play a G chord it sounds like the intonation is off .. I dont now how to describe it but sorta sounds off key ... could be there with other chords but I havnt noticed it like I do when strumming a G chord ... I think its coming from the A string but its hard to pin it down .... Its driving me crazy !! .. Its like when I play the G chord the notes dont harmonize or something ..... Anybody have this same experience ?? ... Would appreciate any thoughts of remedies ............. Kind Regards ... Davey

 

If your nut slots are high then you'll experience intonation problems with chords in first position. You press down on the strings and because of the high action at the nut, the strings bend sharp. Lowering the action properly at the nut should solve the intonation problems. Intonation problems higher up the neck can be solved by shaping the top of the saddle (something a qualified luthier should do).

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  • 2 months later...

hello from bavaria/germany!

 

my 2006 j-50 has exactly the same problem.

 

even though the 6th string is correctly tuned, it is not possible to play the g on the third without having the effect of an incorrect intonation.

the only solution is to tune the string a half step down.

playing an f as powerchord on 1st fret leads to a similiar intonation problem of the 6th string.

the 4th string has the same inacceptable intonation at the 3rd fret. all that refering to standard tuning.

 

the negative effects approached after a few weeks of playing and where not detectable at the shop. my j-50 is always stored in it´s case within a humidity between 40 and 50 percent.

i got one german framus guitar for playin standard tuning. the j-50 is only used for some tunings like open d,open g. the sound is amazing because of it`s loudness. but playing standard with my j-50 is not fun at all. it´s a pity facing the price of that git.

i always thought that the fine new gibsons don't get to europe. but if dave got the same problem it seems to be a general lack of quality.

 

i will bring it to a luthier as soon as possible.

 

dave, have you already solved the intonation problems?

would be nice to know.

 

kind regards

dan

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Welcome Dan -

 

You might not have noticed, this thread is three months old.

 

I hate to say it, but Gibson hasn't been doing a good job setting up the nuts at the factory - both acoustic and electric. Most of the time, some of the nut string slots are not cut deep enough, leading to the problems with intonation and chords out of tune. Sometimes changing string gauge without redoing the setup can bring out these problems as the guitar should be setup of the particular guage of strings being used.

 

A lot of owners have a proper setup done right after the purchase - checking neck straightness, fret level, neck relief, and the action, which should include checking both the nut and saddle. A proper setup, done with the string guage you use, should correct your problem.

 

Check Drathbun's post above.

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I hate to say it, but Gibson hasn't been doing a good job setting up the nuts at the factory - both acoustic and electric. Most of the time, some of the nut string slots are not cut deep enough, leading to the problems with intonation and chords out of tune. Sometimes changing string gauge without redoing the setup can bring out these problems as the guitar should be setup of the particular guage of strings being used.

 

A lot of owners have a proper setup done right after the purchase - checking neck straightness, fret level, neck relief, and the action, which should include checking both the nut and saddle. A proper setup, done with the string guage you use, should correct your problem.

 

 

+1 - the nut on my Nick Lucas was improperly slotted when new, both re. depth & placement of the slots - had a new nut cut first thing, reflecting my string spacing preference ( a bit wider for fingerpickin').

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