Help with my Les Paul bridge calibration/intonation

[Estebomb]

Hey guys

 

I am new to the Gibson world, just traded a great strat for a Gibson Les Paul Slash standard. I am pretty happy with it. When I traded it had 0.9 strings on it (no problem with the bridge intonation) I like to play with a set of 0.10 so I put those strings on my les paul. Then adjusted a little bit the truss rod (as these higher gauge strings will create more tension).

 

After doing that I tried to calibrate the intonation (with a tuner), and noticed that it was not possible for some strings to get a "perfect" intonation. The bridge is fixed and the saddles can't be moved further back (they have a limited movement range). 4 out of the 6 string are correctly intonated but the 3rd and 6th string can not, as their saddles need to be put further back (not possible).

 

What can I do? String action is not to relatively medium/high, the neck bow is good (for me). Do you believe that if I put less relieve on the neck, it will stretch a little bit and now I will be able to intonate the bridge for all the 6 strings.

 

I am attaching this picture, where you can see that the saddle position in the bridge is almost at the end of the bridge.

 

Any suggestions??

[Versatile]

I agree...it is easy to fuss too much about intonation...Jimi was often out of tune and look how much fun he was having...lol

[zigzag]

I'd take it to a pro. If he can't get the intonation right, then I'd either do as suggested and live with it, or I'd look into finding a wider bridge, or I'd look into your return policy.

 

Intonation is a strange thing. What looks good on a cheap tuner does not always sound right, and visa versa. I'd let my ear be the final judge.

[badbluesplayer]

It looks like your saddles are notched kind of deep. That will make it intonate too sharp. New saddles might help.

 

You can raise the tailpiece and it will change the intonation very slightly, making it flatter, especially on the thicker strings. I don't know if that will do much.

 

If it were me, I'd have new saddles installed with the notches cut shallower. Then see if that helps. The saddles that are on there don't look like they were cut by the factory.

 

As a last resort, try raising the tailpiece.

 

Good luck.

[Estebomb]

Thank you for your reply. I'll raise the tailpiece to see what happens and also look for the saddles.

 

If not, I'll have to live with it

 

 

 

It looks like your saddles are notched kind of deep. That will make it intonate too sharp. New saddles might help.

 

You can raise the tailpiece and it will change the intonation very slightly, making it flatter, especially on the thicker strings. I don't know if that will do much.

 

If it were me, I'd have new saddles installed with the notches cut shallower. Then see if that helps. The saddles that are on there don't look like they were cut by the factory.

 

As a last resort, try raising the tailpiece.

 

Good luck.