Intonation problem

[stein]

Good read Andy.

[BigKahune]

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Great post Andy.

 

I always enjoy when you let yourself expand on the topic - "+". .

[Thundergod]

Gibson Vintage Reissues are .011, .014, .018, .030w, .042w, & .050w.

 

 

Sorry I probably wasn't paying attention when you said that before. Did you?

[martinh]

Every single post is right, but I think there is more:

 

When you pluck a string, it goes slightly sharp when you first pluck it or pluck it hard. A good tuner will pick this up. Plucking a harmonic is accurate, but not always a true representation of how we pluck when playing.

 

The height of the nut (strings) DOES affect intonation at the frets near the nut MORE than the frets in the middle, because to fret the first fret, more pressure is required because there is less string to stretch. It is also true of how high the action is overall, but the nut height will have very little effect when comparing the 12 fret and open, but if the nut is high, the first fret will be sharp, the second a little less, and less each fret until the twelve fret (if it is adjusted to be perfect at that point).

 

 

 

Stein - Absolutely correct on all points in my experience. Excessive nut height manifests itself as a sharpness at the first fret that deceases as you go up the fingerboard (because the average error decreases) A incorrect bearing surface in the nut slot (e.g. the pivot point on which the string vibrates is not at the very edge of the nut, but further into the slot ) shows the same symptoms.

 

I have noticed the same "flat" effect when plucking a string hard on a strobe tuner. It starts off slightly flat, then goes back to pitch as the energy dissipates. I've tried to figure why this is. I suppose if you think of a vibrating string as an ellipse, the string is physically longer ( e.g. stretched) at the far ends of its travel. Presumably, the greater the arc over which the string vibrates, the flatter the average pitch. Any physicists out there who can explain this properly?