oakgrovesound Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I have a Gibson J45 . The exact year made has been narrowed down to late 40s to early 50s. As far as tuning goes, the B stays sharp. I have tried a compensated bridge saddle but that did not help. I would welcome any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 i currently own a guitar that had the bridge placement 1/4" too close to the neck. this resulted in every note on every string pulling sharp when fretted. my techguy reslotted the bridge and moved the saddle back and now the intonation is fine. i've noticed on a lot of vintage, old and used (same word?) items that there are telltale signs of this having happened to them as well - bridge filler, outline of old bridge location, xtra wide saddles.... i dont know how it can happen to one string, though. is the string sitting too high at the nut? or at a different point on the nut? i would imagine someone else will weigh in on that. ksd perhaps? btw...the B sharps. wasn't that homer simpson's barbershop quartet? i digress, sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 yeah, if it's just that one string, and the bridge can't fix it, then the nut slot just needs some work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Likely the nut slot needs a little dressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 So if B is sharp, would he make some powder and fill the nut slot and file a different angle and re-slot at that position? And would you want the point of contact closer, or farther from the saddle? Sorry, I just play 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 well, HOW to repair would depend on the individual guitar. you might need a new nut. he may just be able to file it. the filling/refiling works, but isn't really best. think of it like this. normally, when you set intonation you are assuming the open string is correct in relation to the frets. so, if it's off you move the bridge... closer if the 12th fret is flat, further back if the 12th fret is sharp. if you have to work on the other end, then it's similar. one way is to tune the guitar and adjust the bridge so that every fretted note is good to each other. then, if the open string is sharp in relation you need to move the string's takeoff point from the nut further from the bridge or the other way if it is flat. now, in reality the orientation that direction isn't the sole problem. generally, it's the slot being too low or too high. so, fixing the problem at the nut end is generally a bit more complicated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Sometimes all that is wrong is that the slot has worn on the very edge and eventually the "break point" (the very point where the string loses contact with the nut slot) is eroded back just a tiny bit. Therefore the 'zero fret' point is off and any notes fretted will in fact be sharp. I usually assess these with a 10x loupe. I look under the string at the nut slot to look for any space there. I will also fret the string to see if there is excess movement there. Finally (and probably the most telling) is removing the string from the slot and closely looking at the slot to see where the string has been contacting, usually shown by a shiny spot. If that spot isn't right on the edge I will dress the slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 ...and this is exactly why I come here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertjohn Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 ...and this is exactly why I come here! Me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 ...and this is exactly why I come here! insert regularly-blown-away-by-advice emoticon here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakgrovesound Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 Thanks for the input. This particular guitar was sent to Gibson in the early 80s and was refretted and there was some work done to the top. I am not sure what else they did. I contacted Gibson but was told their records did not go back that far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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