Prophecy SG Custom EX Intonation Issues

[naut]

I'm gonna go ahead and start by saying I'm far from fantastic when it comes to setting up guitars. I've never attempted it before but after 5 years of playing I decided it was time I stopped paying somebody far too much to take my guitar off my hands for weeks at a time.

 

I'm fully aware of how to adjust the bridge saddles for intonation, but I'm having some major issues.

 

I play and Epiphone Prophecy SG Custom EX (the EMG model),I use Ernie Ball 12-56 strings and my guitar is more often than not tuned to Drop B.

 

The issue is, even with the saddles at their lowest setting (furthest from the neck), the G, B & E strings are way too sharp at the 12th fret.

 

I asked my local (and fairly well recommended) guitar tech for any tips and he gave me a fairly rude and blunt response saying my guitar wasn't built to be tuned that low and I was an idiot for trying, but to bring it to him so he could empty my pocket, which DEFINITELY won't be happening after he made me look foolish in the shop.

 

Sorry for the long winded post, but I'm at my wits' end and am desperate for answers. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

Thanks for any help,

 

Joe

[Greybeard]

I'm gonna go ahead and start by saying I'm far from fantastic when it comes to setting up guitars. I've never attempted it before but after 5 years of playing I decided it was time I stopped paying somebody far too much to take my guitar off my hands for weeks at a time.

 

I'm fully aware of how to adjust the bridge saddles for intonation, but I'm having some major issues.

 

I play and Epiphone Prophecy SG Custom EX (the EMG model),I use Ernie Ball 12-56 strings and my guitar is more often than not tuned to Drop B.

 

The issue is, even with the saddles at their lowest setting (furthest from the neck), the G, B & E strings are way too sharp at the 12th fret.

 

I asked my local (and fairly well recommended) guitar tech for any tips and he gave me a fairly rude and blunt response saying my guitar wasn't built to be tuned that low and I was an idiot for trying, but to bring it to him so he could empty my pocket, which DEFINITELY won't be happening after he made me look foolish in the shop.

 

Sorry for the long winded post, but I'm at my wits' end and am desperate for answers. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

Thanks for any help,

 

Joe

 

 

There are a lot of variables in doing a good setup and if this is your first time, I'd suggest reading some of the info on this site to see if you are approaching it with a good procedure.

 

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/page/articles.html/_/tutorials/instrument-setup/solidbody-setup-i-introduction-and-headstock-r39

 

 

This should give you some ideas. I can remember having some problems when I just jumped into the intonation settings without checking some of the other things that this site mentions. Sometimes it just depends on where the saddles are positioned when you start the process. If the intonation is already off and you start with the saddles too far back, you may have trouble getting enough additional travel.

[dporto]

"I asked my local (and fairly well recommended) guitar tech for any tips and he gave me a fairly rude and blunt response saying my guitar wasn't built to be tuned that low and I was an idiot for trying, but to bring it to him so he could empty my pocket, which DEFINITELY won't be happening after he made me look foolish in the shop."

 

So, regardless of the tech's lack of decorum and people skills (did he really call you an idiot? ) he may be right. One thing I'm not getting though...You say you're using a "dropped B" tuning. By "dropped" you mean that the rest of the strings are still tuned standard yes? Given the fact that the rest of the strings are tuned standard they should intonate properly. As for staying in tune, that's another story. #1- check the nut slots - I can guarantee that the nut was not cut to accept 12-56 guage strings so the slots are probably binding (that still wouldn't affect intonation). If the guitar has a vibrato, the lack of tension on the low E ( B ) string would also cause problems depending on how the vibrato is balanced. Seems like a nightmare scenario for the "tech"...hence his undiplomatic response.

[Bluemans335]

Prophecy's don't have vibratos; it's a simple matter to widen the nut slots for larger gauge strings. You want to make the slots wider, not deeper. Nuts are cheap enough to replace entirely. No big deal.

 

If the TOM bridge doesn't have enough travel to intonate a string, look at the saddle's angle. Sometimes I reverse the saddle to get a little more travel from it. If that won't do it, the Nashville style bridges allow more saddle travel, which should give you enough.

 

I think every guitarist should know the basics for setting up his guitars. I've owned many and never use a luthier; saved myself a small fortune. I'm self-taught, in large part from Dan Erlewine's fantastic book; 'How to make your electric guitar play great' from StewMac. Loaded with pics and text. Most things are very simple and require no prior experience or special tools. If it took a handyman, I couldn't do it. There's also a lot of info and videos online these days that show and explain what to do. Best thing you can do is to take the mystery out of guitars, and take control of their sound and playability. You know exactly what you want, and can learn how to do it.

 

Lots of guys play in dropped tunings these days, and Prophecy's would be a prime candidate for that. A tweak or two and yours will be fine.

[naut]

Prophecy's don't have vibratos; it's a simple matter to widen the nut slots for larger gauge strings. You want to make the slots wider, not deeper. Nuts are cheap enough to replace entirely. No big deal.

 

If the TOM bridge doesn't have enough travel to intonate a string, look at the saddle's angle. Sometimes I reverse the saddle to get a little more travel from it. If that won't do it, the Nashville style bridges allow more saddle travel, which should give you enough.

 

I think every guitarist should know the basics for setting up his guitars. I've owned many and never use a luthier; saved myself a small fortune. I'm self-taught, in large part from Dan Erlewine's fantastic book; 'How to make your electric guitar play great' from StewMac. Loaded with pics and text. Most things are very simple and require no prior experience or special tools. If it took a handyman, I couldn't do it. There's also a lot of info and videos online these days that show and explain what to do. Best thing you can do is to take the mystery out of guitars, and take control of their sound and playability. You know exactly what you want, and can learn how to do it.

 

Lots of guys play in dropped tunings these days, and Prophecy's would be a prime candidate for that. A tweak or two and yours will be fine.

 

A quick gallery of the nut & bridge

 

I was pretty sure that my guitar wouldn't be too opposed to playing in Drop B, it's a metal guitar and I'd have been surprised if there was nothing I could do (although I wasn't gonna tell the techie that in case I was wrong). All 6 strings are sat in the nut pretty snugly, if that makes any difference to what you think the issue is. I don't wanna make any adjustments ubless I'm certain it's the right thing to do.

 

I realise that a lot of people may be unsure on advice to give around here, seeing as though not many guitarist play with 12-56s in Drop B. My tutor at college (who knows a reasonable amount more than me) suggested there may be and error in the placement of the ToM, and I might consider contacting Epiphone themselves.

 

Thanks for the responses by the way!