Emerald intonation adjustments

[dmcginnis]

Hello all - I have an Emerald X7 (current generation) that tends to do sharp up the neck on the bass strings. I use the Newtone DADGAD strings (.013 .017 .020w .027 .036 .059). I am wondering what adjustments (e.g., truss rod, deeper nut slots, etc.) i might need to do to keep it in better tune up to the 12th fret. Being a DADGAD Irish Trad player, I tend to use a lot of the fretboard. I have not had a setup done in many years now. What suggestions do you have?

Thanks,
Dave

[Earl49]

Going progressively sharper is inherent as you go up the neck, especially on the bass strings. The essence of the intonation problem is the vibrating length of the string, which is set between the nut face and the saddle. Nut slot lowering might help a bit (especially if the nut is "compensated" too) but a compensated saddle is usually the best cure. Adjusting the truss rod won't do anything meaningful for intonation. It takes a pretty good set-up person to make intonation adjustments, especially at the nut. There are some wizards out there that can work miracles. They should use your preferred strings while doing the set up, as that affects intonation too.

Another thing to watch is how hard you are pressing down. It is really easy for a heavy hand to press too hard and bend the strings sharp. That becomes more of an issue as the tension is lowered by tuning down. Lastly, the shorter scale of the X7 makes intonation even trickier when down tuning.

[BlueStarfish]

My personal experience so far is that nut-slots-too-high is a big contributor to intonation problems, and getting the nut slots nice and low helps a lot. Also helps with playability of course.

[KevinH]

This will happen if the action is too high. The strings naturally get higher above the frets as you go up the neck, which means they get stretched more when you press down at a higher fret than a lower one, causing a string to go sharper. Lowering the action will help, as well as proper intonation at the saddle and nut. But it'll never be perfect.

[David Eastwood]

All good advice so far.

I think it's worth pointing out that there's nothing special about a CF guitar from a setup viewpoint, and any competent tech should be able to help you sort this out.

[btbliatout]

For what it's worth, I get a custom nut and saddle crafted for each non-beater instrument I have. And I do have to provide a specific set of strings that I want my luthier to optimize my nut/saddle/setup for. It makes a noticeable intonation improvement.

The only other comment I can provide is that playing with the lightest touch you can manage (while getting the tone you want) will indirectly help. A light touch means you can have a lower action without buzzing, which will help minimize how sharp your strings go on higher frets. Heavy strummers probably won't find that helpful, but others might.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Earl49

It takes a pretty good set-up person to make intonation adjustments, especially at the nut. There are some wizards out there that can work miracles. They should use your preferred strings while doing the set up, as that affects intonation too.

Another thing to watch is how hard you are pressing down. It is really easy for a heavy hand to press too hard and bend the strings sharp. That becomes more of an issue as the tension is lowered by tuning down. Lastly, the shorter scale of the X7 makes intonation even trickier when down tuning.

Absolutely this. While I'm not afraid to do truss adjustments or work a saddle, I've always been wary of working the nut. The initial investment for good tools is pretty high with no guarantee I would do it right anyway. This is why I've liked Zero Frets. I've never been too heavy handed, but one really has to pay close attention to touch when playing nuanced fingerstyle on a short scale guitar.

Originally Posted by KevinH

This will happen if the action is too high. The strings naturally get higher above the frets as you go up the neck, which means they get stretched more when you press down at a higher fret than a lower one, causing a string to go sharper. Lowering the action will help, as well as proper intonation at the saddle and nut. But it'll never be perfect.

It is a catch 22, everything is a trade off. One of my favorite things about carbon fiber is that it is truly set and forget. I dialed in my former RainSong Shorty to the best action I've ever had on any guitar. I forget the measurements, but a search from my posts years ago would likely have them. The saddle was shaved down very far, almost looked ridiculous on the treble side. But man was it nice to play, and there was zero buzzing, even with light gauge strings.



Having said that, during that time I heard action that low was tone killer. But then other people, people much smarter than me here on AGF, say that break angle is a myth. All I know is that intonation on that guitar was fantastic even with a 24.9" scale. Emerald is on the right path with the introduction of an adjustable bridge, especially on a guitar like the X7.

[ZebraKing]

I have the adjustable bridge on my X20 and I was able to get the intonation dialed is almost spot on, even way up the neck. The low E still gets a tad sharp up the neck (same on every guitar I've ever owned). But I can capo on the 10th fret and still be in tune.