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Old 01-15-2018, 09:44 PM
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salsarev salsarev is offline
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Default Intonation went overnight.

Recently purchased a great Gibson J-15 on this forum and love it. However, a couple of days ago, it seems like the intonation was way off and it appeared to happen quickly. On the low E, it starts getting sharp on the first fret and by the third fret, it's waaay sharp. Same on the high E (the only strings I tested with a tuner). I just changed strings on it but issue didn't go away. Does humidity (or lack of) affect intonation? I'm struggling to keep the humidity in the case at 45%. Any ideas?
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Old 01-15-2018, 09:54 PM
JohnW63 JohnW63 is offline
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Sounds like your action, or string height just moved up, a good amount. This can happen when a guitar goes from a dry climate to a damp one. The top gains moisture and can flex more and the top can raise at the bridge and raise the strings.

OK, there might be three other things, but they are less likely, and I think you would have noticed.

1) The bridge is lifting off the top. Check out the back edge of the bridge and see if there is a gap you didn't see before.

2) The neck shifted. I've never heard of this happening suddenly. Any sign of movement at the neck where it meets the body ?

3) A top brace, under the bridge area came loose. You'd have to check that out with a flash light and a mirror. There should be NO gaps between any brace and the under side of the top.


I would suspect , since it traveled to your house, from where ever it lived before, that humidity changes did it.
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Old 01-15-2018, 10:01 PM
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Thanks for the info John.
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Old 01-15-2018, 10:09 PM
Earwitness Earwitness is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnW63 View Post
3) A top brace, under the bridge area came loose. You'd have to check that out with a flash light and a mirror. There should be NO gaps between any brace and the under side of the top.
If the strings are off, you can use an iphone with a light, stick it in the soundhole and look at and film the whole inside of the guitar. Good way to see the braces and everything else.
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Old 01-15-2018, 11:39 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Originally Posted by salsarev View Post
Recently purchased a great Gibson J-15 on this forum and love it. However, a couple of days ago, it seems like the intonation was way off and it appeared to happen quickly.
Where was the guitar shipped from before it came to you in Louisiana?

Quote:
Originally Posted by salsarev View Post
On the low E, it starts getting sharp on the first fret and by the third fret, it's waaay sharp. Same on the high E (the only strings I tested with a tuner). I just changed strings on it but issue didn't go away. Does humidity (or lack of) affect intonation? I'm struggling to keep the humidity in the case at 45%.
Yes, humidity can absolutely have an impact. So can a major change in the gauge of the strings you've put on the guitar: if you've gone from extra lights to mediums, or vice versa, that can have an impact on how well the guitar intonates.

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Originally Posted by salsarev View Post
Any ideas?
Sure. Give the guitar a couple more weeks to acclimate to your local climate. While you're waiting for it to settle down and do what it's going to do, experiment with different brands, alloys and gauges of guitar strings, so you can figure out which set you think sounds best on this instrument.

Don't worry about having perfect intonation at this point, because the guitar will move around until it gets used to your climate. Instead, use this as an R&D period to figure which strings you like on it.

After another week or three, take the guitar and a couple of sets of the strings that sound best on it to the friendly local guitar tech of your choice. Have him or her dial in the intonation and action on this guitar so it's optimal for the way you play.

The reason to take two rather than one set of strings in with you is that carving a perfectly intonated saddle requires a lot of loosening and then tightening, loosening and then retightening the strings. This back and forth raising and lowering of tension kills strings faster than just about anything else, even if they're coated strings like Elixirs: it causes metal fatigue, just like bending a wire coat hanger back and forth will break the coat hanger.

So if you take in two sets of strings, your guitar tech can do all the back and forth stuff with the first set, then once the saddle and action height are dialed in, put the second fresh set on there for you. That way the guitar can sound its best when you get it back.

That's my recommendation, anyway, whether or not you choose to follow it.

The main thing is for you to realize that the guitar shifting around like this is perfectly normal. A lot of folks who get a nice, all-solid wood guitar for the first time get indignant when it moves around more than they're used to or expect. But the truth is that the better quality the guitar, the more some of these environmental factors can have an impact. Especially when it's been shipped any distance at all.

In any event, once the guitar has had two or three weeks to acclimate to your area, take it in to get dialed in. It's worth doing, because it'll make a major difference in how well the guitar plays, sounds and intonates.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller
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Old 01-16-2018, 04:04 PM
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Thanks Wade. The guitar was shipped from South Carolina to Louisiana. I've had numerous solid wood guitars but never experienced such a drastic change so suddenly. I'll take your advice. I had never thought of the two sets of strings things - great idea! Thanks for taking the time to reply!

David
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