Setup question

[TexasDan]

I have a Takamine with a truss rod. I have it strung with 11-52s, except for the G, which is an unwound 17. That string will not tune up right. It either will sound right in open chords or will sound sharp when tuned to the lower pitch strings using harmonics & octaves. Looking for any ideas for correction. The rest of the strings tune just fine.

[nikpearson]

The G string you’re using has a considerably smaller diameter than a stand wound G.

This means that any compensation at the saddle will almost certainly be wrong for the unwound string you’re using.

In addition, the unwound string you’re using is the same as used for the B string in a typical medium gauge string set. That means it will have quite a low tension when tuned two tones down to G. Low string tensions can also cause the intonation issues you’re experiencing.

My advice would be to use a wound string. Not only will it almost certainly sound better, but it should improve intonation. If you’re set on an unwound G then you could try a string with a greater diameter and/or have a luthier or guitar tech see if they can improve intonation by adjusting the saddle compensation for that string. This will probably require a new saddle.

[pieterh]

Why use a plain G string, it isn’t an electric.

The core of a wound G is actually very thin and is why compensated saddles adjust for the G and B strings relative to the otherwise straight edge. If you must have an unwound G then you will need a different saddle.

[TexasDan]

Thanks for the replies. They confirm what I suspected. I originally went to an unwound G because I always seemed to be shredding the winding on that string. I had originally gone to a matched set with the unwound .17, but wasn't crazy about the sound. Seems that I either need to go back to that or just get used to changing my G between set changes with a matched set including wound G.