change string guage to help intonation?

[lyes4string]

im having problems with the intonation of my warwick thumb. i need the bass drop tuned pretty low to drop B to be exact. my question is if go up in guage thickness will it make enough diff in the intonation?

[knuckle_head]

A thicker string's intonation point will be a bit farther back than a thinner one - are you running out of room to come back more?

[JimmyM]

What will make the biggest difference in your intonation is not mashing a string too hard into the fretboard.

[stingraysvt]

Originally Posted by lyes4string

im having problems with the intonation of my warwick thumb. i need the bass drop tuned pretty low to drop B to be exact. my question is if go up in guage thickness will it make enough diff in the intonation?

Don't forget to set your intonation when you put a new set on, you might need to intonate for B instead of... D? Tune Whole step down (maybe 1.5 steps?), drop B right?

Most folks I know tuning down use heavier gauges to begin with. 105's maybe even 110's...

[lyes4string]

i think what the problem is is the two piece bridge on the warwick doesnt allow enough room to intonate my lower strings correctly. i already am running 105's which to me isnt that heavy was thinking more along the lines of maybe a 125. the thing that just annoys(for lack of word allowed in thread) me is that my musicman basses dont have this problem, the bridge is a solid one piece that allows lengthier adjustments to be made to the intonation.

i am intonating to B just be clear.

[knuckle_head]

Are you using a tapered B? They intonate a bit closer than a full thickness B.

[lyes4string]

Originally Posted by knuckle_head

Are you using a tapered B? They intonate a bit closer than a full thickness B.

no i havent tried anything heavier than the 105 yet maybe i'll look for a tapered 125 and see if that helps.

[FunkMetalBass]

OP, what is your tuning exactly? BF#BE?

[tstone]

If you can't get the saddle back far enough to intonate correctly, going to a heavier gauge is going to make the problem worse, not better.

[lyes4string]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

OP, what is your tuning exactly? BF#BE?

Originally Posted by tstone

If you can't get the saddle back far enough to intonate correctly, going to a heavier gauge is going to make the problem worse, not better.

yes i tune BF#

so a larger will make it worse, any suggestions then for fixing the intonation? i mean i dont really want to go lighter as i will lose other attributes of the string.

[ixlramp]

2 things will reduce the amount of intonation offset while keeping gauge constant: a tapered string and a more flexible string. Perhaps try a more flexible brand such as D'Addario XL nickels / ProSteels or Circle K Strings? Apparently Circle K Strings are super flexible, they also sell single strings and sets designed for drop tunings: vStandard Drop-tuned 4 Strings

Also how do you check intonation? The 2nd harmonic - 12th fret method can be imprecise, best to check every 3rd or 4th fret with a tuner along the entire played length of the string.

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by lyes4string

yes i tune BF#

so a larger will make it worse, any suggestions then for fixing the intonation? i mean i dont really want to go lighter as i will lose other attributes of the string.

I'm not sure where you're located, but tapered strings are going to be your friend. Both Circle K and D'Addario make tapered B-strings.

Depending on your preference for string tensions, I'd recommend these D'Addario sets (you'll have to order strings individually for them):

• .125T .080 .060 .045
• .130T .085 .065 .050

or these Circle K's (found under 4-string drop-tuned sets)

• .124 .082 .061 .045
• .130 .086 .065 .047

[ixlramp]

If you try a tapered string make sure the tapered section is long enough to sit on the saddle, I just remembered that Circle K's have a short tapered section of 1.625" that may not be long enough. But then, if they're super-flexible that may not matter.
I would expect a Warwick 4 string to at least intonate a non-tapered .110 properly.
I recommend trying a very flexible .110-.125 for B, preferably tapered.

[knuckle_head]

Originally Posted by lyes4string

no i havent tried anything heavier than the 105 yet maybe i'll look for a tapered 125 and see if that helps.

Is your E tapered? If so is there any room to come back at all? If it's not and it intonates then a tapered B will likely be fine.

Originally Posted by lyes4string

. . . larger will make it worse, any suggestions then for fixing the intonation? i mean i dont really want to go lighter as i will lose other attributes of the string.

You cannot get to B with an E string - you will have to go bigger. Be sure it is tapered. There are Warwick guys that have done this with my strings so it can be done. Other brands likely work as well.

[Jay2U]

Tapered certainly does help. Another thing is the action. The lower the action, the lower the extra tension will be when fretting at higher positions.