Carvin intonation problem

Sneakypete · #1 12-22-2009, 04:42 PM

I'd appreciate any advice on this; several years ago I bought a Carvin Bolt 4 self-assembly bass guitar kit. The kit is complete and only needs screwing together and finishing. The neck comes ready-fretted. The result is a lovely simple bass that I like a lot. The problem is with the intonation - I've followed Carvin's instructions and guides in bass magazines and the overall setup and playability is first class - the A,D and G strings are fine at any position on the neck but the E string sounds sharp at the fifth fret. I've used my Korg Pitchblack tuner and the one built into my Zoom 1604 recorder and they both agree with my ears. The open E can be tuned perfectly - the twelfth fret harmonic and fretted note are indistinguishable from each other - but the fifth fret note is slightly sharp. My band plays a lot of stuff in A (yeah, unusual I know) and although not a glaring difference it is one I'm always aware of. I get around it by tuning the E string very slowly until the A note is just barely perfect and although the open string will now be slightly flat it doesn't seem as noticeable as a sharp A on the fifth fret. The other strings are fine on the fifth so any ideas? Thanks in advance.

JLS · #2 12-22-2009, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sneakypete

I'd appreciate any advice on this; several years ago I bought a Carvin Bolt 4 self-assembly bass guitar kit. The kit is complete and only needs screwing together and finishing. The neck comes ready-fretted. The result is a lovely simple bass that I like a lot. The problem is with the intonation - I've followed Carvin's instructions and guides in bass magazines and the overall setup and playability is first class - the A,D and G strings are fine at any position on the neck but the E string sounds sharp at the fifth fret. I've used my Korg Pitchblack tuner and the one built into my Zoom 1604 recorder and they both agree with my ears. The open E can be tuned perfectly - the twelfth fret harmonic and fretted note are indistinguishable from each other - but the fifth fret note is slightly sharp. My band plays a lot of stuff in A (yeah, unusual I know) and although not a glaring difference it is one I'm always aware of. I get around it by tuning the E string very slowly until the A note is just barely perfect and although the open string will now be slightly flat it doesn't seem as noticeable as a sharp A on the fifth fret. The other strings are fine on the fifth so any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Try another E string.

**pacojas** · #3 12-23-2009, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLS

Try another E string.

+100

Sneakypete · #4 12-23-2009, 12:08 PM

Well, I've tried D'Addario, Rotosound and a couple of other makes but the problem remains. I always play 45-105 so perhaps I'll try a different gauge - more likely it's one of those little annoyances that never get solved! Thanks anyway.

INTP · #5 12-23-2009, 12:23 PM

Check to make sure the E string sits fully in the slot on the nut. If the nut slot is too narrow for that gauge string, then it might be sitting too high.

Likewise, if the nut slot is not cut deep enough, the string will sit higher than the rest. Check the height of the string at the nut and see if it might be higher than the rest.

Benjamin Strange · #6 12-23-2009, 11:28 PM

The Korg Pitchblack isn't the most accurate tuner out there, but should work well enough for your purposes. Set it to "strobe" mode (not a true strobe, but whatever), tune the string to where the strobe DOES NOT MOVE AT ALL, and then check at the 12th (also at the 19th if you want SUPER accurate). If it's even barely moving, then it's off - move the bridge saddle, and repeat the process. It's not properly intonated untill the strobe doesn't move at all on both the open string and the fretted string.

Sneakypete · #7 12-26-2009, 09:19 AM

Thanks for two good suggestions - lots of family and friends here now - I'll spend an hour on it tomorrow morning and let you know.

Sneakypete · #8 12-27-2009, 11:57 AM

Okay - it's much better - not perfect but so close now that it's as good as most basses I reckon. The nut slot was OK but I was able to set the bridge saddle more accurately by following the tip about checking fretted/harmonics on the 7th and 19th fret and settling on the best overall compromise. Rather embarrassed to say I hadn't thought of this before - I've only ever compared on the 12th. I don't think the original bridge is the best though - for one thing the little screws that set saddle height have indented into the base plate and as the adjustment I've made is quite small I think it likely that the saddle could slip back to its original position. I'd quite like to upgrade the bridge but I've never replaced one before so any recommendations? Also, I'd like to avoid making new screw holes in the body if possible - the current bridge has two large Philips-headed screws. Thanks again.

kilo95 · #9 12-31-2009, 09:34 PM

Pete, I have a Carvin XB-76 that I've had for several years. The best sounding strings I've tried are the DRs. There are several different flavors. The DR LowRiders and Hi-Beams both sound good on my bass. Just a little fyi

deaf pea · #10 12-31-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sneakypete

...I'd quite like to upgrade the bridge but I've never replaced one before so any recommendations? Also, I'd like to avoid making new screw holes in the body if possible - the current bridge has two large Philips-headed screws...

That bridge that came with the kit is a HipShot type-B . . . IMO there isn't ANY other Bridge that is better . . . except the HipShot type A!

Good luck with the bass . . .

. . .