intonation: 12th fret ok, rest are flat

[hgregs]

i'm sure this has been covered somewhere, but i can't find it. or maybe it's part of the more advanced setup, and i'm not there yet.

anyway - i can get the intonation for my 12th fret just fine. but certain frets are flat, especially on the 7th fret G string. is this just do to the fact that basses are not perfect, or should i be able to dial this in? how?

[Vanceman]

Possibly, there's too little relief in the neck, and the saddles are too high. So, fretting at the 12th is really stretching the string alot, and fretting at the 7th is barely stretching. It's a balancing act, and a compremise, between relief, saddle height, and playing technique.