intonation problem?

[b_ryceeeee]

so i took my lakland in to get intonation set about 3 months ago and i think its starting to get a little weird again. everything is ok at the 12th frets but from the 1st through 4th frets on the E and A strings the notes are sharp up to the +20 sign on my Korg CA-30 tuner. should i take it in again? or is it something simple to fix?

[Bassmickeyd]

If you know how to set the intonation on an instrument it's quite easy. .... If you don't?
Intonation is set by string length, equal distance across the bridge. Shorten the length to raise the intonation lengthen it to lower/drop it.
I can't imagine a Lakland that's correct at the 12th and out at first four. These necks a made by machines. Though if it's a Korean Lak. anythings possible. Great bass body and pickups but the necks feel like you could snap them in two.
Tune the bass and check the fifth fret G harmonic against the fifth fret on the D-string. This is a different octave but it should give you some idea wave form wise. Also check the seventh fret. Don't try checking you forth fret and your higher harmonics they'll never be perfect.

Then again you might just be part dog and have real sensitive hearing. (Joke)

[RJC1811]

You might need a little nut work. If the nut is cut too high you will have to push the strings down too far to fret the notes therefore pushing them sharp. The further away from the nut up the neck you go, the less difference it makes.

Edited to add: Read the posts on setting up your bass in the sticky at the top of this forum. Even if you don't feel confident enough to tackle it yourself at least you will have a better understanding of it. You can at least take a couple simple measurements and see if anything is obviously out of whack.

Bob

[kayakbass]

Originally Posted by RJC1811

You might need a little nut work. If the nut is cut too high you will have to push the strings down too far to fret the notes therefore pushing them sharp. The further away from the nut up the neck you go, the less difference it makes.

Bob

lets not over look a neck adjustment. Having too much relief can cause the string to bend sharp when pushed to the fingerboard. That USUALLY happens in the upper register not the lower register though.... hmmmm.... Is your set-up guy reputable?

[ByF]

New strings?

Ed

[mcnach]

Try adjusting intonation yourself. It's dead easy. Only if you still have problems take it to the shop...
Use a good tuner, tune up the bass, and check the open string versus the same string fretted at the 12th fret. If the 12th fret is slightly flat, then move the saddle forward, towards the pickups, a couple of mm. Try again. If sharp, back towards the other end. Try again. Repeat until all strings are done.
To remember which direction to go... "FFF" or Fret Flat?: move Forward

[JTE]

Intonation settings assume the string is vibrating evenly across its whole lenght, and that the nut and frets are in the right places. So, if your strings are old, physically worn, have a lot of dead skin cells, grease, and other finger funk in the windings, or are otherwise worn out, change them.

Then make sure the nut's right. My experinece with Laklands (US and Korean) is that the nuts are done right (not a common feature on most production instruments BTW), but if the nut is too high, then it's going to play out of tune. A related issue is the neck's relief. If the neck's got too much relief in it, your intonation settingst that worked when the neck was more straight won't work now.

Those are the key factors on why it would have played in tune three months ago, but doesn't now- worn strings, and truss rod adjustment. Given the time (three months ago was early spring and now summer's just started. There's a lot of changes in the bass' environment over the change from winter through spring to summer so I would be suprised if the TR does NOT need adjustment.

I'd do this0 Buy a copy of Dan Erlewine's complete guitar repair book. Get Dan's book because he discusses the trade-offs involved in set up work (there's not one "right way" to do set ups), and he explains things in a very relaxed, player oriented manner. Learn to do your own set ups because it's a lot less expensive than paying someone to set intonation and tweak a truss rod. Plus you'll be able to really dial in what you want YOUR bass to feel like. And you'll learn an awful lot about what makes a great bass great and why there's so many just mediocre basses out there.

But if you got a gig and need to get that thing set righ now...

A. Tune all the strings to the pitch you're going to use.
B. Hold the bass in playing position.
C. Play the 12th fret harmonic and compare that to the open string. If they're not exaclty an octave, then you need new strings.
D. If the 12th fret harmonic and the open string ARE exactly one octave apart, then play the 12th fret harmonic and then play the note fretted at the 12th fret. The harmonic is your reference pitch, and the idea is to get the fretted note to match that reference.
D. 1. If your fretted note is sharp, that means the distance from the 12th fret to the bridge saddle is too short. Lengthen the string by moving the sadlle AWAY from the nut, towards the tail of the bass.
D. 2. If your fretted note is flat, the string is too long and you need to move the saddle towards the nut.
D. 3. Retune the string and repeat the process until you've got the two notes to match.

Then move to the next string until you're done.

jte