Moving bridge saddles does not change the intonation?

[hall1k]

I have a weird problem here... I have a Hartke SB-15 bass that I picked up used, and I'm going through the setup process for the first time since buying it (they did it for me before, but I'm too poor to pay for it again). I found that the 12th fret on the E string is way too sharp, so I moved the saddle back quite a bit (maybe like 3-4mm or more) and tuned the open E back to where it should be. But oddly enough, the adjustment didnt have any effect at all on the pitch of the 12th fret on the E string. As of now, the saddle is almost as far back as it can go, and still there has been no change to the 12th fret pitch. When I say no change, I mean the needle on my Marshall MT-1 (i think, its a bit faded) tuner has literally not moved at all, and it continues to read as sharp by about a quarter of the guage.

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?

Also, I've noticed that the pitch of all my open strings tend to dip a little towards the sharp or flat side as the note fades away, is this normal?

[lethargytartare]

If your action is pretty high, that could cause some problems measuring intonation by fretting at the 12th. Have you tried intonating to the harmonic at the 12th? I don't like that since it's not reflective of your actual playing, but will show you that the strings CAN be intonated. The only reason they wouldn't be able to be intonated, AFAIK, is if the bridge was not positioned correctly.

Also try fretting the note at the 12th with the same pressure you'd use when playing.

Also, the generally marketed tuners aren't as precise as, say, a strobe, but you should be able to get closer results than you seem to be seeing.

And, yes, it's normal for the pitch to change as the note tails off.

Try a few more things, then post your notes. Consider resetting that bridge saddle all the way in the other direction -- so you can confirm that your adjustments are making measurable changes, and eliminate your process from the possible causes of confusion.

ltt

[hall1k]

Ok thanks, will try that in the morning, its getting late now

[doktorfeelgood]

I've found that with passive pickups, if the pickups are too close to the strings, I can't intonate the strings. Too much magnetic pull. That could be your problem or part of it. )=(

[ByF]

Try putting on a new string. Every time someone asks that question on this forum, someone will say "Try putting on a new string." Then the OP will come back and say, "I put on a new string, and it's fixed!"

So try putting on a new string.

Ed

[walterw]

Originally Posted by ByF

Try putting on a new string. Every time someone asks that question on this forum, someone will say "Try putting on a new string." Then the OP will come back and say, "I put on a new string, and it's fixed!"

So try putting on a new string.

Ed

ayep.

when one string acts differently from the rest, just won't read right, and has you setting the saddle way off from where it should be, the problem is usually the string itself.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by ByF

Try putting on a new string. Every time someone asks that question on this forum, someone will say "Try putting on a new string." Then the OP will come back and say, "I put on a new string, and it's fixed!"

So try putting on a new string.

Ed

Yup. B&E strings are the usual transgressors.

[dmusic148]

^ +1. New string(s) time.

[hall1k]

I'm doing this setup right after changing the strings, but i guess i can try another set