Notes on the upper frets are sharp

[CityEscape]

So on my SX PJ, the notes get sharper and sharper up the fretboard, and I've tried pulling back the saddles, but it does nothing. Does anyone know what the problem may be?

[Govier966]

that is your intonation try adjusting the saddles while tuning or search intonation online as I am not especially experienced with set ups

[CityEscape]

^ Most useless post ever?

[Nick Kay]

How close are the pickups to the strings? The magnets from the pickups can pull the strings sharp, which gets more noticeable as you head higher up the neck (less mass between the pivot points and all).

[CityEscape]

1/4" from pole pieces to strings

[limit6]

Originally Posted by CityEscape

^ Most useless post ever?

Be nice

[Nick Kay]

Originally Posted by CityEscape

1/4" from pole pieces to strings

Whilst fretting your highest fret? Sorry, I should've been clearer there.

[CityEscape]

Originally Posted by limit6

Be nice

Oh, he knows I love him.

[CityEscape]

Originally Posted by Nick Kay

Whilst fretting your highest fret? Sorry, I should've been clearer there.

On the J pickup, its pretty much the same. As for the P pickup, its just a little over 1/8"

[John Bigboote]

Originally Posted by limit6

Be nice

Well, he was right...

First, have you set the relief in the neck, and is the action however high or low you'd like it? I ask, because setting intonation is for naught if the relief and action aren't right for your playing style. Also, the higher the action, the more you'll tend to go sharp when you fret farther up the neck.

Second, moving the saddles back and forth *has* to change the intonation -- perhaps not enough to correctly intonate each string, but if not, that indicates a problem with the bass' construction (or it might reflect extremely high action). Keep tightening the saddle screws (i.e., moving the saddles away from the neck/nut), and the notes will get less sharp, hopefully to the point that it's correctly intonated.

IME, intonating accurately above the 12th fret is pretty iffy anyway. But you should be able to get it close.

As for setting your pickup height, are you checking that while fretting at your highest fret (or more reasonably, the highest fret you'll normally play on a given string)?

HTH,

-jb

[Nick Kay]

Originally Posted by CityEscape

On the J pickup, its pretty much the same. As for the P pickup, its just a little over 1/8"

Hrm, an eighth inch is pretty close. Try lowering them a bit, just to see if it helps. You can always bring them back up after if nothing changes. For the record, I can almost stuff a 1/4" cable jack between the strings and the covers on my PJ whilst fretting the 24th, and I distinctly remember having strat-itis when the pickups were set much higher than that.

As for setting intonation, you have to remember to re-seat the string after adjusting. Otherwise the witness/pivot point won't be set properly, and the intonation will be just as screwy. You can do this by simply pressing down on the string a bit in front of the bridge (ie: on the open side, not the anchored side).

John Bigboote has some great advice, too. Neck relief and action play a huge part in intonation, and if they're not right, you're not going to be able to correct it with just saddle adjustment.

[CityEscape]

I would like the action to be lower. How do I set relief in the neck?

[Bobster]

Good setup information here:

http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass...tupmanual.html

Bob

[Pilgrim]

Start by reading the stickies in the forum - all of them. Then work your way through a setup and set intonation according to the stickies. If you need to shim the neck as part of the setup process to get the action right, so be it.