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Intonation issues with Warwick

Mingus Addict

Mingus Addict

May 10, 2007
1,031
38
Philadelphia
#1
I have a 5-string Warwick Corvette $$. I've owned this bass for about two and half years. Over the past few months I've been having intonation issues. I notice them, make adjustments, and then they seem to return for no reason. The bigger problem is, the notes keep getting more and more sharp at the 12th fret, so every time I make intonation adjustments, I have to move the saddles back more. The E string saddle is just about back as far as it can go. Any ideas on why this could be happening and how to fix it?

When I say I've had to adjust the intonation a lot I mean, I've done it twice in the past 6 months (I think) and the intonation is already out again now.

I checked the neck relief and I think it's pretty good.

The strings are Warwick EMP's in the same gauges that came on the bass (.045, .065, .085, .105, .135 tapper core)

I guess maybe the action could be lowered? (it feels good)

I use a Korg DTR1000 tuner for intonation which I know may not be the best choice so maybe that plays a roll?


I don't know what other info to share. This is a pretty expensive bass (to me anyway) so this problem is very frustrating for me. Hopefully the experts can help. I know that basics of doing a set up, but I'm no pro. Help?
 
#3
Yeah I plan on buying a strobe tuner soon. I of course was also thinking of taking it to someone, but I want to understand what I'm doing wrong when I set it up. I don't know if a repair shop/luthier will teach a man to fish when they're in the fish selling business. I also haven't really found anyone I like in the Philadelphia area, so if anyone comes across this thread and wants to recommend a Philadelphia repair person please do. Just don't say take it to that guitar shop down by South St. (trying not to name names) because while it's a good shop, I've never liked their set-up work.
 
#4
How many times have you changed strings during that six months? As strings age, they get stretched and lose their elasticity, and the intonation changes. I probably don't change strings as often as most people but when I notice that the intonation is changing, I figure it's time for new strings.

Ed
 
#7
Probably a stupid question but....

Warwicks have "jumbo" frets. At least mine does. How hard are you pressing the strings down? Is it possible that you are occasionally pressing hard enough to "bend" the note sharp?

Seems like a basic question, but I ran into a phenomenal guitarist once who didn't like to play Les Paul's due to this issue. He was convinced that they all had the frets in the wrong spots and couldn't be set up correctly.
 
#8
Changing strings today. The last time I changed them was around January. I live in Philadelphia, so yeah the weather could be playing a role. I also do think about how hard I'm pressing the string down and how that affects pitch so no, that's not the problem. Good thought though.

Thanks for all the idea's guys. I let you know how it goes. My main concern right now is how far back I have the saddle on the E string to get properly intonated. If it needs to move back further when I change the strings I may have to remove the spring behind it:(
 
#9
I put the new strings on and it seemed to help a lot. The intonation went flat, so now I can move the saddles forward which makes me feel better. I noticed my action seemed kind of high though. At first I was going to move the saddles lower but I noticed some were already very low. I figured I needed to take some relief out of the neck or lower the nut. The nut is a Just A Nut II which can be raised and lowered with allen keys. I was looking more closely at the nut and I realized, I think it's cracked:eek: For those familiar with the Just A Nut, it has little "arms" on each side which hold the moving part of the nut in place. These arms are the part that looks cracked. To be honest, I'm not exactly easy on this bass, so this must have happened in travel or something. Anyway I'll be taking it to someone more professional than me to be looked at, and I guess I'll probably need to have a new nut installed.:atoz: On the bright side the Just A Nut II has been superseded by the Just A Nut III which looks much nicer in my opinion, and does not have the little "arms" which seem to be broken on mine.

Ugh, it's disappointing but I've had this bass a few years and never paid for any set up work on it so I guess it could be worse.
 
#10
Before Dana B Goods stopped being the US distributor, you could call and get most parts (like the JAN III) for free. Now you have to go through Hanser Music Group and have to pay.

Anyway, about the action. Try raising the saddles to almost the same height. Try to match the radius of your fretboard. After that, try lowering your bridge. The Warwick bridge has three screws on each side of it. The one in the middle unlocks the bridge, and the two on either side raise and lower the bridge. Be sure to lock the bridge back when you are done lowering.

Also...lemme try digging up the Warwick Manual....

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if the .pdf doesn't work,

Invalid Link Removed
 
#11
Yeah I know, I lost some strap locks and called them up to order some. They just sent them to me! (Dana B Goods) Just heard about the change in representation, oh well...

Thanks for the manual and reminding me about adjusting the height of the entire bridge. I actually still have the manual that came with my bass, but their newer one is a little different and has more pictures so it's still helpful.
 
#12
Kael said:
Probably a stupid question but....

Warwicks have "jumbo" frets. At least mine does. How hard are you pressing the strings down? Is it possible that you are occasionally pressing hard enough to "bend" the note sharp?

Seems like a basic question, but I ran into a phenomenal guitarist once who didn't like to play Les Paul's due to this issue. He was convinced that they all had the frets in the wrong spots and couldn't be set up correctly.
Click to expand...

Excellent observation. I noticed that Warwicks (and other jumbo fret instruments) tend to play sharp if you press down too hard.

The good side is that being a teeny bit sharp, helps the bass stand out in the mix better. Wind players know about this.
 

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