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Intonation problems on a jazz parts bass

Queg

Queg

Nov 20, 2009
523
13
SF Bay Area
#1
Hi folks,

I've got a Hipshot A bridge on a Fender Geddy Lee body, using a 21 fret Warmoth neck.

My intonation is making me bring all the saddles out to the limit, most are just a hair flat, but the "G" string is still badly off. This bass is tuned down to D, with Labella 760FM flatwounds.

Should I:
1. Try a different G string.
2. Try a different bridge (such as a stock Badass II)
3. Resign myself to the fact that this sort of thing can happen when building a parts bass.

GLbass014.gif
 
#2
Queg said:
My intonation is making me bring all the saddles out to the limit, most are just a hair flat, but the "G" string is still badly off.
Click to expand...

Are the saddles moved all the way toward the neck, or away from the neck? If the notes are flat, aren't the saddles too far out away from the neck (strings too long)? :hmm:
 
#3
The problem is that you have a 21 fret neck on a body designed for a 20 fret neck. This means your saddles have to shift forward significantly to compensate. You can move the bridge 1/2" closer to the neck pocket to compensate but that will totally mess with the pickup spacing which will mess with the sound.
 
#6
testing1two said:
The problem is that you have a 21 fret neck on a body designed for a 20 fret neck. This means your saddles have to shift forward significantly to compensate. You can move the bridge 1/2" closer to the neck pocket to compensate but that will totally mess with the pickup spacing which will mess with the sound.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter how many frets you have is the scale length remains the same.
 
#10
testing1two said:
You can move the bridge 1/2" closer to the neck pocket to compensate but that will totally mess with the pickup spacing which will mess with the sound.
Click to expand...

Adjusting intonation will always adjust the exact pickup location with regard to a string's nodes. However, this change is will not mess with pickup spacing or sound (the difference it makes will be negligible and you wont hear a tonal difference, only an in-tune difference).

Think about it carefully. By moving the bridge forward a 1/2", all of his saddles will be moving back about a half inch. The speaking length of the string will still be roughly 34", the saddle location will still be in roughly the same spot, and his strings will still not be intonated correctly, but he will gain the ability to properly intonate them all.
 
#11
I installed the Hipshot using the same pre-existing holes as the previous Badass II. The Warmoth neck, as others confirmed, is indeed made to work wiith a standard 34" Fender Jazz bass, with the 21st fret overlapping. All this suggests that either the Hipshot bridge has different geometry than a Badass II (which it shouldn't, as it's supposed to be a Fender replacement), or??

Should I redrill/move the bridge up a 1/2"?
 
#12
To answer my own question:

A Baddass II is actually longer and has more (thread) room to adjust intonation. Hipshot A is shorter and might run out of thread/platform when adjusting for flat intonation if it was installed in original (Badass II) bridge holes on the GL body.

Corrections?
 
#17
its because you tune down to D. i have had a few basses i had to move the bridge closer a 1/4 inch because of the same problem. measure from where your saddle is now, and determine where you want it to sit. thats how far forward to move the holes. johnny a.
 
#19
Thanks all!

A full pic of this mongrel:
No pots yet, just a pickup switch & jack to fire it up/test it out. The cheapy chinese control plate doesn't even fit standard size pots.. a proper (but black!) control plate is on order. Pickups are Nordstrand N4SE's in disguise.

GLbass016.gif
 

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