Hi,
I use a 25" scale and I've noticed on all my builds when I place my slide on a particular fret I get the exact note I'm supposed to. However, if i hold the string down with my finger I end up about a quarter step higher. Is this normal, and if not what might I be doing wrong.
Thanks,
Mike
Replies
Is your bridge at the right place? At the octave, for both your low note and your high note strings, when you sound the note with a slide it should be the same as if you fret the string and pick the note. If the picked note is higher, your bridge at that point needs to be moved back. If the picked note is lower, your bridge needs to move forward.
Do you have the right offset on your saddle if you have a separate saddle? The 25" scale is measured from the nut to the middle of the saddle. From that point the saddle drops toward the nut on the high strings and towards the back of the guitar on the low strings. For steel strings the offset is normally 1/8" per 1 1/2". For classical strings, there is no offset. So, if you fret the high string and everything seems fine and then fret the low string and the note is off from the note played on a slide, younknow the ofset is wrong.
These fret scales have a built in adjustment for pressing the string down. I think on a 25" scale, the offset is .15".
There are probably a ton of spelling mistakes in here. &)$();&()($ iPad
If your bridge saddle is straight (aligned with the box) your guitar will be grossly mis-intonated. I see this all time in photos on here.
Adjust your saddle as David described in his first paragraph. Your saddle will end up slanted with the higher note closer to the neck and the bass note farther from the neck. The string height off the fretboard also plays into the intonation as others have observed. So getting your strings lower for fretting should help.
At the 12th fret (or where the 12th fret would be if it's fretless) the fretted note should be the same as the harmonic (and the note done with a slide). They should all agree.
The 12th fret is exactly 1/2 the length of the string (measured from nut to bridge). There is a strong octave harmonic at this point. While plucking the string, touch your finger lightly on the string at the 12th fret and quickly remove it. You will hear a pretty bell-like tone, which is the harmonic.
Use a chromatic tuner for the most accurate results. Unless you have individually compensated saddles, it won't be 100% accurate for all the strings, but even the string or strings that are slightly off will be 95% there, and a vast improvement over what you have now.
Then glue your bridge/saddle down so you don't lose your intonation setting every time you change strings!
Yep, string height. High is good for playing slide, but when you try to fret a string with high action, you have to stretch it to get it down to the fret. By the time you get there, you've "tuned" it highter.
i notice that when my action is high. my string hight is usually high on all my fretless so it doesn't matter for me but the fretted guits will do this if the strings are too high off the fretboard.
1- when using slide .. you should be placing the slide right above the forward ( fret wire) of the note you want .. not the (fret marker) .
2- string height may be an issue .. the lower the action , the less difference you will see .
those 2 issues may solve your problem before you continue to troubleshoot .