Intonation

[Dmoney]

been a while since i had a go at this.
my LTD that has never been set up....

i decided ill take it to sweden at the weekend. got out my tuner and started checking the intonation, and it was out.
so i sorted it. It perfect on every string, but the high e has its saddle all the way back, and the note at the 12th fret is still sharp compared to the harmonic.

not sure what to do. raise or lower the saddles? truss rod adjust?

[Supernaught]

That really doesnt sound right at all.     Are the strings fresh?   If not thats your culprit.   Alway intonate with frest strings.   If they are new then it sounds like the fret itself might not be in the right position.

Truss rod adjustment shouldnt have any effect on intonation, so dont bother.   general rule of thumb for order in which to set up a guitar is 1) Truss rod, 2) Action 3) Intonation.

If the saddle is a tune-o-matic stlye you can flip it round so its facing backwards for a bit extra play.   If its a Floyd type then obviously this wont work.

How is the intonation on the rest of the frets?   Ie. do you get an A at the 17th or is that out as well?  My Tele wont intonate at the 12th, but all the rest are fine, so I dont worry.

Generally though, the saddle shouldnt be anywhere near the back of the bridge.   More often than not in my experience if youre going to run out of room, its going to be at the front.

Not sure what else to sugesst otherwise.   Im sure someone more knoledgable than me might be able to help.

[Ratrod]

Fresh strings are always a must with setting up. But sometimes it's just a bad string that just won't intonate.

Happens more with light gauge than heavier ones.

[Dmoney]

they are fresh
seems ok on the rest of the strings. they all intonate fine at the 12th bar the high e.
i need to look over the whole thing again. at least ive done it a few times now, and practice makes perfect.
bringing the action up a touch stopped the string buzz.

[WezV]

check something else.  compare the 5th fret note with 17th fret note to see if you still get it a bit shraper high up the neck

[Dmoney]

i had another go.
got it a bit better.
also adjusted the truss rod and the action again.
the notes at the other frets come up sharp even when i get the harmonic and the note at the 12th bang on.
to my ears it sounds ok. my tuner is sensitive.

[gingataff]

What gauge do you play? I find heavier strings need a bridge with more travel to intonate correctly.

If all else fails, it could be that the bridge has been mounted too far forward (Your LTD has a tuneomatic, right?). I've just been watching a Dan Erlewine repair DVD and he says that in this situation you could plug the holes and redrill in the correct position, or get a Tone Pros locking bridge, enlarge the holes on the bridge so that it sits further back and then lock it in place.

[Dmoney]

i play 10's.

[MDV]

If its still sharp you can try lower action and/or less relief.

I always intonate with the old strings. Provided they arent extremely old that is.

The reason for this is a two birds with one stone explanation. Strings dont stretch in, they bend in. Theres no permanent length change whatsoever. All materials have two states of deformation, plastic and elastic; elastic is a deformation from which the material can retain its original shape and plastic is beyond that and permanent. The strings want to be straight, so when you first put them on they take curved shapes over the bridge and nut. They need to be angled in those places; a full plastic deformation to the correct angle, no elastic deformation left. Rather than stretch strings in place, which only does any good by accident, use the handle of pretty much any tool, or anything hard, to force the strings down above the bridge and nut.

This also means that when you put new strings on they are actually in effect orginating from a slightly higher position at the bridge! This affects your intonation (makes it sharp), so press them in over the bridge and see what its like.

I dont know how long it takes for the strings to take their final correct shape, but its certainly a couple of days and you may have see it happen already, and it may be why your intonation is improving.

Everyone else: stop stretching in your strings, start pressing them in!