setting intonation ------------------- what is intonation? intonation is having your guitar set up to play as in tune as possible all the way up and down the fretboard. intonation should be done after ALL other setup procedures. it should be the last thing checked in your setup. if you have a bridge with six individually adjustable saddles intonation is set by moving the screws in the back of the saddles forward or back until the desired position is reached. if you do not have individually adjustable saddles you may still be able to move your saddle or bridge forward or back to set the intonation. contact the manufacturer or the place you bought the guitar to find out how this can be done. making the adjustments: on a guitar with individually adjustable saddles-- *move the saddle back by turning the screw in a clockwise motion. *move the saddle forward by turning the screw in a counterclockwise direction WARNING: be careful to not let the screwdriver slip and hit the guitar as this can put scratches in your finish. you may want to lay a cloth down on the top of the guitar while making adjustments to avoid this. here is my method for setting intonation: *you will need an electronic tuner to more accurately set your intonation. first, make sure your guitar is strung up AND in tune with new strings, or strings that are at least fairly new. it's NOT a good idea to use worn or old strings to set your intonation. starting at the low e string check to make sure the string is in tune. now, at this point you should either fret the note at the 12th fret, or play a harmonic at the 12th fret. how do you play a harmonic? lightly touch the string directly above the 12th fret then pluck the string. you should get a ringing type sound. whether you use a harmonic or actually fret the note is a matter of personal preference and what you feel works the best. once you fret or play the harmonic at the 12th fret check to see if it reads as in tune on your tuner. the sring played open AND the string played at the 12th fret should both read as in tune. often if there is only a very slight difference in the two it may not be noticeable enough to warrant making an adjustment. that's up to you. before moving the saddles it's a good idea to detune the string before making the adjustment. *if the note at the 12th fret is FLAT the bridge saddle needs to be moved FORWARD (towards the headstock) *if the note at the 12th fret is SHARP the bridge saddle needs to be moved BACK (towards the bottom of the guitar) how much you move the saddles depends on how far off the note at the 12th fret is. if it's really close you won't need to move the saddle much. if it's not close you will need to move it more. it's trial and error. once you have adjusted the saddle tune the string back up to pitch again. then check the 12th fret note once again. repeat the above procedure until the string is intonated. as with other setup procedures this will take patience. take your time and get it right. once the low e string is intonated, move on to the next string and repeat the above steps.. *note: if you keep the same set of strings on your guitar for too long the intonation can eventually be off. that's why i recommend setting the intonation with new or fairly new strings on.