Intonation Question in Technical Q&A: Ask Mike Forum

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Intonation Question

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basstard	Intonation Question		Lead	[-]
Champ Posts: 63 04/24/09 4:05 PM Charter Member	Tags : None Of all the things I've lost, I miss my ads the most. Right! Remove this ad Hello, I had a general question regarding intonation. How often should it be checked? When I used to play bass in a band, I would check intonation before every show. It was usually spot on, but I didn't want to take a chance of being out of tune during a live show. Should it be checked religiously? Thanks for the info... basstard
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Telemikester		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 144 04/24/09 5:00 PM Moderator	Hi Basstard, Good to hear from you again and another excellent question. Since intonation is set by the string length between the nut and saddle, it should only change when this distance changes. You sound like you keep a close eye on what's happening with your bass, so I'm sure you would notice if the neck bows, or you get a loose saddle. Also, the string gauge, action height, and string manufacturer all play a part in the intonation. So once set, if nothing changes you shouldn't have to worry about it. If you change to a different brand of strings, adjust the action, or change the relief in the neck, check the intonation and tweak as a good owner should. -TMster
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basstard		#2	[url]	[-]
Champ Posts: 63 04/24/09 5:16 PM Charter Member	Great advice, thank you! Sounds like I was a little overkill on checking intonation. I once owned a '68 Fender P Bass and could never get that instrument spot on with intonation. There was more going on with that bass vs. my technical knowledge of instrument set-up. Anyways, I remember my singer looking at me like I was playing the wrong notes. It was in tune with open strings, but slightly off on the intonation. That taught me how important intonation is when it comes to being truly "in tune".
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Telemikester		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 144 04/24/09 6:02 PM Moderator	Your welcome. And I didn't know I could blame my bass player every time I sing out of key. Thanks for the great idea! Ha.....
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basstard		#4	[url]	[-]
Champ Posts: 63 04/28/09 8:15 PM Charter Member	Yes, always look to the bass player first for any tuning issues! Usually then I look at my drummer and say what the hell?
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