Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)
Old Man Arthur
Posted 2013-04-14 7:09 AM (#469554)
Subject: Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
Non-O content because with the exception of my VXT...
There is no intonation to mess with on my Ovations.
Slap a compensated saddle on an Acoustic and go with it.

I just wanted to comment...
I started working on the intonation on my BC Rich "Perfect 6" just as Saturday Night Live got over.

(Perfect 10 minus 4 strings = Perfect 6)

It is now 5:00 AM and I am just getting done.
And I ain't really done!
Now I understand why Luthiers have made them weird guitars with Fan-Shaped frets.
Cuz I can get Most of the notes to be where they are supposed to be, but there are still a few that are off.
Plus, BC Rich guitars have a weird 24?" Scale which just never seems easy to me.
And there just ain't as much saddle-travel in a quad bridge. Not as much as I'd like.

So the intonation was a little off... So I decided to fix it.
Then I decided to change the strings because it just had the "heavies" from a 12 set on there.
So I cleaned the fretboard, changed the strings, and started fresh on setting the intonation.
It kept being a little off... So I kept messing with it.
So if I tune the strings just barely towards Flat, most of the Fretted Whole notes come-out about right.
But I was having trouble with the B and G strings. So I flattened the G a tad.
Anyway... I finally got it close enough.
Which is probably the same way as it was before I started messing with it 4 Hours Ago!

But I just wanted to share that.... Intonation = Aggravation
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MWoody
Posted 2013-04-14 9:49 AM (#469559 - in reply to #469554)
Subject: Re: Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)



Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987

Location: Upper Left USA
Art,
Get some sleep...

Short scale guitars (25" or shorter) allow the player to bend and stretch the strings a lot more.
They also push and exceed the limits on locating the hardware intonation spots.

It magnifies your "touch" way beyond what most acoustic players (more massive strings) are used to.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2013-04-14 10:41 PM (#469578 - in reply to #469554)
Subject: Re: Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
This why I really like my VXT.
The scale is the same as my other Ovations.

Also, I believe my problem with the Bich was the really light gauge strings...
I an not used to playing with a light touch.
I squeeze the neck and the note goes Sharp.
I just put on some 10's.

But I get away with playing my VXT that way.
Maybe I need to go buy some heavier strings for the Bich...
Maybe some 11's...
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2013-04-15 12:01 AM (#469581 - in reply to #469554)
Subject: Re: Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7222

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
Do you have a strobe tuner. It will cut setting your intonation time in half if not more. Also, if you put on new strings (and I reccommend 9's or 10's) make sure you play them a bit. I tune, bend EVERY note on the guitar, re-tune, re bend, etc etc.. Or... the shorcut of just grabbing each string and tugging on it, retuning, repeat until it doesn't pull out of tune. And yes... don't press hard on the strings, that will mess up your day and the strobe tuner you can actually see on the display when you press too hard so that's another plus for one.

I take it that's not an original BC Rich... what year is it?
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2013-04-15 3:08 AM (#469583 - in reply to #469581)
Subject: Re: Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
mileskb - 2013-04-14 10:01 PM

I take it that's not an original BC Rich... what year is it?

Hard to tell...
The newer ones have a fancy logo on the back of the headstock and you can figure the year by the first numbers of the serial number, but not this one.
This one is made in Korea but I cannot decode a year from the serial number.
I got it used.

-edit for spelling, so I figured that I would add a photo too-

When I got it with all 10 strings on it.

Edited by Old Man Arthur 2013-04-15 3:28 AM
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MWoody
Posted 2013-04-15 3:41 PM (#469587 - in reply to #469554)
Subject: Re: Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)



Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987

Location: Upper Left USA
RE:
"I am not used to playing with a light touch.
I squeeze the neck and the note goes Sharp."

That's 95% of the problem!
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2013-04-16 1:02 AM (#469597 - in reply to #469554)
Subject: Re: Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
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MWoody
Posted 2013-04-16 7:59 AM (#469601 - in reply to #469554)
Subject: Re: Intonation = Agravation (non-O content)



Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987

Location: Upper Left USA



Edited by MWoody 2013-04-16 8:00 AM
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