What is Intonation on the Guitar?
January 24th, 2007
In a previous post I said I was taking my guitar into the shop to have the intonation (among other things) set. So what is this thing called intonation?
Intonation refers to the notes on the guitar being in tune all the way from open to the high end of the fretboard. If a guitar’s intonation is set properly every E note played on the fretboard will have the proper pitch. If the intonation is off, usually the notes at the nut end of the fretboard will be correct, but they will slowly become sharp or flat the further you move up the fretboard.
A manner of producing or uttering tones, especially with regard to accuracy of pitch.
Source: Dictionary.com
For the average person (like me) it may not be out enough to notice while playing. However, if it is out, once you get it set properly you will notice the difference for sure.
Checking the intonation
The intonation is pretty easy to check, especially if you own an electric tuner. First tune the strings to the proper pitch. After all of the strings are tuned, play the open note on the E string, and then right after play the E note on the 12th fret of the same string. If the tuner shows the right pitch then that strings intonation is set properly. However, if the tuner shows a change in pitch whether it he sharp or flat, the intonation is out. This process can be done on each string to determine if the intonation is out.
Setting the Intonation
If you find that your intonation is out, take your guitar to a shop to have them set it. It shouldn’t cost you too much to have it done. It is best to have a professional do this as you can make the tone worse if you try to do it yourself and don’t succeed.
tagged beginner guitar, guitar basics, guitar maintenance, guitar setup and intonation
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