Need Help for intoneation problem

So I have a stratocaster copy I have leveled the frets and set the action which is very good I also grooved the nut to get the .016 clearance above the first fret.

Problem: I have set the intonation on all six strings and five are perfect but the 6 the string low e wont't adjust to pitch.
I have the adjustment bar all the way back to the end which has helped some but is still out a few cents..
This does not seem natural to me as all the rest of the strings are fine? What can I do to fix this problem???? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.... Thank you for reading this blog. Cap.

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What weight strings are you using? I’ve come across this on a few of my f style guitars when I run 9s. I’ve even gone as far to take the spring off behind the saddle to give a few more mm adjustment backwards.

Good response Sonic as thicker gauge strings will require low E to be wound further back. Great idea to remove spring for a bit more adjustment.
I used to run 9-42's on Strat type guitars and now using 10-46 on Explorer (24.75" scale), both Tele's plus the Artist Grungemaster which has TOM bridge. Plenty of adjustment available on all of them.

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Good point about the springs, I use 10s on the ST and only use 3 springs.

Spring tension might be too low and the bridge screwed down too tight.

Just my thoughts

Hello guys nice to hear from you.


I see I should have added more info.
the string gauge are 12s
the bridge is a hard tail no springs. I have removed the tension spring on the adjuster in question.

So the new thing is the string adjuster goes to a certain point then i must reverse the screw s the meter says going up before the end of the bridge and now still will not intonate?

Sounds like you need to relocate the hard tail bridge back a few mm's to allow for extra string length required on low E.
Is there enough forward travel of bridge saddles on high E side to work with?
I had a similar problem on my J Bass when going from light to medium gauge and ended up fitting a better bridge that had bigger base plate footprint to allow for required string length adjustment.

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Hi Wazkelly, you may be right I shall keep working on it to see what may work. Bye...Cap

I'd first check that it isn't the standard Strat 'pickup pull' causing problems with the intonation. Wind the pickups right down, so that they are away from the strings as far as possible, then see if you can intonate the bottom E. If you can, then it's not the bridge position at fault, but the magnetic pull from the pickups (often it's the middle pickup that's most to blame)

If so, you then need to raise the pickups a bit at a time until the intonation starts to be affected, then just back off a bit. Keep the poles at least 3/32" (2.5mm) away from the strings (when fretted high up the neck).

A closer pic of the bridge might help. Sometimes reversing one of the saddles gives a bit more to work with

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stan

A closer pic of the bridge might help. Sometimes reversing one of the saddles gives a bit more to work with

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Only with a Gibson-style Tune-o-Matic. Fender style bridge saddles aren't reversible.

Hi Simon, thanks for chiming in, I tried the pickup lowering, no help still is off intonation on low e string.
I have tried going further back with the adjuster but no help as well forward no help?
I measured the 12 fret distance and it is right on.
The guitar plays very well and is in tune other wise, just can't get to intonate. on that low e string.
I guessing may be the neck is twisted a little?

It may well be the string itself. Sometimes you get wound strings where the core isn't the same thickness all the way along its length or the wrapping isn't quite the same. This affects the mass per unit length, which along with tension and length, determine the pitch of the string. So it may be worth trying a new string. However, it may be that with the heavier gauge of strings used, the non-vibrating part of the string at either end (nut and saddle) is just too long for the amount of adjustment available with the bridge in its current position. There's a small portion of the string at either end which doesn't really vibrate. The heavier the string, the longer this non-vibrating section is, and is why the saddles stagger backwards for the bottom strings.

If you fitted a set of 9s, you'll probably be fine. But you want 11s, (I'm assuming to down-tune a semitone), so I'd maybe try one new low E string and if there are still issues, I can't see any way forward but to shift the saddle back slightly.

A photo from directly above bridge might help.
Still reckon if there is more than 5mm travel in front of high E that bridge needs to be moved backwards by a few mm to provide required travel for low E string.

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