Should we intonate with harmonics?
- Thread starter JMaia
- Start date
Intonate by fretting.
A pinch harmonic will always be in exact tune with the string you are pinching. If you have a string tuned properly, the 12th fret harmonic will always be an octave higher and perfect. Because: physics.
If your intonation is off, the pinch point (node) may not appear exactly over the 12th fret. The problem is you can't tell by looking. Since the string is not in contact with the fret and your finger is in the way and much wider than the fret, you won't know if the pinch point is ahead or behind the fret. Add in the situation where you can get a sloppy pinch slightly ahead or behind the node and still get a harmonic of sorts to ring and the error in positioning is compounded
If your 12th fret harmonic appears halfway to the 11th or 13th fret, that might tell you something. But the coarse adjustment you make will not be good enough to say that your guitar is properly intonated.
Thus, pinch harmonics tell you next to nothing about intonation are useless for setting it.
However, if you tune your string to pitch and then fret and play at the 12th fret, you will see if the resulting note is too sharp or flat and can therefore adjust the intonation.
One more thing... find a different 'luthier'.
A pinch harmonic will always be in exact tune with the string you are pinching. If you have a string tuned properly, the 12th fret harmonic will always be an octave higher and perfect. Because: physics.
If your intonation is off, the pinch point (node) may not appear exactly over the 12th fret. The problem is you can't tell by looking. Since the string is not in contact with the fret and your finger is in the way and much wider than the fret, you won't know if the pinch point is ahead or behind the fret. Add in the situation where you can get a sloppy pinch slightly ahead or behind the node and still get a harmonic of sorts to ring and the error in positioning is compounded
If your 12th fret harmonic appears halfway to the 11th or 13th fret, that might tell you something. But the coarse adjustment you make will not be good enough to say that your guitar is properly intonated.
Thus, pinch harmonics tell you next to nothing about intonation are useless for setting it.
However, if you tune your string to pitch and then fret and play at the 12th fret, you will see if the resulting note is too sharp or flat and can therefore adjust the intonation.
One more thing... find a different 'luthier'.
toothace
Zombie Thirteen, DFZ
JMaia
New Member
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- Nov 9, 2013
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Yeah I was a little bafled when he told me this about the intonation... Problem is, finding a good luthier, (and even a private guitar teacher for that matter) is proving way more difficult than I thought...
toothace
Zombie Thirteen, DFZ
Where are you located? There's probably a Forum member close enough to offer some advice.
regarding lessons, there's a bunch online these days... how about www.guitopia.com ?
Ovibos
Naughty Wood Librarian
The way I look at it is that I'm much more likely to pay a fretted note @ 12th so that's what's more important in my setup of a guitar.
The whole point of intonating is making sure the pressed note @12th is in tune, so that the remaining fretted notes are in tune across the string. I typically check all three - open, 12th harmonic, 12th fretted - when intonating, but as mentioned before, 12th harmonic and open would be the same based on physics. I kind of do it cuz tuners sometimes bounce around from the time the string is picked until where they ring out.
Agree with MichaelS that the pressed fret is what you will hear when playing. When you press behind the fret, you slightly stretch the string making it go sharp. Intonate while pressing the fret the same way you play, how hard and how far behind the fret makes a difference. You can see it on a good tuner.
