I really need some help...PLEASE

[ZzZzZiggy]

Hello good people,

I found your wonderful site the other day and i just had a technical question.
This has been bugging me for a while now and i haven't managed to fix it by any means. I have an electroacoustic guitar ( pretty cheap one i might add). My problem is that certain strings ( the B, G, and A strings ) sound too sharp (sometimes even 15-20 cent sharp) when i play them all across the neck, even though the open strings are in tune. I have done the following to try and fix it:
-changed string gauge
-filed down original non-compensated saddle
-tightened truss rod
-filed the nut slots so that they are at an angle
-filed down compensated saddle

NOTHING WORKED!!! The frets don't seem to have a problem, the action is really good now and the strings are 0.11 strings if that helps. And what's even stranger is that when i adjusted the nut slots everything seemed almost perfect after..but a few hours later THE PROBLEM WAS BACK ...So PLEASE PLEASE tell me what i could do to fix this. I don't even feel like playing guitar anymore because of this.

[FRANK]

the Guitar is a equal temperament instrument look it up anyway same problem here I asked Frank he told me some company's are moving the nut closer to the frets by .030 sometimes and to use the Buzz F tuning system uh I guess this is effecting other people with perfect pitch I don't so I have a Harder time distinguishing it but I had a Customer the other day say to me his piano player says to sharp like a half step sharp so I strobe d it and sure enough when it was in tune and intonation at the 12 th and the 19th fret then was playing 10th cents sharp ? when playing in the second position playing an A or an F# was almost G second fret position so I asked him are you capoing up he says yes I asked where he says at the second position so I told him to Capo at the first instead of the second fret .so I am sorry I don't have the Answer But Dont Give Up Guitar Maby get into Synth Guitars instead and Go wild ? or maby just maby the nut can be filed .to enable a lighter touch on the string .but sometimes as a Luthier we are at the mercy of the Builder and what there design is a Key note (cheap guitar) and not completely planed and executed by one person although I could be wrong just an opinion

[Jim Ingraham]

I use 11's on my guitar. I had a problem getting in tone, instead fo tuning it at 440 hz. I went down to 336hz. believe it or not string tension has a lot to do with intonation. I am regarding to a Gibson Melody Maker (08). It depends on the scale of your guitar as well as the manufacturers poundage of string required. You can usually find this on the back of the string pack.

You mentioned that the frets seemed okay, have you set a straight edge across the length of the neck? If not buy a 18" ruler
(make it two) set it on top of your frets mark it, then notch the ruler. This allows you to make sure that the neck is dead on. Once you have checked that, you want to check your frets with the un-notched ruler, this is relatively easy work.

By what I see behind you in the picture you have a lot of maintenance work going on constantly. No two guitars are the same, even if they are made by the same manufacturer. I hope this will help you with the intonation problem as well as any thing else that will arise. good Luck, Jim

[Bill Rogers]

Basically it's in the nature of fretted instruments. You have to reach the best tempered compromise you can. Strings tuned to pitch open will never match precisely at all the frets. It's the nature of the beast. I suspect someone more steeped in the musical reasons for this will chime in.

[Jim Bancroft]

Apparently then strings E, D, and E are fine. If that is the case the saddle needs to be compensated on the strings that are sharp. You would need to carve the saddle so the strings break from the rear of the saddle.

Intonation is checked at the 12th fret. With an electronic tuner tune string to pitch, Now fret it at the 12th fret, it should be the same, if the intonation is correct. If it's flat you need to move the string to the front edge of saddle, if it's sharp it's needs moving back.
You can also check intonation by ear. Play the harmonic at the 12th fret, now fret it at the 12th fret and see if it's the same as the harmonic.
If the intonation cannot be corrected at the saddle then either the saddle slot needs to be moved on the bridge, if possible, or the bridge needs to be moved.
You need to realize that guitar intonation is very seldom perfect everywhere on the fingerboard, but it's close enough that it's normally not a problem.

Also, if your saddle and or bridge was misplaced when the guitar was constructed, all the strings should be sharp(in your case) or they could all be flat if the bridge/ saddle was placed too far back on the top.

Jim

[Len Biglin]

Hey Ziggy , thre's something simple that a lot of people don't know, you need to stretch your strings, tune it up then pull up on each string about 3/4" off the board , let it go and stretch again do it a few times on each string and they will stop stretching and stay tuned .This may not be your problem but its worth knowing. Also if you hold a string down between2dd &3rd fret it should be so close to touching the first fret that u cant tell without tapping it , otherwise your first few frets will sound sharp.It's buyer beware on cheap guitars, Len