intonation problems

[alan1990]

I have an Ltd viper 400 with an earvana nut and have been running into some intonation problems while tunning to drop c. the g string is flat at the 12th fret but i cant adjust it any closer to the neck. The low E is sharp and like the other string there isn't any adjustment left.

as far as i know the truss rod ok i checked it by holding the 1st fret and the 17th fret and measuring the distance from the string to the 12th fret , it was about 2 mm.

any help would be amazing

 

[STINNETT]

I have an Ltd viper 400 with an earvana nut and have been running into some intonation problems while tunning to drop c. the g string is flat at the 12th fret but i cant adjust it any closer to the neck. The low E is sharp and like the other string there isn't any adjustment left.

as far as i know the truss rod ok i checked it by holding the 1st fret and the 17th fret and measuring the distance from the string to the 12th fret , it was about 2 mm.

any help would be amazing

2mm is typically way too much neck relief (especially checking at the 12th fret). 1/4 mm is more like it. You should try to get it closer to that if it doesn't buzz too bad.

How high is your action?

I would address that first and then see how the intonation was.

 

[alan1990]

allright I got it down to a little less then 1/2 mm, and it did help somewhat but it is still off a decent amount. My action is right about were esp says it should be 3/16ths on the high e and 1/4 on the low e.

 

[JBroll]

The reference I've always used is fretting the highest and lowest notes on the thickest string and shoving a playing card between the seventh fret and the string - if it barely slides under, it's set right.

Jeff

 

[STINNETT]

allright I got it down to a little less then 1/2 mm, and it did help somewhat but it is still off a decent amount. My action is right about were esp says it should be 3/16ths on the high e and 1/4 on the low e.

1/4"! How are you measuring that?

You might want the action a little higher than normal for low tunings, but something like .060 to .080" (1/16 to 3/32) might be a good starting place, measured at the 12th fret. 1/4" is insane.

 

[alan1990]

sorry about that i messed the measurement up its about 3/32nds on the high e and about 1/8in on the low e. That is the action mesurment not the neck relief sorry for the confusion. ill try and adjust it again then!

 

[STINNETT]

sorry about that i messed the measurement up its about 3/32nds on the high e and about 1/8in on the low e

That sounds better. Still a little high, but as long as you're comfortable.

Is it a tune-o-matic bridge? Is the Earvana nut factory installed? Have you changed string gauges or anything that brought about a change in the guitar's setup?

 

[Metaltastic]

It's the 24.75" scale length of the Viper neck dude, I had the same woes with my EC-400! It's way easier with my Ibanez cuz it's a 25.5" neck

 

[Fox Mulder]

http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com

 

[alan1990]

That sounds better. Still a little high, but as long as you're comfortable.

Is it a tune-o-matic bridge? Is the Earvana nut factory installed? Have you changed string gauges or anything that brought about a change in the guitar's setup?

Yes it is a tune-o-matic, and the earvana is factory.

 

[STINNETT]

You can sometimes get some additional travel by turning the saddle around in the bridge. Look at which way the angled side is facing now, and see if turning it around would help.

 

[Fox Mulder]

I have an Ltd viper 400 with an earvana nut and have been running into some intonation problems while tunning to drop c. the g string is flat at the 12th fret but i cant adjust it any closer to the neck. The low E is sharp and like the other string there isn't any adjustment left.

as far as i know the truss rod ok i checked it by holding the 1st fret and the 17th fret and measuring the distance from the string to the 12th fret , it was about 2 mm.

any help would be amazing

Please try changing your string gauge.
If there isn't anymore scope of adjustment left, increasing your string gauges would be the only option left.
Drop C? I suppose 12 would save the day.
Simple

 

[mr.L.]

You can sometimes get some additional travel by turning the saddle around in the bridge. Look at which way the angled side is facing now, and see if turning it around would help.

+1 This has helped me with several guitars in the past. I really wonder why they don't make these type of bridges with a little more room for adjustment

 

[alan1990]

Flipping the piece around helped with the g string, but for the e string flipping it would only make it worse. I will have to try thicker string on the low e though im running a 54 i believe right now what would you guys suggest???

 

[Metaltastic]

I don't think going any thicker will remedy your intonation problems, but I may be wrong...either way, I wouldn't want any thicker than a .56 for a low C, but I know many here will disagree (still, a .56 at C is pretty much the tension of a .46 at E, which is how I look at it, though I personally prefer a .54)

 

[mr.L.]

Thicker strings will definitely help a bit and personally I don't think it's so bad on the low strings as far as playability. I don't know if .056 will get you there, but I would try that first. I had a flying V where I needed to go even thicker to drop down to C. It did sound and play pretty good in the end. So try it out, but don't go much thicker than you need as too much tension might make it hard to play and in the long run might screw up your neck.

 

[JBroll]

No, there's not much risk of high tension screwing a good neck over - I have a guitar that's been sitting around with 25-30 pounds of tension per string, and it still plays just fine. Also, if you're tuning low you *need* to go thicker than a 56 eventually - the size of the string is only a small part of the tension relationship.

Jeff

 

[STINNETT]

I wouldn't hesitate to use a 56 for C tuning, or even larger. It should help a little with intonation, although depending on how far out it is - it may not be enough.

 

[alan1990]

thanks for all the reply's guys. the string isnt very far off and id rather spend $1 on a string before I sell my guitar. so it looks like im off to grab a .56 gauge string!

 

[mr.L.]

In that case changing strings will probably fix your problem and in my experience thick and tight bottom strings are pretty easy to get adjusted to.