Half Pencil

[brass monkey]

Are you referring to the intonation adjusters? Cos they are for setting accurate octaves at fret 12.

[jkn]

To be pedantic, it's not as straightforward as getting a zero fret, as (at a finer level) the intonation depends on things like string diameter and material as well. You might also consider the change in tension wrought by fretting the string at a given fret ... the temperature, etc etc.

And then there's the whole issue of 'temperament' as well. You might look up the Buzz Feiten system, as well as 'earvana' nuts, for approaches to the issue.

I agree that guitar setup tools are expensive in the UK. For slotting my nuts (!) I too have used variations of a needle file, and a flattened hacksaw blade. Also useful as a poor man's set of nut files is a tip cleaner for welding guns:

The chinese versions of this are pretty poor but cheap (via eBay), the US ones better but more pricey. Still a lot cheaper than a set of StewMac nut files though. I've used these over & above a saw blade because it seems to me that having the bottom of the channel (half-)round must be A Good Idea.

HTH J^n

[spamlet]

Sounds like that maybe what they are called. Different weights/densites/tempers of string will require slightly different lengths to vibrate at the same pitch: assuming my physics isn't totally rusty here... Even on fret 12 you can still find if you ping it, you get a slightly different pitch than when you fret it: but if you lower thestring to reduce this, you get buzz instead... So many variables, it largely comes down to personal taste in the end, what feels right for the user. Each guitar has its own personality, and you can always find a tune or style that suits any particular one: I have one cheap rubbish kids one, with totally knackered strings, but held the right way it makes a nice banjo sound...

S

[Bren]

The intonation on the guitar is OK. That's one of the first things I checked. Guitars with a nut lock are usually fitted with a 'Floyd Rose' type vibrato. Mine has a bog standard old Fender type of vibrato. The frets are not worn at all but one or two seem a little high. That's another problem I will have to tackle but they are not in the lower part of the fretboard so are not the cause of the guitar playing out of tune comparing between open chords and fully fretted ones. The neck is very straight now after adjusting the truss rod and is not twisted. The fret ends were very sharp when I first got the guitar - so sharp that you could easily cut your hand by running it up the neck - but I have filed these down and they are very smooth now.

[Bren]

To be pedantic, it's not as straightforward as getting a zero fret, as (at a finer level) the intonation depends on things like string diameter and material as well. You might also consider the change in tension wrought by fretting the string at a given fret ... the temperature, etc etc.

And then there's the whole issue of 'temperament' as well. You might look up the Buzz Feiten system, as well as 'earvana' nuts, for approaches to the issue.

I agree that guitar setup tools are expensive in the UK. For slotting my nuts (!) I too have used variations of a needle file, and a flattened hacksaw blade. Also useful as a poor man's set of nut files is a tip cleaner for welding guns:

The chinese versions of this are pretty poor but cheap (via eBay), the US ones better but more pricey. Still a lot cheaper than a set of StewMac nut files though. I've used these over & above a saw blade because it seems to me that having the bottom of the channel (half-)round must be A Good Idea.

HTH J^n

That sounds like a good idea. I'll give them a try. Thanks for the tip (no pun intended ;) )