Acoustic Bass Guitar Saddle Slot & Intonation??

Talk about musical instrument construction, setup and repair.

Moderators: kiwigeo, Jeremy D

Post Reply
User avatar
Clancy
Blackwood
Posts: 620
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:26 am
Location: Canberra

Acoustic Bass Guitar Saddle Slot & Intonation??

Post by Clancy » Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:47 pm

Am getting close to finishing this big beastie and need some final info from those who know.

34" scale, 4 string ABG.

What angle is the saddle slot for general intonation across the strings?
And how much extra did you add to the scale for saddle/bridge placement?

I'm planning on using a thick saddle to accomodate any corrections required.

Cheers & Thanks
Craig
I'm not the sharpest tool in my shed

johnparchem
Blackwood
Posts: 546
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 2:59 am
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: Acoustic Bass Guitar Saddle Slot & Intonation??

Post by johnparchem » Mon Mar 20, 2017 3:23 pm

I went to look at what I did for an acoustic bass, until I remembered I made a fretless bass.

User avatar
Clancy
Blackwood
Posts: 620
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:26 am
Location: Canberra

Re: Acoustic Bass Guitar Saddle Slot & Intonation??

Post by Clancy » Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:08 pm

:lol: :lol:
Craig
I'm not the sharpest tool in my shed

User avatar
TallDad71
Blackwood
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2017 6:20 am
Contact:

Re: Acoustic Bass Guitar Saddle Slot & Intonation??

Post by TallDad71 » Mon Mar 20, 2017 7:58 pm

Here is an online calculator that might help.

Assuming the results are close a nice thick bridge will certainly help you fine tune the intonation

http://www.liutaiomottola.com/formulae/ ... ocId165141
Alan
Peregrine Guitars

User avatar
Trevor Gore
Blackwood
Posts: 1605
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:11 pm

Re: Acoustic Bass Guitar Saddle Slot & Intonation??

Post by Trevor Gore » Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:20 am

It sounds about the right time to build a string test rig, Craig. For a rudimentary one, all you need is a plank, a tuner, a nut, a 12th fret and an adjustable saddle. Mimic the tuner-nut and saddle-"bridge pin" (or whatever way you terminate at that end) distances so they are similar to those on the guitar.

garryalb
Myrtle
Posts: 53
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2008 3:31 pm

Re: Acoustic Bass Guitar Saddle Slot & Intonation??

Post by garryalb » Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:36 am

Hi Clancy,

On a 34" scale roughly 2mm on the G and 8mm for the E will be close for most strings, the A and D may be slightly in front of a straight line between these points. The thick strings will need some help to form a bend at the saddle, once at pitch gently push down on the string in front of the saddle while holding it down behind (I use the end of a stick to hold the rear down and the side of a stick in front to avoid kinks). Similar bend forming should be done at the nut and where the string leaves the machine head.

Looking forward to the photos.

Garry.

User avatar
Clancy
Blackwood
Posts: 620
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:26 am
Location: Canberra

Re: Acoustic Bass Guitar Saddle Slot & Intonation??

Post by Clancy » Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:46 am

Thanks everyone for the replies.
This build has been dogging me for over 2 years, I'll be glad to see it go out the door!
Craig
I'm not the sharpest tool in my shed

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google and 112 guests