Finding The Correct Ways To Fixing Intonation And Reducing Buzz

by LongmanSex on Sunday, September 23, 2012

By Patrice McCoy


Music is one of the universal languages, which unties people. It is only the sudden variations which are not harmonic that need to be avoided. These may not be noticed by people who have no in depth knowledge of music and its mechanisms. They may not really know what to do either when faced with the problem of fixing intonation. Take a look at the actual procedure that must be adopted so that one could deal with the problem.

It is difficult to say what is going wrong when you hear distortions; it could be due a variety of reasons. Dirt in the nut or on the fret board and damaged strings could be one culprit. Damage to the frets may also cause serious disturbances. The neck bow that comes with time and bad weather could be another reason.

The intonation of the guitar is faulty if one could play a C chord that is right and then finds that the E minor is not sounding right. This could be because of any number of reasons. When you check the intonation, you sound the lower octave note on the instrument and then check to see whether the higher note is also following the same harmonics. If this happens for all the notes of a particular fret then we know that the fret is damaged.

Dirt also plays an important role in outputting the correct pitch. Presence of dirt on the tuning nut or the bridge could dampen the vibration and make the note sound flat. If the fret were damaged then the certain notes alone would sound off making the chord sound hideous. If the instrument is old then the neck itself could be having a bow and that cannot be remedied as easily.

Problems caused through improper bow orientation are almost uncorrectable. One could try to have better luck adjusting get truss rod and the bridge distance. The bow becomes distorted when left exposed to the elements. Bridge adjustments are easier to fix and simple if one knows what one is doing. Similarly, a Fender bridge is different from a Gibson bridge.

The first thing one could do is to replace the strings altogether with a new set. Sometimes it may happen that the new set remedies the problem altogether. Intonation now is easier to correct. Clean the guitar out thoroughly from stem to stern before you set sail again. The process is the same as that you would normally use when you are setting the tuning for the instrument.

Make the distance between the 12 fret and the bridge to be in a proper ratio. The bridge must be at twice the distance. Again, check the tuning to see that there are no distortions. Play at least for 10 minutes before you check the tuning again. The procedure is the same since we are only checking the tone and that is done in an identical manner.

If one is careful and does periodic checks on the instrument then one is sure to have years and years of unmitigated listening pleasure. Take adequate precautions are necessary since these would prevent damage of many kinds. Fixing intonation may become necessary when the instrument becomes old. Making sure that it is good condition helps you to produce music that is indeed a pleasure to listen to.




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