That's what lead my quest to find a tuner I can use on my board and also set intonation with. I could hear myself slightly out of pitch, but then not see it on the tuner. Took my guitar in to the shop and I got it intonation and it as off compared to how the guy there fixed it. I have some handheld desktop tuners (the regular korg guitar tuner thing), but I set intonation with it once and I just couldn't get as accurate as I wanted it. I don't think I've ever been happy with any of my multi-fx tuners. Plus, my rig is currently tuned by a digitech rp-255 multi-fx whenever I want to tune up LOL And I'm not too happy with that tuner. I was in fact considering just using a desktop tuner with my audio interface, but It's way farther away from my area at home where I work on my guitars. No problem, it's good to have this info for everyone available. As I said above, intonation's so infrequently done you might as well use the computer and DI for setups.Įdit: pardon the verbose response - I realize you probably know most if not all of this, but in case someone casually reads over this, I'd like to keep the entire explanation for posterity. I've been using that for both tuning and intonation for a while now. Thirdly, unless you're constantly experimenting with different string gauges or brands, if you stick to a brand and gauge set, once you've set it, it should hold until your next truss rod adjustment - if it doesn't, that means the bridge itself is of shoddy quality because the saddles are supposed to stay put (assuming the nut, as the other end of the equation, is also stable, not tilting slowly under the tension).įinally, if you have an audio interface, I'd suggest trying something like a desktop tuner (like AP tuner) and hooking your guitar up through it. Secondly, your intonation is generally something that should be checked and corrected at most every half a year as the seasons change and as you adjust the truss rod.

So anything that is precise up to a cent is okay, anything more precise than that probably means you're paying more than it's worth. Redo if necessary.First of all, most sources cite that the average human ear can't perceive less a difference of less than 5 cents. 7) Once all the strings are intonated, tighten the Phillips and double check each string for intonation.

The idea here is to get the both open and fretted notes at the 12th fret, to be exactly the same on all 6 strings. Move the saddle fork a little toward the pickups. If the needle shows to the left of the zero mark, the string is flat and the string length needs to be shortened.

6) Push the saddle back back into the clamp a little bit, effectively lengthening the string (7410 bass is opposite).

So if the string length needs to be longer…

5) If the string is sharp, or to the right of the mark, it needs to be made longer.

Barely loosen the Phillips just enough while keeping some clamp plate tension/grip so it won’t be necessary to re-tighten between re-tuning and re-tests. You’re now ready to move on to the next step.įYI: On all Kahler CAM systems, each saddle has a fork with a roller, the fork slides back and forth through the clamp plates. Note: If the needle is erratic, lower the neck pickup a bit. Left of zero means its flat…you want to shorten the string. If the needle goes to the right of zero, the string is sharp…you need it longer. You don’t want to stretch the string over the fret giving you a false reading. The tuner should read dead on zero because you just tuned it right?

3) Once tuned, lightly touch your finger on the small E string right over the 12th fret and strike it for a harmonic sound.

2) Tune your guitar to standard 440 tuning using an electronic guitar tuner.

1) Switch to the neck pickup and max out the volume.

A good quality electronic tuner will do just fine. But strobes are expensive and shelling out several hundred bucks to intonate a few guitars is not necessary unless you’re getting into the biz. You really need a visual reference, you need an electronic tuner or to get even a more precise intonation experience…a strobe tuner. By comparing the notes, you can determine if your intonation is out of whack or if it’s right on the money. The simplest test for correct intonation is to strike the harmonic at the 12th fret and then play the 12th fret. All you have to do is know a few rules of the road. Setting the intonation on your bridge is easy, especially if you have a Kahler CAM system. Proper intonation will assure that your guitar or bass plays perfectly up and down the fret board and plays in perfect tune at each fret, at least as best as possible since perfect intonation is physically impossible. 7 steps to proper intonation of a Kahler CAM system…

Strobe tuner for intonation