Intonation problem, i really need some help

Hey guys, It's me again with my crazy expensive guitar that won't really tune that well...
I had it looked at by a pro instrument maker, he did a fix for the nut which was too high, and he told me that there was nothing wrong with the instrument, but im not really buying it...
I think the problems lies in the intonation but im not sure. The guitar intonation is 100% correct from the 12 fret. Dead on accuracy on all the strings, but when i fret lower than 12 fret notes some of them seem to go flat. If i then pull the intonation screws back it sounds better playing those behind the 12 fret notes, but then it don't sound good when i get past the 12 fret, they then sound sharp ofcourse....

What is causing this?
Please, every advice i good for me! I feel like i wasted 4000 dollars :(

I would post in the Ask a Guitar Tech form. From what I've read in there the guy knows his stuff.

Problem is he isn't a "full access" user. Otherwise, yeah, he's the guy to ask for sure!!

Good point maggior.

caponi14,

The best thing I can think of is hand it to a friend who plays. Listen to them play it for a for a few minutes, ask them what they think. Then take it to a Luther, ask if you can show him what you are talking about and the frets on the neck this happens up. Like any skill there are simply some people who are better at it than others. If the person you took it to could not fix it and the problem is still there. You have to find someone with better skills.

Yeah, but i might found some clue to whats wrong. Pretty much the only thing i have not tried yet is the truss rod. And a reliable man said to me that the strings were very high off the fret board and that the warp on the neck was too much. So im gonna try to make an truss rod adjustment and see.

Hey Casper, I think if you've got a truss rod problem it's even more important to take Haghj's advice and see another luther. Unless of course you've got a lot of experience in truss rod adjustment - but often it's a job for a specialist. Sorry to hear about all the trouble you've been having with your guitar. Good luck with it, Steve

caponi14,

Because you don't have full access, you might not know this, but Steve who just posted is the Tech maggior and I am talking about.

I do not know your skill level, but if I just dropped $4,000.00 on a guitar, I would seek a pro and spend a little more to make it sing like it should.

I hope you post how this all turns out. Good luck !!

Hi Haghj and Casper,
Just to mention - although I'd love the promotion, I'm not the resident tech at GT - that's the esteemed Steve White! I'm just an ordinary guitar fan and GT member. But I just happen to know (as you do too, Haghj) that you shouldn't mess around with 4000-dollar instruments!
Anyway, best wishes to you guys,
Steve (Barrow)

Wow, that's an open mouth insert foot moment. Thank you Steve who just replied above. Hehe....

Originally Posted by: haghj500caponi14,

Because you don't have full access, you might not know this, but Steve who just posted is the Tech maggior and I am talking about.

I do not know your skill level, but if I just dropped $4,000.00 on a guitar, I would seek a pro and spend a little more to make it sing like it should.

I hope you post how this all turns out. Good luck !!

If you didn't notice the strings being to high and the neck being warped,how can you make a truss rod adjustment
Without knowing which way the neck is warped.
.if you really want to make the adjustment, go wacth some ,how to videos on youtube. Its more then just turning the rod. Goodluck to ya. Btw maggior has some mad skills,which we all can learn from. Show him some respect....

Axe, as far as I could see nobody was directing anything negative to me...there was just some confusion as to which Steve was the Guitar Tech on this forum. Stephen WHITE is the guy, but you can only access his forum if you are a full (i.e. paying) member.

Thanks for sticking up for me though!!! :-).

If when you purchased the guitar, the shop you bought it at didn't do a "set-up" you will need to find a competent tech to do a full professional set-up. This includes checking the relief on the neck (that is controlled by the truss rod), checking the frets to make sure you have none higher than the other, or loose frets , setting the action, checking the nut for proper height of the strings, and adjusting the bridge for the correct intonation !!! All of these things when correct will give you a really fine playing, and sounding guitar that you will love playing. Do yourself a favor and have that done to your new expensive guitar as soon as possible, and you will be glad you did !!!

Originally Posted by: maggiorAxe, as far as I could see nobody was directing anything negative to me...there was just some confusion as to which Steve was the Guitar Tech on this forum. Stephen WHITE is the guy, but you can only access his forum if you are a full (i.e. paying) member.

Thanks for sticking up for me though!!! :-).

Thats one reason i hate reading posts or writing them,they can be misunderstood. My bad. Maggior.
How you doin.

Doin' great man!!! No harm done Axe2!! :-). At least I know if the sh1t comes down, you got my back!!

another thing to keep in mind is that even when a guitar is set up perfectly, you're always going to have notes that are a little bit flat or sharp. The guitar is not set up in a way where it can be tuned perfectly. Anders goes into this in one of his lessons. I'd ask him.