This bridge has a little more travel and it generally intonates without any saddle-flipping. Gibson tried to address the issue by introducing the Nashville tun-o-matic bridge. By flipping the saddles, you can get a tiny bit more compensation before the saddle hits the back of the bridge. This is to make up for the fact that there is insufficient travel on the intonation adjustment screws to get these strings to properly compensate. Usually, you can look at an ABR bridge and see that two or three bass-side saddles are installed ‘backwards’ (with the sloped or angled side pointing towards the neck). While there are any number of slight variations, there are two types of bridge fitted to most Gibson electrics. It might be helpful if I expand a little on the bridges themselves. The big quirk on these bridges is the reversed saddles. It's a pain but it's occasionally required. And, as a last resort, you can have the original holes plugged and the bridge re-mounted. There are also some after-market tun-o-matic bridges that are wider and might allow extra travel if you can find one. If you bought it new you can try warranty service.
Sometimes, the bridge is just in the wrong place (seriously-it happens) and, even if you flip saddles, there isn't enough travel to intonate. The saddle flipping trick outlined below might help.Įvery now and then, you might come across a Gibson that just will not intonate. Since the tun-o-matic bridges are generally relatively narrow, this gives them a ‘head start’ in the compensation game but sometimes it's not enough. You can see that the Gibson bridge is installed at an angle-farther back on the bass side-in a similar manner to an acoustic guitar. If you’ve problems intonating your 8-gauge strings, you might have to flip saddles or move bridges (see below). Lighter gauge strings can require more overall compensation. This can be a bit tricky-drop your bridge pickup down a little if it helps get to the screws and be careful not to scratch or dent the pickup.īecause the tun-o-matic is pretty narrow, and there’s not a lot of back/forward movement possible, Gibsons may be less forgiving to certain string gauges.
Occasionally, though, you might find a guitar with the bridge reversed-the adjustment screws are accessed from the front. Usually, the adjustment screws are accessed from the back of the bridge. If the 12th fret note is sharp, move the saddle back a little by turning the screw. You'll usually want a small, flat-bladed screwdriver for this. If the 12th fret note is flat, move the saddle forward a little by turning the adjustment screw. Compare it to the open string-is it flat or sharp? Pick the open string and verify it’s in tune.įret at the 12th fret and pick this note.
not lying on a table or counter but upright as if you were playing it). Remember, too, always check intonation and tuning with the guitar in the playing position (i.e. You should have fresh strings (of your usual gauge and brand) installed, properly stretched, and tuned up as normal. Intonation is the last thing to set so get your action, relief, nut and pickups sorted out first. The rest of your setup must be right for you before you start. Use an appropriately sized screwdriver (usually a small-medium flat-blade) HOW TO SET INTONATION ON A GIBSON TUN-O-MATICįirst up, though, let’s recap the prerequisites. Try not to damage your strings, your guitar top or the screw itself. The adjustment screws can be a bit fiddly to access so be careful. If you've got a wraparound-style tailpiece bridge, check out that article. This is what's generally installed across a huge swath of the Gibson range and it's almost certainly what's installed on your Les Paul, SG, Firebird, Explorer, 335, etc., etc. There are a couple of styles of tun-o-matic but the basic operation is the same. OK, on this one, we're assuming you have a Tun-O-Matic bridge.
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