Gibson Guitar Intonation

Adjusting the Gibson Guitar Intonation

In order to truly master your instrument, you need to know it well. The guitar has various such facets which need to be understood thoroughly before you can actually start playing. The tuning and the intonation are two very important factors that determine a guitar's playability. The more comfortably you play the better music you create. If you own a Gibson Les Paul, you need to have sufficient knowledge of adjusting the Gibson guitar intonation.

Due to the fact that the process of proper intonation can sometimes prove to be very difficult and cumbersome, some players just avoid it. They play the instrument as it is and do not even bother to perform the necessary repairs. However, once you play a truly intoned guitar, you're sure to appreciate it big time. The chord and the tones appear far richer and there is absolutely no dissonance or disharmony in the notes created. The process of adjusting the intonation is therefore worth it.

If you have a Gibson guitar make sure to adjust the action before you venture into intonation. The neck of the guitar and the height of the strings need to be adjusted before you begin intonation. Ideally we would want every open note of any string to sound exactly like the 12th fret. In order to do this, an electric tuner or a strobe tuner could come in handy. Play the open note repeatedly till it is tuned and then play the 12th fret. The tuner then compares the two. If your string sounds flat then you need to move the saddle towards the neck, if its too sharp then you might have to move it away from the neck and so on. The adjustments required are sometimes too fine, so you need to be careful while tightening the screws. Once its done, continue the same process with the other strings in order to complete the process.

If you own a Gibson Robot guitar then adjusting the Gibson guitar intonation becomes relatively simple. These highly advanced instruments are equipped with an automated intonation function. Through a series of simple steps the guitar itself guides you through the intonation process to perfection.