Do you intonate your guitar in standard tuning, even thought you play a half step down.

Marshall Law

Marshall Law

Well-known member
Do you intonate your guitar in standard tuning, even thought you play a half step down.
I've done both doesn't seem to matter, just curious what you think. I use an old Conn Strobo tuner that Peterson went through about 3 years ago.
 
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Good question.. The answer, I don't know..
I just checked mine last night with some new strings, and made a couple adjustments coincidentally..
 
What? I need someone to explain how this would be a thing.

Isn't intonation all about the distance?

I might be naive to think that the intonation can't change somehow magically when the pitch changes. What could happen? It's all about the note being in tune the same up and down the neck. Am I missing something?

Pitch is only faster, or slower, string vibration, like a jumprope, and if the intonation is good at the 12th fret, the halfway point, the pitch shouldn't matter.
 
I intonate for each tuning… unless I drop tune for fun for a few hours. I check intonation anytime I adjust the neck or bridge. I’m not obsessing over it though.
 
I never tune down except for drop D every once in a while now.

If it isn't heavy in standard, it isnt heavy.

That being said, when I was into old school death metal and played B to B, I intonated to the same tuning.
 
Markedman said:
What? I need someone to explain how this would be a thing.

Isn't intonation all about the distance?

I might be naive to think that the intonation can't change somehow magically when the pitch changes. What could happen? It's all about the note being in tune the same up and down the neck. Am I missing something?

Pitch is only faster, or slower, string vibration, like a jumprope, and if the intonation is good at the 12th fret, the halfway point, the pitch shouldn't matter.
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Ahh... but any time you tune down or the individual strings differently from your usual, say, standard tuning, the neck relief changes due to the new tension/s, i.e: you're bending a plank more or less than previously.

Now of course those critical distances you spoke of have become altered.
 
All my guitars are intonated for standard tuning. I’ve never had an issue when tuning down 1/2 step although these days it’s by way of a Digitech Drop pedal so that’s a different animal. If I were to dedicate a guitar to 1/2 step down tuning I would probably re-intonate it.
 
If you’ve got a guitar that lives it’s life tuned 1/2 step down, I’d say set intonation on that guitar 1/2 step down.

While I totally agree that intonation boils down to distance, so it really shouldn’t matter, I have also found that as your strings start to go dead, intonation can start to go way out. Also, I have found that swapping a guitar that is intonated dead-nuts with 9s to 10s frequently requires a nudge of one way or the other on a couple of strings. Probably a difference that isn’t noticeable by ear, but would show up on a strobe. So I do think absolute tension at the pitch you use to intonation has something to do with it - even if only a very little.
 
The more accurate the tuner, the easier and quicker the whole process becomes. Cheaper tuners with pitch detection of merely +/- 1 cent just don’t cut it for professional results though they’re fine for strictly tuning, assuming its already been intonated with a higher quality strobe type tuner. I’m super picky regarding intonation and will always reintonate for the intended tuning.
 
Markedman said:
No, it doesn't. It can't.
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w/a Trem yes it can.
Additionally ive had intonation change from alot of things including temp & humidity changes even w/o a trem.
Fire away but you'll never change my experiences.
But i play with .011 to .056 strings.
You boys with baby whimpy strings maybe not, YMMV
 
The lower the tuning, the thicker the gauge of string, and if you’re on a 25.5 or less scale, there’s increased importance on quality tuners to get the intonation correct.

I intonate at the tuning I prefer. Either standard or Eb.
 
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