bazron - Posted - 01/27/2012:  16:52:14

so over the past 2 or 3 days ive been playing around with the bride trying to get the middle g in tune at the 12th fret no matter how precise i set the bridge

the 12th fret seems out of tune. its flat. all the others are close to fine.



any ideas as to what it might be??

steve davis - Posted - 01/27/2012:  17:13:23

Compare the 12th fret harmonic 3rd string with the 12th fret fretted 3rd string.
If the fretted string is sharp to the harmonic,move the bridge toward the tailpiece until they agree.

If the fretted note is flat to the 12th fret harmonic,move the bridge toward the neck.

derwood400 - Posted - 01/27/2012:  17:17:23

Are all the strings flat at the 12th fret or just the 'G' string (the third string is the one I assume you are referring to as the middle G) ?  If they are all flat you need to move the bridge farther from the tailpiece (move it toward the nut.  I'm guessing you know to measure from the nut to the 12th fret and then place the bridge that distance from the 12th fret.  This will get you pretty close, but then you need to fine tune it.  Chances are you might get all the strings close, but that G string might give you a bit of trouble.  You will likely have to angle the bridge a bit just to kind of get the best average out of all the strings.  Due to a number of reasons you might have a string that you can't get close no matter what you do.  This is where a compensated bridge will help.  I'm not very good at explaining this stuff in writing.  But there are some on here who are very good at it, and hopefully some of them will be around to explain it better.  Until then, I hope this helps you get a bit closer.

bazron - Posted - 01/27/2012:  17:28:50

just the g string is flat. ill try the harmonic thing too. i was just comparing open string to fretted string on the 12th.

Edited by - bazron on 01/27/2012 17:29:34

steve davis - Posted - 01/27/2012:  17:33:06

That's the same thing.
You can't get the bridge in the right place to get those to agree?
If you move the bridge near enough toward the neck,the fretted 12th frt note will become sharp to the open comparison.
The answer is somewhere between.

bazron - Posted - 01/27/2012:  17:42:57

Thanx guys I've got it pretty close to where I'm happy with it now.

i just angled the bridge slightly and seemed to fix it. i never would of thought to angle it.

scooter46 - Posted - 01/27/2012:  18:06:19

A lot of times you have to put the bridge on a slight angle.