I worked on guitars for 17 years in a music shop and there is info on here I never knew. Checked the intonation on my 1974 Martin D-18 and it's sharp in exactly where this video said it would be: low E and B. Can't wait to fix this! I'll just bear in mind the advice I got from an old friend who did trim work in houses. He told me you have to have the mind of a turtle to do what he does. Some things just can't be rushed! John obviously has the mind of a turtle, and that's a good thing for working on instruments.

@rawhideleather

8 жыл бұрын

+knopflerado That's scary!

Wow. I'm never going to attempt this. Shows how set-up techs are totally worth the money!

@MasterYoshidino

4 жыл бұрын

Thankfully saddles are cheap but it looks like a big hassle compared to tweaking screws on an electric guitar.

Nice John. After teaching courses on Guitar Repair and Design for 22 years, up here in Canada; I can see why you have been so successful as a teacher. Well-paced lesson. Ignore the trolls .... Good job ! Congrats . MMcC

@davidberry4992

4 жыл бұрын

My question is how long would it take him to do what he did in the video if he wasn't making a video? I understand why he made the video, but if he were alone working on this guitar, would it be 30-minutes setup...longer? Shorter? Seems very complicated and as much an art as it is a science!

High action might mean your truss rod needs adjusting, or that the strings sit too high in the nut, or that the saddle is too high ... or a combination of all three. A professional tech can identify where the problem is and deal with it. Once the action is right and the guitar plays the way you want it, then you can intonate the saddle. Intonation is really the final step in the setup process. Hope this helps! -- PG staff

I wish they would have showed "the fine tuning" of the saddle, on how to correct for intonation. If the fretted 12th is sharp, do what? If the the fretted 12th is flat, do what? That is an important step IMO.

@1allstarman

5 жыл бұрын

There is only two choices ! I believe if the string is sharp you need to lenghthen the span , if it is flat you need to shorten the span !

@stevelaferney3579

5 жыл бұрын

Yep. That’s what you do with the saddle.

@griffox

5 жыл бұрын

@@1allstarman If it's flat, you start over with a new saddle blank, I guess.

@1allstarman

5 жыл бұрын

@@griffox I should have explained myself better as I was referring to whether or not the string sounded sharp at the 12th fret as compared to playing the same string in the open position . This is how most people determine whether or not a guitar is intonated properly , although in reality there are other factors and this is not always the case as there could still be problems with "sharping" , or the string playing sharp when the same string is depressed at the first fret even if the note at the open nut and the depressed twelfth fret are the same ( only one octave higher at # 12 fret ) . So lets say we are talking about the B-string. If you tune the B string to a b note when it is open , and then get a sharper note ( more than an octave above the open position ) when you depress the string at the twelfth fret , ( providing of course your action is not too high ) then you would need to lengthen the string by beveling the nut side of the saddle away from the nut towards the bridge pins , in essence lengthening the string .If you look closely at the saddle of most guitars nowadays they come pre adjusted to get an idea what I mean .

@griffox

5 жыл бұрын

@@1allstarman I get that. I know what intonation is on a guitar. And I understand how to fix a sharp note at the 12th fret. The question asked was what if it's flat. My point was that if you've taken too much off and the 12th fret is flat you need to shorten the string, but you can't add the amount you sanded off back. My comment about starting over was more of a joke.

John LeVan explaining the techniques and method used to first 'mark-out' then file the saddle by hand to make it possible to set the intonation. Now you can tune your acoustic guitar. Priceless. Best explanation of this important component of a guitar.

Great video and walk through. I've had John work on 4 of my guitars so far, and bar none, he's the best Guitar Tech I've ever met. Truly a student of his craft. For anyone who's local to Nashville, he's relocated his shop to Thompson Station. Great guy, and amazing expertise.

@murrmac

5 жыл бұрын

I assume you have never been in Joe Glaser's shop.

This is Premier Guitar's best video. A must watch for any player who cares about their instrument.

This is one of the best videos on guitar setup. There are other videos out there by guys calling themselves luthiers, offering terrible advice on guitar setup.. They're idiots, not luthiers.

@songbyrdsings1

5 жыл бұрын

Yes it was a very clear and concise explanation. Well Done!

What a fantastic demonstration. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.

Finally, a thorough step-by-step guide to setup an acoustic guitar. Thanks for posting! For those who want to follow written instructions you can find it at in the April 2012 edition of Premier Guitar for free on their website. Click 'Digital Edition' and find the article "DIY: Setting Acoustic Intonation".

Thanks for this! It's the best and most-thorough exposition on this subject I've ever seen. Also, Mr LeVan's clearly a natural teacher who's clearly mastered his craft to the point at which it's an art. Please continue to draw from his vast experience and knowledge in the future!

This guy is a true craftsman.

Thank you for taking the time to demonstrate this procedure. It was highly informative and will help me a great deal in setting-up both my acoustic guitars.

That's some beautiful work you're doing there. Not sure everybody takes all the care that you put into the job..

@randolphpatterson5061

6 жыл бұрын

He's really thorough, isn't he? But there are quite a few who go to all the same extremes, because it's the best way to ensure consistently-accurate results. Of course, it depends a lot on the instrument and it's intended use, and you may not need to be this exacting if your guitar's action is in rough shape and you just want to make it a bit better & save some bucks by doing it yourself. This video can be a handy reference for you, to gauge the extent the of the accuracy that your own needs call for.

for those who's on metric system - 7/64 inches is 2,8 mm and 4/64 inches is 1,6 mm. 1/64 inch is 0,4 mm, 2/64 is 0,8 mm

@STRUMMERBOY1975

4 жыл бұрын

Yes.... Good of you to mention it !! :)

@Za7a7aZ

4 жыл бұрын

Yes..thank you so very much... I was already about to panic.

@RagingBadger

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this, I have no idea how Americans deal with imperial! Imperial: 6 83rds to the 22nd of a inch, what you want is 9 43rds to the 88th instead. Metric: you want 2.2mm instead of 2.8

I WANT THAT GIANT MAGNIFYING GLASS!!! Will definitely make this type of work easier. Great video!! Especially shaping the saddle.I would have appreciated his giving us what measurements where he said "This is perfect and doesn't need anything" and left it at that. One more thing, when he gives his ideal measurements at the 12th fret, remember, this is NOT for every type of guitar or player. This is for a Taylor 914 (the last digit, 4, indicates a "Grand Concert", which is a nice compromise between a Concert and Dreadnaught. His measurements indicate to me this is probably for a fingerstyle player. Someone strumming rhythm on a Dreadnaught would definitely want higher action at the 12th fret. I actually like that little bit of buzz, but not everyone does. Most companies give a starting point for the important numbers, but then you must make changes to reflect your style. And you will often go back and forth between the nut and saddle!! So if you plan to bring the saddle down a lot, and you are also making a new nut, don't go too low, especially on those old Japanese imports that sound really good, but wind up needing a neck reset or the bridge lifts, and since the used epoxy, most of us live with a little high action rather than kill ourselves or our tech trying to get the damn thing off!! Thanks for the great video!!! John Levan also has a good setup book out from a few years ago, Guitar Setup, Maintenance, & Repair, (Mel Bay). Goes well with the Dan Erlewine book, The Guitar Player Repair Guide. If you have never done these things, grab some cheap yard sale guitars!!!! Broken or working....doesn't matter!! Especially for fret work....get anything to get used to doing it. I screwed up a really good guitar, snd had to have my repair guy fix what should have been a cheap job!!! (fretwork)....So if you have a GREAT guitar, don't jump into repair on that one!!!

It's a pleasure to watch him work

If that were my guitar, and having watched this video, I would be so super pleased with the attention to detail you have given it. And also, even though I am not interested in doing the work myself, I have learned a lot as when my guitars may need work and what needs to be done.

Touché. You got me with that well thought out and articulate argument. Clearly you are an intellectual giant of the highest order.

This is a cool video. I had no idea how much hand-working was involved in setting up my acoustic. It's always good to watch a pro who has done it for years.

This is one of the best videos Ive seen on the subject so far! Thanks for the clear explanations, good camera work and decent lighting! BTW~ Every Taylor I have encountered was not set up right, I wish you had strummed a few chords with her all dialed in, or maybe even a before/after, I suspect lowering the action might decrease volume, but correct intonation would really open the voice! Bravo!

Watched this a few years ago and I gotta say, that trick of pushing the string in fist to pull the pins works brilliantly! Never had to use any sort of tools to pull my pins and it keeps my bridge free from marring. Just started watching again as I need to adjust the action and possibly intonation now.

Thanks, excellent tutorial! I am getting ready to make a few saddles from blanks for my guitars and this video is my guide. Appreciate the sharing of your expertise sir!

Bless you John. Outstanding tutorial.

Excellent tutorial. Much in detail.

Andy, you're using a Ryobi Tec 4 power screwdriver! I have been telling other techs and luthiers about the Tec 4 for years. I had two on my benches for 3 years now. Best rechargeable, clutched string winder I've found. Kudos!

Thank you for presenting that so well. Very Informative! Just wish they played that beautiful guitar in the end and got to hear how it sounds.

Thanks for your help! I have two acoustics that need my tender loving care and I will be working on them this week.

Well narrated and informative

Thank you for a very well done and informative video !

thank you for this video! i'm only on 7 minutes, but i really like your explanations and clarity. i've just bought a second hand guitar from the '70s, and i like the build and sound, but the intonation is out and i want to lower the action by half. i never knew it was possible to affect the intonation! using this diy to set up my new baby the way i want it. many thanks for your efforts.

Excellent work and presentation !!! I own 6 Greek bouzouki that was all special order hand made , each cost me about $ 3000 to $ 5000 dollars !!! And I watch two luthiers how they build them up ....and I know and understand how they work on the instruments and how they work up to last detail...to give to the instruments all the PERSONAL CARE NEEDED !!!

Wow this was a great informational video I learned so much! Thank you for making it. I wish the measurements of the other strings in between low and high E were called out just to give an idea of their height but besides that I loved this video. Awesome, awesome.

If you have a a Chinese guitar copy or any cheap guitar and you want to set up the intonation a 1st step as a rough in is to measure from the Nut to the 12 fret for example say its 12.5 inch. Then measure 12.5 to your NEW BLANK NUT an MARK IT Right there. I have done tons of intonations this way and it usually is pretty on the mark fora start. Then you can fine tune it with the strings at tension. Note use NEW strings guys. If you are setting up a guitar I find it best to use what you are going to put on the guitar. This goes for Acoustic, Electric, Bass, Cello, Violin. John LeVan is amazing and his video here is exceptional. I just wanted to add a few extra points to help you ROUGH IN with accuracy. Cheers Patrick

@rawhideleather

8 жыл бұрын

+Patrick Boshell "Then measure 12.5 to your NEW BLANK NUT" I believe you meant NEW BLANK SADDLE didn't you?

@charlesdjones1

5 жыл бұрын

I have a Mitchell MD100, I managed to get the knut, action, and neck adjusted, but the D is still flat, I tried sanding off the back of the bridge some, so far no luck. I did manage to get the G in perfect intonation doing the same thing.

This is the very best and detailed video's i have ever seen on youtube, thank you very much ... i have a taylor and it is a very nice instrument, i did some of what u did when i bought it new, but i may have missed a few things that u included in this video ... thank you very much. ... Awesome video.

This helped me out tremendously! Many Thanks!

Great video with good info--thanks!

Great skillset young man. For old eyes things move real fast but I have replay. Thank you soo very much...

At the end he mentions having to move intonation back a bit for several strings. But with the 12th fret action all ready at 4/64ths and 5/64ths, that will drop action lower and you risk lowering to the point of buzzing and or getting certain string heights too low at bridge. I am thinking luthiers might set up saddle height a bit high and intonation tiny bit sharp knowing they will sand down the saddle height from the bottom as last step to get right action height and that will correct the final fine tuning of intonation. Personally, I can live with a "flat" B string versus a "sharp" B string, they are both a problem, but sharp B string really bothers my ears. I think for us who do not do this everyday, we take it slow and keep the action a bit high knowing we can always go back to tweek it later, but once you take too much saddle away, you risk having to start from scratch all over again or have to shim it up to right height which is not my preference.

Relief: 12 thousandths of an inch. Action (capo on the 1st fretwire, measured at the 12th fret) : 4/64ths on the 1st string, 5/64ths on the 6th string. Nut (measuring distance between bottom of string and top of 1st fret): 15 thousandths of an inch on the 1st string, graduating up to 30 thousandths of an inch on the 6th string. Enjoy.

Someone please explain 664th of an inch in mm? How much is it in non retarded measurement system?

@Torpid69

8 жыл бұрын

+Aniket Kapse FYI it is 6/64th's or if you were to take the inch and divide it up into 64 parts. In mm it would be equivalent to 2.381 mm. You can also use Google and just enter without quotes "6/64 to mm".

@Lowdenjim

8 жыл бұрын

+Torpid69 Strange to use 6/64ths and not 3/32nds!!

@Torpid69

8 жыл бұрын

+Lowdenjim Totally agree but they are the same measurement and you asked about 6/64ths :)

@jonathanrogers7903

8 жыл бұрын

+tampicokid But seriously, how good is this guys vision?!?! ...to be able to read 6/64th of an inch on that ruler haha. I think it would be easier to report it in millimeters

@benlloyd3155

8 жыл бұрын

Hey don't make fun of the American system. Why go metrc? JK. Yeah that measurement is absolutely retarded.

Same thing with what i've done with my father's guitar. Nice work!

This guy is great! Have a Martin that needs some love. Will Dig IN And spend the time now.

This was super relaxing to watch.

I made a saddle for my guitar using this instruction (mainly) and like the result. Excellent teaching technique. Very easy to accept and the right result. I'd like to have a book to keep on hand (I like hardcopy) covering acoustic set up written or edited by John. Do you have one?

Thank you! I've got a couple acoustic guitars that need these adjustments.

wow great instructions. thank you very much.

good thing andy ellis was there. great job

Fantastic video. I just decided I'm going to have to do this myself. There is no way that anybody else is going to put in the proper time and care to do this right unless I'm paying them a fortune.

Good video, thanks.

What a great video. So informative learning how you are really supposed to measure and gage a saddle. What type of radius gage are you using? I've never seen one like that and it really looks less cumbersome than having a bunch of steel ones. Some kind of machine shop one or??? Thank you for the video

I see this video was 11 years ago. I don’t know if you’re still doing this if you can do a video on replacing the binding on a guild guitar. Thank you your explanation of everything was excellent. 👍🎻🪕🤠

Very informative. Just curious, do you prefer to switch out the old parts with new? It seems you have better control over the result as opposed to using the existing material.

Great tutorial

Ice truck killer from dexter.

@MrSkateboardbassplay

9 жыл бұрын

***** Thinking the EXACT same thing haha. Glad I'm not the only one.

@SM_zzz

8 жыл бұрын

***** I couldn't place him, I just knew I recognised him, especially his voice...thanks Anthony !!

@DavidBarrera132

5 жыл бұрын

I knew this guy reminded me of someone but didn't know who. Now i know it HAHAH xD

Very informative. I wish I had the tools.

Great video! Learned a lot

This guy knows his stuff! I'd like to pick his brain.

I was really hoping to see the fine-tuning part of the intonation process, which they kinda left off at the end. Is there any more material on this? I know the article looks thorough, but actually seeing it would help a great deal.

Not sure why you'd measure the action at the 12th fret with a capo on? If you're concerned about the nut affecting the action (and he's not on this guitar), then adjust the nut height first. His action measurements needed to have 1/128th to 1/64th added to the action at the 12th fret.

perfect!! he knows what he is doing!

@GalaxyHorse I call it standard, because when I was growing up, inches, miles, yards, etc. were the "standard" units of measure. I did not know it was called Imperial, thank you for the correction.

Thank God I don’t know how out of whack my beloved guitars are😜 Ignorance truly is bliss🤣. But this is a great video. The guys a master! Thanks

tedious process to do it right, thanks for sharing the correct way. the reality to us laymen is that this takes hours accomplish- be patient and do it right

where can i get info about shaping the saddle? that was really cool and i want to learn more about how to determine the intonation points on the saddle. what about the nut do you ever have to carve the grooves there as well? i have always noticed that the nut has groove marks from the strings.

Just got a GPCPA1 Martin and I am enamoured with how gorgeous it sounds unplugged/plugged --- however it is a bit stiff! I am taking it to the tech, and look forward to being taught a thing or two about properly setting up an instrument. I've always played on oldies or junkers, this is my first really fantastic instrument--- Any suggestions on what I should address with him that might alleviate the "stiffness" in the strings? I play with 11s or 12s Lifespan Martins.. Really, thank you for this!

awesome video thanks

Hi. I'd like to change plastic for bone bridge. Also want to use 10's rather than 12's strings so intonation will change. Please tell me (approximately) if the 12th fret to saddle dimension will have to increase or decrease to suit lighter strings (assuming intonation was already correct). I understand that lighter strings will also cause the neck to bend back a little so I may have to back off the truss rod to suit. This would be the first step I assume. Made new bone nut already. Great video!!

great, thanks for sharing

I have a dirt cheap acoustic I bought to mess around with (like 3/8" at the 12th fret...took the strings off (they were junk) pulled the bridge out and using a diamond sharpening plate, used it to file down the bottom of the bridge a good bit, pretty close to where it should be now and a lot easier to play, not killing my fingers after 5 minutes due the previous pressure needed to get a note out of it. Also sounds a lot better than it did. Might yet take a little more off it yet, but for the moment its a decent improvement and the video gave me enough of an idea of what to do. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and the bridge parts seem to be a wear item, so if you take too much off...start over. How do you think the setup techs learned? often just trial, error and lots and lots of practice

What a craftsman. Look at those hands!

I was having a nightmare with intonation on all my acoustics. Sanding down the bridge height bit by bit and testing both Es finally fixed it. I never would have thought height affected intonation as on electric guitars intonation is corrected by moving the bridge pieces backwards or forwards. Acoustics should come with instructions on how to adjust intonation.

absolutely brilliant, but how does it sound?

@HOGFBass 2.75mm sounds fine to me! You can express it as 2750 micrometres if you want to use whole numbers.

Awesome thanks!

I liked it. He may have assumed we knew the last (omitted bit) about where to file on the saddle to correct intonation issues. If the string is # when plucked and fretted at the 12th fret the distance between the 12th fret and the saddle needs to be longer (lowers the pitch) therefore file the neck side of the saddle under that string to move the intonation ridge back. Easier if you take the strings of first lol.

So all that work and not a single strum?

Brilliant!

thank you those little tips from your experience shows .fr Las Vegas

Hi Great video, great job! btw..one question.. Whats the device you adjust the intonation with?

This guys knows his shit. Well done

I need to ask a question. There was a mistake while setting up my guitar. A misunderstanding leading to it being set up for a whole step down instead of just half a step. Now if I play tuned half a step down, there is string buzz if I fret above the second fret and also sound between the fretted fret and the nut! Will it be enough to give the truss rod some adjustment or will there need to be other things I will have to do? Please help me!

What about the break angle between the shorter saddle and where the strings contact the string pins, what’s the shallowest that break angle can be?

so, where do I find a tech that's good enough to know all of these various aspects and tools? do the typical Sam Ash and Guitar Center techs have the ability/skills to do this good of a setup?

I have a question. if i need to pull the saddle back to fix a sharp problem would lowering the bridge have the same effect as pulling the bridge back? My action is just a little too high and it is sharp on my top string so if i can sand that side of the bridge lower and it fixes my sharp problem too that would be great.

Thanks for the info bro, that was really helpful. One question, don't you think new guitars should already come with an ideal setup from the factory? I mean especially the guitars that cost more than a thousand dollars, should'nt the factory take good care about it?

if the saddle is filed to a point, and you file more to move that point to change the intonation, aren't you then lowering that one strings action? thanks for the video.

@kyleolin3566

7 жыл бұрын

He said to leave enough to go back or forward a little. Im assuming he left a flat top on the nut

Excuse me if this was already addressed. Carving angles for points of contact in the saddle. Why is that done? Why wouldn't all string be the same for intonation? Thanks!

great , thank you

If you sand down the saddle on the treble side to lower the action, that affects multiple strings and could create intonation problems where you don't currently have them. If you only sand down the saddle below the top string, you'll throw the string radius out of whack -- one string will be lower than the rest, making it harder for your picking hand to adjust to string height, as you move back and forth across the fretboard. (String curvature should match your fretboard curvature.)

I usually mark a line where the strings take-off (contact point), so I know not to file that mark off... helps from taking too much off the saddle

Nice video. Keep up the good work. I have similar videos that I broke up into smaller segments. have a great day!

Did you use the Radius block wrong on the new one? Were you rotated 90 deg off?

After all that we were robbed of hearing how it sounds. A before and after would've been great.

Really great. Wish all luthiers would be so accurate

Good tutorial. Why is there no final demo of intonation?

What about intonation issues with a preferred high action? The majority of my songs are heavy strumming songs similar to Damien Rice or Glen Hansard. If the action is too low the is a lot buzz, but when the saddle is raised to compensate the intonation is off, any advice on how to setup a guitar for high action?

@bobbarcus8310

9 жыл бұрын

Back off the truss rod a 1/4 to a 1/2 turn

@sweetlowfatjesus9663

9 жыл бұрын

Thanks

You appear to be using a string action gauge to measure the current relief but I don't think mine measures thousandths of an inch (perhaps yours does) and in any case isn't it easier and more accurate to use a set of feeler gauges?

thanks for the vid