Tuners/ tuning

[Kevin Dean]

While setting up my Bass & getting the intonation spot on . I noticed that if I fret a note that note some notes are very slightly out according to the tuner is this normal ?

[Ou7shined]

It depends on the bass. A well made bass should have the ability to achieve an accurate setup. Often on less well made models "perfect" intonation is a compromise. Perfect intonation at the 12th need not necessarily mean the the string is still in at the 20th. Often a badly set nut can be at fault as well as the action being set so high that the very act of fretting a note pulls it sharp... sometimes it's just the neck.

[discreet]

If you want to be absolutely in tune, you need frets like these...

[url="http://www.truetemperament.com/site/index.php?go=2&sgo=5"]http://www.truetemperament.com/site/index.php?go=2&sgo=5[/url]

[gjones]

This a very interesting video by Scott Grove about tuning (and why your guitar/bass sometimes sounds out of tune even when your intonation is spot on). It's mainly for guitar but it is relevant for bass too. He also has videos about setting up intonation as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tfxy_zs0Mo

[Kevin Dean]

Thanks for that , very interesting stuff .

[MoonBassAlpha]

Yes, if the nut is cut so the strings don't make final contact at the very edge on the fingerboard side, with intonation set correctly at the 12th fret, the fiirst few frets will sound noticably sharp, gradually getting less so up the neck.