How does intonation work on basses with fixed bridges?

[Stub Mandrel]

 

 

I can't understand why the open string needs to be out, surely a tweak to the nut-first fret distance isn't enough to cause an issue.  I never came across an instrument where bad intonation near the nut couldn't be addressed by cutting the nut lower.

[Guest]

Music Man basses have a compensating nut - looks to me like the buzz idea. I don’t do anything different when tuning it. It’s my understanding that the string length at the nut is moved slightly forward towards the bridge with each lower string. The open string is tuned as normal and it’s meant to make the first 3-5 frets on the lower strings (particularly the E and B) sound less sharp than they naturally would, even when the nut is at an optimum height.

Can I tell the difference? No

 

[prowla]

On 13/05/2022 at 10:28, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

The intonation on my fretless is fully adjustable, but for some reason it always sounds out of tune unless I’m playing an open string.

It's like a clock - it's always right twice a day.