Craft · 6 pages · 12 min

Why intonation is adjusted at the saddle

Fretting stretches the string and sharpens it, so the saddle is set a little farther back to bring those notes in tune.

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From the opening

Intonation is whether the fretted notes agree with the scale the frets and the open string imply. It is adjusted at the saddle because moving the saddle changes the speaking length and can offset the sharpening that happens when a string is pressed down. The opening covers fretting stretches and sharpens, the saddle sets speaking length, and setting it back offsets the sharpening.

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Inside

Fretting stretches and sharpens
The saddle sets speaking length
Setting it back offsets the sharpening
The twelfth fret is the check
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Saddle compensation on fretted strings
Twelfth-fret harmonic and fretted note

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Why intonation is adjusted at the saddle

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk