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quick scale length question
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3437
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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 RE: quick scale length question (in reply to Stu)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Stu
Also whats the theory behind the compensation?
I'm no luthier but compensation is supposed to work like this:
When a string is fretted, it is stretched slightly. This increases the tension, making the note go slightly sharp. Since the string is stretched more at higher frets, the sharpening effect is greater.
The compensation, additional distance between the 12th fret and the saddle, tends to flatten the note. The further up the fretboard you go, the compensation amounts to a bigger fraction of the sounding string length. Done right the stretching and compensation come close to cancelling each other out.
One way to check whether the setup and compensation work together is to compare the pitch of a note fretted at the 12th fret with the open harmonic at the 12th fret on the same string.
Many flamenco guitars, with their lower actions, are un-compensated.
Ricardo once told me that he is quite accustomed to un-compensated guitars. As he plays higher up the fretboard he pushes the string a little toward the bridge, loosening the tension on the sounding part to compensate for the slight sharpening due to stretch.
Classicals are usually set up with a higher action, and compensated.
RNJ
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Aug. 5 2022 21:46:37
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Ricardo
Posts: 15139
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
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RE: quick scale length question (in reply to constructordeguitarras)
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quote:
The higher the action, the more compensation needed.
There was an implication that I “compensate” uncompensated guitars, by pushing forward toward the bridge. This is not exclusive. You still have to pull back or play “normal” in order to intonate properly with the music or open strings and key you are in. Highly compensated guitars are very noticeable to me because I always have to “counter compensate” on them (pulling the notes sharper in response). The HIGHER the action, the easier it is to intonate physically, though it slows your scale and jumping position speeds. But you feel way more control over the intonation, especially up in the higher positions above 7th. You also get much increased dynamic range with high action guitars. In a fiesta with more than one guitar playing, like lead vs rhythm, I always choose the higher action guitar available for projection.
By the way, one thing I learned with singing that I at first found strange, is we often have to over shoot the target note by a 1/2 step and do vibrato in rhythm and the voice sounds more in tune than if you hit the target pitch out right. It is a bizarre phenomenon to me as an instrumentalist but something about the voice and the upper harmonics that clash if you try to hit precise notes. That Autotune thing is mainly sharpening notes of singers, and they don’t do vibrato with that filter. So for example an E chord…we actually need to sing an F natural first and let it pulse down to E. For G# you hit A and down. For B you hit C natural and down. I have slowed down pro singers and observe this thing happening. Singers that hit target pitches first and hold are rare, but when they do that plus vibrato they sound flat. It is weird.
I know guitar intonation is different but I approach it similarly, many times I come into target notes a bit sharp and it sounds better. For me the extra compensation gets in the way.
_____________________________
CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Aug. 6 2022 18:40:24
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