Official Luthiers Forum!

I am about to set up my 1st 12 string. Do you intonate the saddle for all 12
strings??? This would seem to be very difficult.   No issue with the high E
pair or the B pair. But the low E would seem hard to separate peaks on a
saddle. Do you just intonate the Low E and not it Octave pair???

Help

TIA

Andy

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Andy,

I found that averaging the peak at the pairs from G-E worked fine...I didn't see any way to peak each break point individually...plus I just didn't want to!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

I'm not sure, but I think Mike Doolin, and a few others, make a wider-than-typical saddle and compensate each string individually. I plan to give that a try.

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D..

in a previous thread on this topic someone, perhaps dave, posted a photo of an an elegant individually compensated 12 string saddle. it will give you a good basis for starting if you can find it.crazymanmichael38896.621712963

Thanks
Andy

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

I use a wider saddle (ala Mike Doolin) and intonate all 12...charge twice as much! It's 10 x the pain in the neck!

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

[QUOTE=Dave-SKG] I use a wider saddle (ala Mike Doolin) and intonate all 12...charge twice as much! It's 10 x the pain in the neck![/QUOTE]

Can I get an Aman?, but I do so love a good 12 string

How wide is wider?

I use a saddle that's close to 3/16" wide. File the saddle top _flat_ from front to back, with the curve from side to side to match your fingerboard. When you string it up it will sound like a sitar.

If your customer doesn't like that sound slip a short length of an E or B string under the two high E strings and work it back and forth across the width of the saddle until the intonation comes out right. Mark the spot, and do rhe asme for the B strings.

You will need to find the proper break points for the rest of the strings individually. Usually the octave G needs even less compensation than the high E.

When you've marked all the break points remove the saddle. You'll see that the break points for the lower strings form two lines at slightly different angles, with the octave string line in front of the line of the normal pitched strings. Draw in those lines, and use a three-square file to cut a groove in between, leaving the lines. Round off the saddle in back of the rear line, and file it at an angle in front of the front line.

Put the saddle back in and file a small notch in the ridge that you don't need for each string. In other words, file a notch in the front ridge under the 'normal' strings, so they won't hit it, and notch the back ridge where the octave strings cross it. I use a little diamond rat tail file.

It's a little extra work, but you can get a 12 to play in tune on all strings all the way up. It's a pleasure to hear.

Thanks
Andy

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com