Fretless 4001: intonation/setup issue, need help
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 5:22 pm
I've been trying for the first time to properly setup and intonate my 4001 FL using instructions from the internet (mostly Joey's Bass Notes, but others too as required).
I've restarted several times, but every time I end up stuck at the same issue: when it comes to adjust the saddles for a proper intonation, I have to screw them abnormally far back! In the case of the E string, it's so bad that I had to actual remove the saddle from the mount and screw it onto the outside to come even close to getting a proper intonation:
I'm mainly a hobbyist and self-taught, so maybe there's something really simple that I'm overlooking.
Yet as far as I can tell, everything else seems normal. I've reset and readjusted the truss rods several times, following the guide from Joey's, but I always come back to the starting point. I try to heed the general consensus that the neck is supposed to perfectly straight*, and it is as far as I can tell.
Some of the needed extension for the E string might be due to me playing in drop D, but it shouldn't be that much, should it? Either way I can't help but feel that I'm doing something wrong elsewhere with my guitar's setup and that it might damage it in the long course. I'd much appreciate if anyone could either reassure me that it's just a quirk, or tell me what it is that I'm not doing right. Feel free to ask for more info or pictures if necessary. Thanks ahead!
*Unless the neck is supposed to be parallel to the body, but from what I know that shouldn't be the case.
I've restarted several times, but every time I end up stuck at the same issue: when it comes to adjust the saddles for a proper intonation, I have to screw them abnormally far back! In the case of the E string, it's so bad that I had to actual remove the saddle from the mount and screw it onto the outside to come even close to getting a proper intonation:
I'm mainly a hobbyist and self-taught, so maybe there's something really simple that I'm overlooking.
Yet as far as I can tell, everything else seems normal. I've reset and readjusted the truss rods several times, following the guide from Joey's, but I always come back to the starting point. I try to heed the general consensus that the neck is supposed to perfectly straight*, and it is as far as I can tell.
Some of the needed extension for the E string might be due to me playing in drop D, but it shouldn't be that much, should it? Either way I can't help but feel that I'm doing something wrong elsewhere with my guitar's setup and that it might damage it in the long course. I'd much appreciate if anyone could either reassure me that it's just a quirk, or tell me what it is that I'm not doing right. Feel free to ask for more info or pictures if necessary. Thanks ahead!
*Unless the neck is supposed to be parallel to the body, but from what I know that shouldn't be the case.