Slight intonation issue

MikeK

I wonder if anyone else has come across this issue and/or can offer up a remedy:

When I took my Altamira M-10 to my luthier for the annual set-up in January, he warned me that I would need a fret job soon. But he was able to dress them this time, but I know I'll need one next time. While the intonation is still good on the guitar almost everywhere on the neck, I've noticed a few minor trouble spots recently. If I play a Bflat 6 chord rooted at the 6th fret (6x57xx) or an A/C# chord (9x79xx) rooted at the 9th fret, I can hear that the intonation is slightly off. It's subtle, but there it is. And I don't notice it on any other chords. So here's the kicker: knowing that my trusty M-10 will have to go away for awhile in the not-too-distant future, I hunted for a 2nd GJ guitar & found a very nice 2 year old M-30 at a reasonable price. It's in much better shape than my 11 year old M-10 that has gotten me faithfully through hundreds of gigs. But, lo and behold, the M-30 has the exact same issue with those 2 chords, only it's even more subtle. Any suggestions?

JasonS

Selmer style guitars, and all guitars really but more noticeable with non-adjustable saddles, will have intonation inconsistencies like that in different places. You might try getting those chords in tune and seeing if that throws off other areas/voicing you use often.

I wouldn't worry about it unless it's noticeable in the context of a mix.

MikeK

Good advice, thanks Jason.

paulmcevoy75

All guitars have slight intonation issues, for the record.

Maybe not the squiggly fret ones but who knows.

Buco

If my guitar isn't intonating well for whatever reason, I just split the difference between the two spots where I notice if I tune one, then the other suffers. That puts both in the "good enough" category.

MikeK

Good call, Buco. I don't seem to have this issue with my archtop. But that makes sense (as JasonS referenced in this thread) since the bridge is adjustable.