Intonation set up on Cort B5 Element

[neil___lien]

Hello everyone!

I recently parted ways with my beloved Cort B5 Element (as i dont gig, nor have a band, and mostly use my 6 string to jam along to Youtube). 

I have been doing my own set ups for the past 10 years or so and, to me, that Cort was perfect in every way. 

Now: the buyer checked the intonation on the 12th fret of the G string and it was a bit flat, so he adjusted accordingly and got it to the right pitch. But now turns out the 24th fret is very flat. Admitedly, i had never checked the intonation there as i assumed that physically, if the bass was in tune at the nut and at the 12th fret, there was no reason why it would be any different at the 24th. Turns out it does happen, apparently. So i am turning to you in order to see why this is happening, and what options the buyer has to correct that little flaw. It only happens on that one string. 

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance, everyone! 

[3below]

I had a bass that would not intonate the G, to the point that I started to wonder if the bridge had insufficient adjustment.  The cause was a duff string even though the string sounded fine. Worth trying, it seems highly improbable that the Cort has a fret distance problem.

[neil___lien]

Yeah i agree that it is very unlikely that the bass would have a fret distance problem. The strings are GHS Precision Flats. 

He replaced the screw with one that is 1cm longer and sent me a picture. The saddle is all the way towards the pick-up, and the intonation is much better at the 24th fret but still not 100% perfect. 

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that the string is spot on at the nut and 12th fret, but flat at the 24th? How is it possible? Anyone else has any other idea than the possibility of a faulty string?

[Doctor J]

Pickup too close to the string, perhaps? I've seen lots of anomalies over the years because the pickups were pulling on the string.

Edited 3 hours ago by Doctor J

[NancyJohnson]

20 hours ago, neil___lien said:

Hello everyone!

I recently parted ways with my beloved Cort B5 Element (as i dont gig, nor have a band, and mostly use my 6 string to jam along to Youtube). 

I have been doing my own set ups for the past 10 years or so and, to me, that Cort was perfect in every way. 

Now: the buyer checked the intonation on the 12th fret of the G string and it was a bit flat, so he adjusted accordingly and got it to the right pitch. But now turns out the 24th fret is very flat. Admitedly, i had never checked the intonation there as i assumed that physically, if the bass was in tune at the nut and at the 12th fret, there was no reason why it would be any different at the 24th. Turns out it does happen, apparently. So i am turning to you in order to see why this is happening, and what options the buyer has to correct that little flaw. It only happens on that one string. 

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance, everyone! 

 

First thing I thought was who the hell plays on the 24th fret?

 

A few factors to consider.  Strings, old/new?  Action at 24th fret?  Is the buyer playing the harmonic or the fretted note?  Do the other strings intonate correctly up the dusty end?  Neck on the wonk?

 

It's feasible that the 24th fret could be in the wrong place, unlikely, but possible.  It's also possible that if the action was a bit high at this point, simply depressing the string might throw out the tuning. 

 

Given the scale on these is (I believe) 34", you're looking at a fretted note at the 24th fret to be c.8.5" this high up the neck.  If the frets are wide/jumbo and haven't been crowned correctly, given the shortness of the scale at this point, this could throw out the tuning/intonation a little.  A little.  Millimetres, or part thereof, will make a difference at that point, no significant but a difference.

[Woodinblack]

I would have thought that most of the reasons would cause the other strings to be out too, unless there is something actually wrong wiht that string. I would certainly swap it with another one before looking for any other permenant change. What sort of level of flat are we talking?

[neil___lien]

Not massively flat, just a little bit, but i feel responsible because i sold it to him. 

The strings are six weeks old, and the rest of my set up was spot on, be it pick-up height, intonation on the other strings and action... 

I will have him read this thread in case one of the scenarii you guys have mentioned looks like something he would have spotted!

Thanks a lot for your help!

[PaulThePlug]

Raise the action a smidge... be more right up the dusty end...

 

From 'read somewhere', intonation set at harmonic and On Top 12th fret... or fretting the string behind the fret, but now down to the fretboard...

 

They might be squeezing the last bit of bass-juice out the string!

 

Then all playing is subject to being a non tru temperament, compound error, calculated-ish  made with a tolerance analogue instrument.

 

Otherwise everyone would be playing bass lines on synth!

Edited 1 hour ago by PaulThePlug