Oaksong

I just got out my Epi Paul and checked it with the tuner down the first few frets. I think I am expecting to much. I know it's right. It's showing the same properties. I assumed that where you fretted a string, that's the note you would get. When I saw the kit guitar going a bit sharp or flat below the 12th, I got worried that something was amiss. Looks like all I really need to do is get the nut height down a bit more on the high E side and that will be it. Nut height. I'll have to remember that. I never have had one so high that it caused this kind of problem. I also learned not to expect perfection on ever fret all the way down the fingerboard. I guess my standards were too high. Not necessarily a bad thing overall.

Again thanks to all. I think I have a much better handle on what is going on and what to expect.

If you want better intonation, go get a Earvana nut.

This is an issue with all guitars, and at least partially solveable. I think modern companies are kinda retarded for not solving it already...

Why not try it without glueing the shim just to see how it works?

This problem actually exists on MOST guitars, to some degree. Equal tempered tuning isn't accurate. The first few frets of most guitars actually are slightly sharp. Look into the Buzz Feiten tuning system - it talks about this.

Basically, guitars with a straight nut cannot intonate perfectly across the fretboard. Our ears generally don't notice things being off. Sadly, mine do, and this drives me kinda crazy.

I have my gripes with equal temperament too, but I don't know if that's the problem here. I'm guessing that sockwalker has played other guitars and that most equal-tempered guitars sound "in-tune" to him. (We all know they play every interval out of tune except octaves.) But equal temperament is generally close enough for most people, and something else is wrong with this guitar, otherwise he wouldn't have noticed a problem. For most people to notice something being "out of tune", it must be seriously out of tune, and the tuning inaccuracies of equal temperament are generally small enough that most people don't notice them.

Also I think he was using a tuner rather than his ear. I'm pretty sure that tuner would be set up for equal temperament, not just intonation or another system. So if the tuner says it's out of tune, it's out of tune with equal temperament. An equal tempered guitar is the goal here, since it has a normal nut and straight frets.

Ok, I wasn't fully clear.

Guitars are OUT OF TUNE with equal temperment. The strings are different widths and press down different amounts depending on where you are on the fretboard AND that tension is spread across the string differently as you go from the nut toward teh bridge. Pick up a few guitars and put them through a tuner and you will see that even an "in tune" guitar can be out of tune as he is describing.

The easy answer is to move the nut forward a bit, as this helps balance things out.

Why not try it without glueing the shim just to see how it works?

Ok, i can weigh in on this.

This problem actually exists on MOST guitars, to some degree. Equal tempered tuning isn't accurate. The first few frets of most guitars actually are slightly sharp. Look into the Buzz Feiten tuning system - it talks about this.

Basically, guitars with a straight nut cannot intonate perfectly across the fretboard. Our ears generally don't notice things being off. Sadly, mine do, and this drives me kinda crazy.

You could also get an earvana nut, for maybe 30-40 bucks, and this works to solve the same problem.

This is going to be my first ever finishing job. So, I want something that can be done easily with spraycans or some other simple (and safe) tools. I don't have a dedicated garage or anything like that for the project, just a deck outside.

Anybody?

Does anyone have a place where they suggest to get finishing supplies. I looked at reranch and stewmac and neither had a particularly extensive color list.

Will car poly work?

How hard is poly to work with?

I am about to order a carvin bolt kit, as my first attempt at assembling/finishing a guitar.

I would like to to look something like this:

http://www.carvin.com/images/guitars-in-st...arge/88306b.jpg

But I have NO idea where to get that cool color of blue. I wouldn't mind a similar effect in red either...

Any ideas?

Also, any suggestions in general about how to attack this project?