Peterson StroboPlus HD Owners Manual - Manual (Page 19)

GUITAR & BASS TUNING TIPS:
If you use a tuning which is not listed as a Sweetener, use EQU. Tune up to pitch, never down. Use fresh strings.
GUITAR & BASS INTONATION TIPS
After deciding on string gauge, setting string height (nut & bridge) and neck relief—factors that affect the
instrument’s intonation considerably—the individual string lengths need to be adjusted. For this task, use equal
temperament (EQU).
• Lower the pickups away from the strings to avoid "doubling" and electromagnetic pull.
• Lay the guitar flat on a bench to adjust it, but always check the intonation with the instrument in the playing
position, as the readings will be visibly (and later audibly) different. You should always aim to freeze or "cage"
the image on the strobe tuner display; the less movement the more accurate the results.
Where setting the intonation is concerned, an often-used technique is the 12th fret & flageolet comparison method.
In this method, the flageolet or "harmonic" of the 12th fret is compared to the fretted string at the 12th fret, and
saddle position is adjusted as follows:
• If the fretted note is flat compared to the flageolet note, move the bridge saddle forward to shorten the string.
• If the fretted note is sharp compared to the flageolet note, move the bridge saddle back to lengthen the string.
• Adjust until both fretted note and flageolet are identical in pitch. While this is a common system, it is not always
the most satisfactory. One popular alternative is to adjust each string so that it is in tune at two points an octave
apart from each other on the fret board using a strobe tuner. Using the 5th and 17th fret as an example:
• Tune a string at the 5th fret.
• Check the string at the 17th. If sharp, move the saddle back, thus lengthening the string. If flat, shorten the string
by moving the saddle forward. Remember to fret the string using the pressure that you would normally apply
while playing.
• Keep repeating this process until each string is in tune as much as possible at both the 5th and 17th frets.
This method takes time, and has to be repeated if you change string gauges, but if properly executed, yields very
satisfactory results. Now, before you play music with a lot of 5ths on your guitar (e.g. power chords), tune the
instrument using the GTR, BAS, P5TH or G5TH setting, depending on which model of strobe tuner you own,
otherwise use the EQU (default) setting to tune your guitar. The methods above are within anybody's reach; all
you need are your ears and your Peterson strobe tuner!