Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello everyone. I am finishing up my first baritone and wondered if anyone had the intonation offsets for the EXP23 strings on a 28.5 scale tuned b to b. I know pretty much what it is but if someone had notes from one they had made i would really appreciate it. Thanks!

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Hi Burton,

On my most recently finished bari, now owned by harp wizard Stephen Bennett, using exp23s B-B (or C-C), and a 28.44 scale (close enough - I do the same on 28.5 as well) I used my typical 70mm long saddle slot, 3/16 wide saddle, and saddle slot slant of 3mm treble to bass - then shape the saddle crown as required .. I backset the bridge such that the centre of the slot between strings 3/4 is 2.5mm longer than half the scale length, I also compensate the nut forward. You need about .5-1mm for the high string, about 4.5 on the low end ....

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Thanks Tony!

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Seems a bit light on Tony.
If you have 3mm saddle slope and your low string compensation is 4.5mm, doesn't this imply 1.5mm compensation at the high string?

No not at all .. there is a lot of crown room with a 3/16 saddle (4.76mm) .... so if the centre of the saddle between strings 3/4 is back 2.5 mm, then right at that point, I can crown the break (comp point) anywhere from .25 , to about 4.5 ... now take into account the 3mm swing at the ends of the saddle and you can see that I can get anywhere from negative comp to 3.5mm on the high string, to 3.5 to 7.5 or so at the low string (back edge). It quite possible the low string is actually more like 5-6mm ... I never really measured .. I just look for it to intonate and there is plenty of room with this setup

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I missed that you were using a wide saddle. I would still prefer to start with a little more.
Just positioned a bridge for a baritone yesterday with 90 thou(2.25mm) compensation on the high string to 220 thou (5.5mm) on the low string.
To centreline of slot for a 2.8mm saddle.
Will see how it goes in a month or so

Bridge positioning is something a lot of people seem to be confused on. Just reading an old book this morning which gave a bridge position from the 12th fret to slot centre 1" greater than the nut to 12th measurement!

Interesting Jeff .. I honestly cant say I have ever had a guitar with that much comp on the high string. 1mm at most usually

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I'm just following the stewmac saddle location guidelines and it seems to work for me ?
With their saddlematic they suggest 1/16" (1.6mm)to the front of the saddle slot on the high e and with the fret calculator 2.25mm to the centre of the slot.
Interested to Know what others use