getting your guitar to be perfectly in tune from 1 fret to 12 fret?

Question

I didn't pay much for my guitar so I don't know if that is part of the problem but my bottom two strings the B and high E sound ok all the way up to the ninth fret then the notes start to sound flatter and flatter. I keep messin around with the back part with a screwdriver( my teacher showed me how to tune it by holding down on the twelth string and then making the harmonic ring out to see if the not is correct) but I can never seem to get the tone perfect like the other strings. I know it is time to get a new and better guitar I have warn down my frets so much that it buzzes when I bend in certain spots but I have no job and I have my acoustic which is pretty new. I just want to know if there are any tricks to fixing these problems? What I usual do is try to compromise by tunning just a little sharp so the front is a little out of tune and the back is not as flat. ( playing the paino has given me a more critical ear on how notes should sound) I don't know if I shouldn't worry about it

cuz I have heard Hendrix wasn't always in perfect pitch. I don't if this is true? Does anyone know if he had perfect pitch hearing or relative?

My music theory professor has perfect pitch hearing and I don't think he has made any pieces of music that has made a name for himself. I know it is a really rare gift, but it seems like if my Professor has it and he isn't playing in sold out halls then I would assume Hendrix had something on him, Maybe just creativity.

Answer 1

Well, if your strings are really old that explain all. If not, your guitar needs to be callibrated (neck need to be adjusted as sfdavidj). There are some "guitar tips" where you can find step-by-step guides on that subject.

About Hendrix, he was great but I don't think he had absolute ear. He just was great. And about pitch on Hendrix music, you have to remember that was blues... remember Johnson barely-tuned guitar?


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Edit:

"instinctively bend it to the pitch he needed it to be"

Right normal1. Some guitar players can do that. It requires a good ear and some playing skills but doesn't means somebody have absolute pitch ear I think. Anyway, he was great but sadly we can't tell now....

Great link normal1. Tuning Problems section very usefull. Thanks! Also info on bowed necks, check it Ben V.

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Edit:

Creativity!!! That was what made his music a legacy. Technique what make good recordings.

My mom has perfect pitch hearing and she's also a music teacher. She developed when she was a young girl by playing Piano by ear.

Answer 2

Actually, it is impossible to get ANY guitar perfectly in tune because they are designed around "even tempered tuning". This, in theory, provides evenly distributed errors along the fingerboard of an instrument that utilizes divisions of a string (accomplished when you fret the guitar) to produce a note.

A piano, for example, uses a single string for each note, and as a result it uses "equal tempered tuning" and each string can be tuned perfectly to pitch.

Now, that being said and assuming that your guitar was built correctly, you can have the "intonation" adjusted so that the error you hear can be minimized to inaudible levels for the most part.

The way to do this is to pluck a harmonic on the string at the 12th fret, then compare it with fretting it at the 12th fret. If the harmonic is sharp then the string is too long, and you must move the string saddle on the bridge towards the neck a little. If the harmonic is flat, the string is too short and you must move the saddle towards the bottom of the guitar. If you screw this up you will REALLY be out of whack, so I recommend taking it to a good guitar tech.

Answer 3

If he had perfect pitch, he must have really enjoyed dis chord. Your teacher told you right. Use the harmonics to tune. ½ the guitar players out there can't even hear them, so you're already a step ahead. I don't know what you can do other than deal with it until you can afford a good guitar. Enjoy!

Answer 4

hello there, 3 choices: 1) Move the B string saddle forward towards the neck. 2) Don't play the B string down the neck. 3) Play out of tune. Why in the neck would you tinker with the trus rod to set the intonation? Later,

Answer 5

heres a good article on "intonation"http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/intonation.htm

gives a variety of reasons and things to look for to correct intonation problems.
It was said that when Jimi pulled a string out of tune and had to go back and use that string again he could instinctively bend it to the pitch he needed it to be.

Answer 6

the neck could be bowed or you might need the intunation (sp?) checked. First of all store the guitar in the dark at room temp. 2nd take it to a shop, have them see if they can adjust anything.