warrenpridgeon wrote:
I find that if my strings are a month or two old or older that my intonation starts to suffer badly... The notes over the 12th fret start being liars... they no longer ring true... lol.
Is it down to string gauge (9's) or string brand (Ernie Ball Slinky) or cheap(ish) guitar (Epiphone les Paul)?
It is actually a combination of all three (and many many other factors).
There is always an inherent "out of tune" factor to every vibrating string.The vibration itself and the external force that generate the vibration cause the vibration to deviate from the ideal vibration of an ideal string.
This becomes more pronounced as the tension gets lower, so you see it more frequently on the higher strings, as these require a lower tension to tune them to pitch. The deviation factor also increases as string length decreases, so you'll notice it more the higher you fret (as effectively your string vibrates between where you finger it and the saddle)...( it is this very phenomenon that makes grand pianos so appealing for discerning pianists...you can have a longer string, at a higher tension, in a grand than in an upright.
