How to Perform Intonation Setup (Stratocaster)

Are you experiencing bad tuning on some fretted notes on your guitar, even if you tune it correctly? Maybe your guitar has a intonation problem. Now I'm going to show you steps how to adjust your guitar's intonation.

You will be needing:
Digital Tuner
Phillips Head Screwdriver

1. Check. Using a tuner, check first the intonation. Do an open/natural harmonic on the 12th fret (lightly touch the string to create a bell like tone) and compare it to the fretted note at the 12th fret. If the open/natural harmonic is higher than the fretted note or otherwise, your guitar's intonation is out.

You can fix these, by tightening or loosening the screws on the bridge saddles, in case you don't know what it's look like. Here it is:


2. Adjust. Using the tuner, tune the guitar into standard tuning and compare the open string to the fretted note at the 12th fret. If the fretted note at the 12th fret is sharp, that means the length of the string is too short, so we need to make it longer. To make it longer, loosen the screws on the bridge saddles, by turning it  clockwise. If in your case the fretted note is flat, of course you need to turn the screws counter clockwise.

3. Tune & Check. Check if the fretted note at the 12th fret is already in tune. 

4. Repeat the steps on the other strings.