MIJ Mustang Intonation issues..?

[theconsultant]

Hi everyone

I've bought a lovely 2nd hand CAR MIJ Fender Mustang. It's my first super-short scale guitar.

Since i bought it several months ago, i'm struggling to keep it in tune from one chord to the next. The intonation has been professionally set up, i'm just wondering if my hands are too big to properly fret a chord..?! I don't have this problem on regular scale guitars....

Just wondering if anyone else has this problem?

[Embenny]

What gauge strings? On a short scale, with lighter gauge strings especially, it's very easy to pull notes sharp by over-applying pressure. Do this as an experiment: play a fretted note the way you normally do. Now release pressure until you're applying the bare minimum to get the note to fret cleanly. Did it fall flat in doing so? If so, you're over-gripping (this is more common with chords than with single notes, as well).

I'm primarily a shortscale player, and I've found that this phenomenon is most pronounced on short scales, as well as on larger frets (both of which make sense from a physics perspective). Higher gauge strings are less flexible and thus do this less, but shortscales do keep you honest in terms of technique. It has to do with the lower tension on the strings, making them easier to bend over the fret by pressing too hard (kind of like when playing a scalloped fretboard).

The other possibility is that the nut could be cut high...this results in notes in the first few frets playing sharp (due to being stretched farther downward from the high nut than is necessary), whereas the standard intonation check is at the 12th fret (checking relative to the 12th fret harmonic), so some people miss this during an "intonation setup".

[theconsultant]

I'm using regular 10s. I usually use 10-52 on my other guitars, they're all tuned to D standard. The Mustang is regular tuning.

I tried the pressure thing, but when i release the pressure the note just cuts out, so can't be over fretting....

Thanks for your help. Maybe i'll try a heavier gauge.

[MechaBulletBill]

Ya gotta have that 11 top e. Well, I do. Daddario do an 11-52 set that I have on my mustang at the minute and, while my worn frets are definitely messing with intonation, I like the balance between the strings on a 24" scale.

If you're mainly talking about open chords near the nut, make sure that the nut slots aren't too high. Sometimes, to compensate, I tune the G string a little bit flat so that it *sounds* in tune near the nut.

[theconsultant]

Thanks. It's actually all over the fretboard. Weirdly, this is the gauge that the guitar came with, which is why i stuck with them...!