Lighter gauge or heavier to correct intontation issue

One string slightly SHARP at the 12th fret. Lighter string? Heavier string? No room on the saddle to compensate. My intuition says lighter ... just wanna check with the experts

First, make sure frets are level and the neck is straight, nut slots are a good fit for whatever string size you are using, and the saddle is where it should be.

In my limited experience, a thinner gauge might help with the sharpness.

I think the type of string is going to have more impact than the size. But I could be wrong. Flurocarbon definitely intonates the best of any string material. If you aren't using it already, I'd start there.

Lighter or lower tension.

I'll 2nd Hippie's post.
My personal experience has also been that fluorocarbon sets seem to intonate the best. I'm not sure if it's actually the material or they simply have spent more time getting the gauges right.

Are you 100% it's not technique? I find myself sometimes pulling the string a little with my finger when I reach near the join making it go slightly sharp.

Unfortunately its a moving target. Usually a thinner string plays less sharp - however, it also exerts less tension on the neck, which tends to cause a string to fret sharper!

"however, it also exerts less tension on the neck, which tends to cause a string to fret sharper!"
It won't fret sharp if you don't press the lighter string down too hard.

deschutestrout said:

One string slightly SHARP at the 12th fret.

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It would seem you have a ukulele with darn good intonation.

Just get a fret desharper tool from Stew-Mac, problem solved...:shaka:

jer said:

"however, it also exerts less tension on the neck, which tends to cause a string to fret sharper!"
It won't fret sharp if you don't press the lighter string down too hard.

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Yes - you can press a string too hard and cause it to play sharp. However, physics is physics, and intonation is a real thing - unless you are suggesting that every uke out there is perfectly intonated, no matter what kind of strings it is sporting.

Ha. Definitely not suggesting that. It would've been better put, if you don't press down too hard with the RIGHT string installed it won't go sharp. I tried to edit my post yesterday to add something like that, but the edit feature and the "reply with quote" feature are still not working correctly for me here as of late.

There is another option... I have a uke that needs compensation beyond the width of the saddle. I just use a wider saddle and then file it thinner where it goes into the bridge. Essentially you end up with a "T" shape that only has one side of the T. It takes time and patience to make one, but you strike me as someone who would be willing to make one for the sake of pursuing perfection.

John

Kekani said:

That said, you're asking one of the right questions if it's only 1 string. Lighter is your answer, as I understand, when it's fretted, lighter tension will "stretch" less than a higher tension, all other things being equal. Gauge is less important compared to tension.

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I think it's also a matter of stiffness, too. The third (C) string is not only just fatter, it is also stiffer - Aquila nylguts particularly so. If you don't have a compensated bridge you will get the best intonation with a wound C string, which is the most flexible of all. However it also sounds different and may not be what you want.

It seems almost all the replies here either missed what chestnut was actually wanting to know, or got confused from typical "forum string science". The simple answer is lighter. Lighter gauges have a center that sits lower on the saddle and will be flatter as a result. Put on a really thick string and chances are you go sharp.

But I wouldn't recommend that. The forum is also full of folks recommending single 4th strings, single wound 3rd strings, etc., etc. If you see someone, for example, saying "xxx is the best wound C string" the one thing you can take from such a post is never to rely on information from that person again.

Almost no string is good or bad in and of itself. Strings are good or bad in context - in other words, in relation to the rest of the strings in the set. Either the set works for you or it doesn't. So chessie, changing your 1st string to a thinner gauge may correct your intonation, but opens up a whole new can of worms. If it's the same approximate density, it will be brighter and looser. You could end up with buzzing. If you can find something thinner and denser, you won't have to worry about looser tension, but it will still likely be brighter. In other words, if it was a well constructed set to begin with, you will likely have ruined it by switching out one of the strings.

Almost always you try to correct these sort of issues at the saddle. Angle toward the front. If you really can't do it, look at John's post. Great suggestion - it's the entry in this thread that can really help you.