Isn't that the truth. I can't tell you how many times I've had to fix blatantly wrong work from electricians and plumbers at my job who were getting paid 4X what I was.

This situation seems pretty straightforward though and your options have been laid out by others; you could drop in a new pre-cut nut yourself which would be a cheap way to either fix your problem or prove out that there is in fact a bigger underlying issue, in which case you could have your guy do the compensated nut. Or you could skip the first part and go right for the compensated nut. Either way it doesn't sound like you'd be out more than a hundred at the most. And if you really want to get this guitar sorted, that doesn't seem so bad. Especially since it sounds like you didn't end up paying much for it. Otherwise you could just sell it for cheap with the issue stated. I've got a Squier JM and it doesn't share your problems, although admittedly I don't have the sharpest ears.

Tom Wanderer wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 11:20 am Isn't that the truth. I can't tell you how many times I've had to fix blatantly wrong work from electricians and plumbers at my job who were getting paid 4X what I was.

This situation seems pretty straightforward though and your options have been laid out by others; you could drop in a new pre-cut nut yourself which would be a cheap way to either fix your problem or prove out that there is in fact a bigger underlying issue, in which case you could have your guy do the compensated nut. Or you could skip the first part and go right for the compensated nut. Either way it doesn't sound like you'd be out more than a hundred at the most. And if you really want to get this guitar sorted, that doesn't seem so bad. Especially since it sounds like you didn't end up paying much for it. Otherwise you could just sell it for cheap with the issue stated. I've got a Squier JM and it doesn't share your problems, although admittedly I don't have the sharpest ears.

After I paid the tech to fix the issues, I was out 2x the price of the guitar, but I get what you're saying. I'll take it to a another tech at the weekend for a second opinion and see if we can indeed get to the bottom/fix the issue.

A few thoughts:

1) if the fretted note at the 12th fret matches the harmonic at the 12th fret on an accurate tuner. It's intonated.
2) if it won't intonate at the 12th fret and the saddle is all the way forward or all the way back, the bridge is in the wrong place. This can be corrected by either moving the bridge or finding one that allows more travel of the string resting point on the saddles.
3) if it is intonated at 12th fret and the cowboy chords are off, it's the nut*, and likely because the slots are either too high (the usual offender) or what Jeff said about the angle being off (you'll hear it rattle in the nut slot). Also, sometimes the issue of the strings being too high from the 1st fret is a matter of neck pitch instead of the nut slot heights themselves. Or too much neck relief. As an aside, intonation doesn't typically matter as much when you are playing near the nut as long as your open notes match a tuner. It's when you start moving up the neck that it gets noticeable.
4) Jazzmasters intonate fine. It's not an inherent problem with Jazzmasters.

*What the luthier is likely referencing is that a 25.5" scale inherently is always a LITTLE off in the G and B strings when chording as a result of a tempered scale. The compensated nut thing fixes that, but keep in mind that's only helping when you incorporate open notes. Otherwise any other chord takes the nut completely out of the equation if you are fretting all 6 strings.

After posting this I just read that other forum and mostly agree with all of it, including turning those G and B saddles around at some point, but that won't fix your current issue. It's a nut issue. Can't say whether or not only a compensated one will fix it, but if someone is installing and cutting a new one, it might be worth the extra $15 for a compensated to greatly improve the chance of actually fixing the issue. Having said that, I've never had an issue like this on any guitar that wasn't fixed by lowering the nut slots or cutting a new one.

andyman wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 9:45 am
True, all I meant is these things normally seem to work fine with a regular/factory nut and a setup.

A buddy bought 2 different Gibson Firebirds in the last 3 years that had terrible nut/tuning problems. They were both over $1500 guitars. He Sold them both and bought an Epiphone Firebird for about $650 and it stays in perfect tune, sounds rad. It was a pretty hilarious end to a pretty annoying guitar buying spree.

Andy, can you take an accurate measurement from the end of the nut to the middle of the 12th fret and then from the middle of the 12th fret to the break point of the saddles on both E strings? Preferably in MM.

andyman wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 11:24 am

Tom Wanderer wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 11:20 am Isn't that the truth. I can't tell you how many times I've had to fix blatantly wrong work from electricians and plumbers at my job who were getting paid 4X what I was.

This situation seems pretty straightforward though and your options have been laid out by others; you could drop in a new pre-cut nut yourself which would be a cheap way to either fix your problem or prove out that there is in fact a bigger underlying issue, in which case you could have your guy do the compensated nut. Or you could skip the first part and go right for the compensated nut. Either way it doesn't sound like you'd be out more than a hundred at the most. And if you really want to get this guitar sorted, that doesn't seem so bad. Especially since it sounds like you didn't end up paying much for it. Otherwise you could just sell it for cheap with the issue stated. I've got a Squier JM and it doesn't share your problems, although admittedly I don't have the sharpest ears.

After I paid the tech to fix the issues, I was out 2x the price of the guitar, but I get what you're saying. I'll take it to a another tech at the weekend for a second opinion and see if we can indeed get to the bottom/fix the issue.

One thing that I might do there if this was me...

I'd probably point out the issue without really mentioning the work that you have had done thus far.

A repair guy coming into it cold might have a different point of view than a guy who hears about a couple of things that have been done and starts making a list of things he will potentially have to run down.

So, interesting development. Someone suggested the bridge might have been reversed by accident, so I checked.

In images for the guitar the saddle screws face the bridge. On mine the saddle screws are currently facing the pickups. I managed to find an old photo of it from the day I took it for assessment:


Also facing the bridge.

So it may have accidentally been reversed during the setup? This could be the issue?

EDIT: apparently not

andyman wrote: Thu Feb 02, 2023 3:09 am So it may have accidentally been reversed during the setup? This could be the issue?

EDIT: apparently not

After the set-up (somehow) would have made more sense, in that whichever way the bridge is facing, a set-up either works or it doesn't - it either intonates the guitar with a playable action and stable tuning or the tech has to say "I can't do this".

The guy I take most problems I can't fix to is great most of the time, but there have been a couple of set-ups that have "come undone" annoyingly quickly. Whether it's right or not, I put this down to me mainly having cheaper lower build/parts quality import guitars or to having a variety of different sort of guitars - he seems to struggle with my Squier Jazzmaster (as do I!) which seems a particularly "shifty" temperamental beast.

yes but have you considered
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cn8wxchK ... _copy_link

Have you tried putting a capo on the first fret (or others), and seeing how it intonates? Could potentially eliminate a variable, and it’s an easy test.