Aboutpaul wilczynski Expertise Anything concerning building, tuning, theory of construction. Specialist in finishing (40 years' experience); extensive knowledge of Rickenbacker instruments of all vintages. Rckenbacker factory connection on personal level; ONLY licensed Rickenbacker luthier in the world.
Experience Extensive. I build and restore electric and acoustic guitars (steel string and nylon classicals). I build all of Rickenbacker's acoustic instruments in my own shops in San Francisco and Healdsburg, CA.
I write two online columns with a total of over 15,000 posts since January, 2005.
Google my name or my screen name, "jingle_jangle".
Organizations American Guild of Luthiers.
Publications Mostly automotive and hobby (in the past).
Education/Credentials Manage the University Department workshops(Industrial Design) in SF, also have taught and written design and fabrication classes for almost a decade. Have produced online classes, written curricula, syllabi, etc. Run an online forum for my students (500 in number).
Awards and Honors Awards won for product, vehicle, and preschool toy design in the past.
Past/Present Clients Rickenbacker International Corporation, Waterstone Guitars LLC, many Fortune 500 companies before I worked in guitars (I ran a design studio for 22 years). I have hundreds of individual--private party--customers.
Expert: paul wilczynski Date: 8/6/2008 Subject: tuning problems
Question Hi paul,I have a custom built sg which which required a new nut, i have also fitted heavier strings. it sounds in tune when played open but the G,B and E strings when freted sound out. i have tried moving the saddles back and fourth but it makes no difference. please help
Answer Dave, you don't say how heavy the new strings are, but what's happening is that the saddles don't move quite enough to give you correct intonation...your strings are sounding "off" on the higher frets.
The pitch at any particular fret is a combination of three factors: string length, string mass per unit of length, and string tension. You've increased the string mass per length unit by fitting thicker strings. This affects both string tension (you've got to tune the string to greater tension than before to get a certain pitch) and string length (higher tension leads to a different length to get to the pitch you want).
You've gone beyond the capabilities of the intonation adjustment on your Gibson's saddles...only thing to do is to re-fit thinner strings again, or maybe find a bridge that will fit that has more range in the saddle adjustments.
