Move the part. See what changes.
Explore one string, then listen to its place in a chord.
Intonation error
Open string retuned after each adjustment.
Showing the last valid result. Correct the highlighted value to update it.
The graph is unavailable. Calculations still work: use the fret selector and the numeric report below.
Some values are outside this view. Choose “Fit all” to see them.
Calculated fret-top to string-bottom clearance. The capo reading is geometric; it does not model capo pressure.
Adjust the string
Drag a handle, or enter an exact value.
Headstock Bridge →
Relief reference held at frets 1 and 24.
Contact details below are top views.
Displacement enlarged; action held fixed.
← Nut Tail
Try a compensation example
Both saddle examples keep the current nut position. Nut + saddle lets both move. All use the existing Gore book optimizer, minimizing total absolute stopped-length error—not the largest cents error.
Choose frets 1–24, with the first no higher than the last.
Choose an example to calculate a proposal. It will not move the controls.
- Optimized for
- Nut compensation
- Saddle compensation
- Largest error · optimized frets
- Largest error · all frets 0–24
A search limit was reached. This is a constrained result, not a claim that the error is solved.
Listen to the change One note or a triad ＋
One note at the pinned fret. These sound the same when the two curves overlap. Small differences can be hard to hear.
Only the selected string changes; the other notes stay at their equal-tempered target pitches.
Synthesized tones · same level and voicing · no pitch-error exaggerationModel assumptions & how to read this experiment
A learning model, not a cutting instruction. This concept reuses the existing ToneLab Gore book-model evaluator, unchanged, for frets 1–24. Open is a separate, retuned reference at 0 cents. No optimizer runs while you adjust a control.
Nut and saddle height refer to the string underside above the same extended fret-reference chord. They are not first-fret action, 12th-fret action, or saddle exposure above a bridge. The straight string line and the existing relief profile generate the fret clearances.
Positive nut compensation moves toward the bridge. Positive saddle compensation moves away from the nut. The contact details enlarge those displacements. Compensation holds the entered action profile fixed, matching the library; it is not a fully coupled endpoint-motion simulation.
Audio compares the same starting or kept setup and current setup as the graph. Only the selected string uses modeled pitch; companion voices use equal temperament, not pure-ratio tuning. An equal-tempered triad can already beat. This does not predict a whole guitar chord.
This alpha is available on Rick Molloy’s site only. It is not included in Lutherie Academy exports or the offline tools ZIP.
Every fret · numeric comparison
| Fret | Current ¢ | Starting ¢ | Change ¢ | Action |
|---|
Intonation Explorer
Explore how one setup adjustment changes modeled fret errors before deciding what to measure on an instrument.
The Intonation Explorer evaluates one string with the existing Guitar Setup engine.
Seeing the same frets before and after an adjustment helps distinguish changes in action from changes in compensation.
- Choose a string, tuning, and scale length.
- Adjust nut height, saddle height, relief, or either contact position.
Compare the fret errors and action readings, then verify the relevant measurements on the instrument. This is not a cutting guide.
Created by Rick Molloy. The physical model follows the Gore and Gilet method implemented in ToneLab’s Guitar Setup engine.