Re: Pono UL4-10 baritone uke/tenor guitar - intonation issues
Intonation can vary with the diameter and composition of the strings you use. If the instrument's designed to be tuned one way, and you put different strings on it and tune it differently, you may find the intonation inaccurate.
And, with a fixed bridge, your capacity for adjusting the intonation is limited. Consistent "sharping" is sometimes associated with too-high action, as the strings are stretched more when pressed to the fretboard, so you could try lowering the action and see if that helps. Do all the strings "sharp" equally? If it's more of a problem on some strings, a compensated bridge saddle may help. However, if what you're getting is significant mis-intonation across all four strings, you may have to remake or relocate the bridge if you plan to keep it in octave mandolin tuning.
I could get a bit snarky and suggest you get an OM, but that's really unfair. I have encountered other cases of players having difficulty when they try to set up instruments to be other than what they were designed for –– mandolin in ukulele tuning (or vice versa), mandolin in guitar tuning, tenor guitar as mandocello, etc. The evident advantage of the standard mandolin floating bridge/tailpiece set-up, with its ample opportunity for adjustment, shows up when you're dealing with a fixed-bridge instrument such as your Pono.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
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