Tuning Issues

[crushing day]

Just thought i'd post this here, as i deal with this scenario a lot.

'my current tuners don't hold tune very well'.

'my guitars tuners are crap, what should i change them to'.

Ok, so some super cheap tuners slip and don't hold tune very well, but the majority do, even economy models. But when i get emails about replacing Gotoh's and Schaller's..

it leads me to the question,

Q: Do the majority of guitar players actually know how to tune their guitar properly?, or are they blaming their tuning (in)ability and string winding technique on the tuning machines?.

I learnt a few simple techniques on tuning when i was starting out, and i rarely have major tuning issues, even with cheaper model tuners.

- Stretch your new strings out properly
- Always tune up to a note

These 2 steps alone can see me put a fresh set of strings on before a gig, and then only make minor adjustments throughout the night.

Of course there may be other issues like strings binding on the nut, and knackered worn tuners, but i'm interested in anyone elses thoughts on the tuning issue. Do you have constant problems with tuning stability?

[druz15]

I have problems with the G on my LP Junior and Gretsch, I think it's something to do with the angled headstock

[ash]

Cutting to the chase - it's almost NEVER the tuners.

Machineheads use a worm gear mechanism which is a one-way system. They don't slip, they can't slip.

What they can do is 'backlash' and the solution to that is to always tune "up". Most of us already know this and every "how to tune" manual probably says it.

Other things:

~ Terrible string winding technique
~ Crappy old strings
~ Fresh strings not stretched properly
~ Binding in the nut slots or saddles
~ Extra steep headstock angle (like Les Pauls which are reknoned for being crappy at tuning stability)
~ Short scale lengths with light strings (Brian May excepted, he has a PhD in Physics)
~ Unreasonable expectations about how in-tune a guitar can be

If someone has problems with tuning on Schallers and Gotohs, it's either the nut or the user.

[slash-ed]

I have Floyds.

[rocklander]

- Stretch your new strings out properly
- Always tune up to a note

this is what I was taught too... most of my guitars are hard tails so tuning is not 'usually' an issue for me.

[ash]

I have problems with the G on my LP Junior and Gretsch, I think it's something to do with the angled headstock

Plain G-strings are always the worst as they are the stiffest string on a guitar, so any given mechanical change (be it moving the tuner, bending or the neck expanding) results in a greater change in pitch than other strings. It's more sensitive.

This also applies to intonation matters, so pressing the string down onto the fretboard makes the G sharper than the others. Half the time when people tell me they're having trouble keeping their guitar in tune, they're actually talking about intonation problems which could stem from the guitar being fundamentally an imperfect system, their own death-grip, tuning to harmonics, or other user-errors rather than anything to do with the machine heads.

[Lyle]

I always find I get intonation issues if I stretch the strings out, but it seems to be just me.

[jeremyb]

I have Floyds.

Locking nuts are awesome

[sty]

stretching strings is definitely the biggest cause of problems for me. If I don't stretch new strings then it takes a while for them to become stable, hence I always stretch strings.

my technique for stretching strings could do with some work though, I never feel I've done it right and I always worry about busting some hardware no matter how careful I try to be. I'm very tentative with the high E string though, I've a nasty habit of busting 9s so I'm sure I don't stretch these enough.

A couple of years ago I took the time to find out a proper way to actually wind the string onto the tuner and I think thats made a big difference as well. For the record I do the first turn over the string and the remaining turns under the string ideally for a couple of turns, so the string going through the tuner peg is trapped tightly and held in place - is this right?

[Lyle]

Oh, on my floyd rose I thread the strings backwards. So the end with the ball thing goes through the hole in the machineheads, then I clamp the other end at the bridge.

Are there any issues doing this?

[twistedthoughts]

This is a good video for restringing technique.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGLMy6DbpBc[/youtube]

[slash-ed]

Oh, on my floyd rose I thread the strings backwards. So the end with the ball thing goes through the hole in the machineheads, then I clamp the other end at the bridge.

Are there any issues doing this?

Yes - you end up with a rainbow of retarded looking string ends on the loose, waiting to give you tetanus... in the eyeball.

[ash]

For the record I do the first turn over the string and the remaining turns under the string ideally for a couple of turns, so the string going through the tuner peg is trapped tightly and held in place - is this right?

That's what I do.

There are better self-locking methods, but I find them highly annoying to undo.

[Lyle]

Theres no loose string ends poking my eyes. Headstock looks like this (if my phone lets me post images)

[sty]

This is a good video for restringing technique.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGLMy6DbpBc[/youtube]

Thanks for posting that video, I'm going to stick with my one turn over and the rest under (which is a development of what he shows anyway), but what was useful is that I now know to use three fingers width on the string - up till now I've always guessed it. He also shows a demo of string stretching which was very useful, I suspect I've been a little harder than that, but I was holding the string down at the nut end with my spare hand.