MapleManiac Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Is it the stock tuners? It's been setup so that's not the problem. I'm thinking of swapping the tuners on my D28 Marquis which I rarely play to my J45. Would that help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 What do you mean it doesn't stay in tune? How often are you having to tweak it? How often are you changing strings? Is it an old guitar? Does it happen constantly or just sometimes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapleManiac Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 What do you mean it doesn't stay in tune? How often are you having to tweak it? How often are you changing strings? Is it an old guitar? Does it happen constantly or just sometimes? It's on 05. It just goes out of tune a lot. More than other acoustics I've owned. It's done it since I got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 What tuners does it have on it? Humidity variations can cause this as well. ...and WELCOME to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NevadaPic Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I have found over the years that the biggest variable in a guitar not staying in tune is strings. Strings don't last forever, in fact, they don't last very long at all. Coated strings seem to last longer depending upon the amount of playing time on them but after a couple of weeks of daily playing even the best of coated strings are shot. Furthermore, short scale guitars seem to be more sensitive to string age in my experience. It seems like challenges with intonation are greater with short scale guitars as well. Pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapleManiac Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 I'm not sure what the tuners are. What were they in 2005? Grovers? And it's not the strings. This happens even when the strings are new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Strings actually go out of tune most when brand new: they stretch out and go flat. OK, let's ask some questions. Where does the guitar live? Do you keep it in a case? Leave it out? What's the situation in the places where you keep and play it? Are they air conditioned? Heated? Is there a draft? Is the humidity very constant or does it change a lot? What kind of playing are you doing? Quiet fingerpicking? Heavy strumming? Shredding? Blues with note bending? When it goes out of tune, what actually happens? Use a tuner to bring it back in tune and tell us what you had to do (i.e. every string was flat, or some were sharp some flat, or two strings are always the problem, etc.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Also, what string brand and gauge are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapleManiac Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 I'm positive it's none of those factors. It's kept in its case when I'm not using it. I normally use D'Addario EJ16's because they stay in tune the best, IMO. The point is I have owned and currently own other acoustics with all the same other factors involved and they all stay in tune better than my J45. Either it's the tuners or I have a lemon that won't stay in tune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I guess you don't need to ask us then, do you? I have 6 Gibson guitars. None have this problem. There are people here who own dozens; they don't report this problem. So if you want us to help you have to stop saying it just goes out of tune and give us more info. As I asked above: precisely what goes wrong with the tuning? Also how long have you had it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Hmmmm.... I'm thinking the tuners on a 2005 J-45 shouldn't be going on it. If all other factors are the same (humidity, strings, etc) the only other thing that popped into my head is the nut..... are the strings sticking a bit at the nut? Swapping out the tuners is a relatively drastic step if it's just something small. I'm wondering if you have tried using some sort of lubricant on the nut? Either graphite or Big Bends Nuts Sauce? It's really hard to tell. Maybe a trip back to the set-up guy might be an idea. Oh, one more thing.... did you swap out the bridge pins at some point? I wonder if the string ends aren't seated in there properly and moving around when you play it? Really, I'm just guessing at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 One last thought. Do the tuners have a tension screw on the buttons? If so have you turned it? Are the tuners very loose? (Even if the tension screw is loose, the guitar should still stay in tune but it becomes easier to turn the button by accident.) Also, get the guitar out and look at the tuners from the back. What name do you see on them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Like Karen says, check the nut. Also, are they slipping on the tuner posts? How hard do you bang out a song? I have actually beat mine out of tune before!!! Sometimes you really get into it, ya know! All we can really do is wonder what's going on. Alot of things to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonCarlos Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Maybe have the neck checked. Also one thing I have noticed is that when you put your full weight on the guitar's hip with your forearm you can hear the notes bend. I have never had a guitar so sensitive to how it was held, so I am adjusting how I hold the J45. But my J45 stays in tune, it has Grover Roto's. Good Luck I hope you find the answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnt Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Do you know I have this problem with my 1979 Norlin J45. I have owned it for 26 years and over that time I have 1. experimented with string guages 2.Reset the neck 3.Refitted the strap button 4.Added a strap button on the treble side of the neck. 5.Added a pickup 6.changed the machine heads to Waverly Z3355 Turbos. 7.Changed the stock nut to fossilised bobcat tooth, then to Fred Galoshes and back again. 8.Changed the saddle to Tyrannosaurus rex left testicle bone , then to right testicle bone then to Fred Galoshes and back again. 9.Changed the pins to the big toe bone of a giant sloth, then to a tooth from the shark in original Jaws movie, handcrafted by the actual butcher in the High Street in Amity then to Fred Galoshes and back again. After all this effort, time and expense I have finally worked out why my guitar sounds out of tune I can't play the flippin thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acousticat Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Do you know I have this problem with my 1979 Norlin J45. I have owned it for 26 years and over that time I have 1. experimented with string guages 2.Reset the neck 3.Refitted the strap button 4.Added a strap button on the treble side of the neck. 5.Added a pickup 6.changed the machine heads to Waverly Z3355 Turbos. 7.Changed the stock nut to fossilised bobcat tooth' date=' then to Fred Galoshes and back again. 8.Changed the saddle to Tyrannosaurus rex left testicle bone , then to right testicle bone then to Fred Galoshes and back again. 9.Changed the pins to the big toe bone of a giant sloth, then to a tooth from the shark in original Jaws movie, handcrafted by the actual butcher in the High Street in Amity then to Fred Galoshes and back again. After all this effort, time and expense I have finally worked out why my guitar sounds out of tune I can't play the flippin thing![/quote'] Now thats funny mate. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenno Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 It's difficult to diagnose this kind of thing on a forum. Definitely bring your guitar to a reputable, experienced guitar tech. You may just need a truss rod tweak. Or it could be a dud. If it turns out to be the tuners, I'd be surprised. The best practices I espouse on keeping a guitar in tune: put your strings on correctly; tune *up* to your target pitch (i.e., detune to below your target pitch, then tighten). The second one seems (to me) to be especially important with Grovers; they seem to give more "slack" when detuning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsc Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Does the J-45 have a Historic sticker on the back of the head stock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 That reminded me of the guy who claimed to the high heavens he spent thousands on a very top shelf guitar, but for some reason it always sounded like crap to him. When I asked him what his background was and what he played, he said...Drums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnt Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Now thats funny mate. cheers Pleasure Sal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapleManiac Posted May 9, 2009 Author Share Posted May 9, 2009 You guys are funny. It must be user error? I'm certainly no guitar genius but the point is I've owned other guitars and they don't go out of tune. The tuners are very loose feeling. Is there a way I can tighten them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson101 Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 The tuners on my '05 J-45 RW are sloppy to say the least. The guitar does seem to stay in tune though. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Do all of the strings go out of tune or could it be that the intonation on a string(s) is not perfect? For instance, on my J-45 I cannot tune the low E to a perfect E tone on my tuner. If I do, the guitar does not sound like it is in tune. I have to fret the low E string at the 3rd fret and tune it to my open G string and then the guitar sounds fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert plays a SG? Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Johnt! You are crazy hahahahaha!! MapleManiac: 1. We don't know where you live BUT the thing is you say you got other guitars that stay tuned... Are they made out mostly of maple or you got some made out mostly of mahogany? Because mahogany is very sensitive, it might react a lot in the spring, especially when compared with other stiffer, harder woods (like maple...). I'd wait a few more weeks before considering big modifications. 2. Those tuners feel very loose and at first I thought about changing them. But after some test and a few inquiries, they do a superb job! So don't worry if they feel loose, just tighten'em up! Ok, voilà! Have a good day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcorner Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I wouldn't swap the Marquis tuners - leave them on the Martin and try something else on the J45. Take the guitar to a good luthier. Tell him the problems and get it fixed or adjusted. You say that you had it set up, but that doesn't necessarily mean the person who set it up did a perfect job. It sounds to me like your truss rod is slack and the neck is drifting forward and back, so have it checked out by a new person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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