caulkhead Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 That info about the G string is brilliant - can't believe I've been around guitars for years and never heard that before! Tuning wise, the fix for me and my sheraton II was Grover 18:1 locking tuners, graph-tech black tusq nut and a graph-tech reso-max tune-o-matic bridge with graphite saddles. I can abuse the hell out of the guitar now and it never seems to go out of tune. I can play a two hour rehersal and the tuning is still spot on at the end. I'm no thrasher but this still impressed the hell out of me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timandbob Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Great thread and fabulous links and info. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ned_predgrupa Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Hey there, well, I'm new on this forum this is my first post and it's on my most "painfull" topic : intonation and tuning. I have extremely bad experience with intonation and tuning which involved my Jackson PS1. To make long story short, I decided to purchase new guitar and hopefuly get rid of these problems. I have tried hundreds of guitars (was very sceptical about Epiphones in general) but nothing seemed to work for me. Few weeks ago I went to a Gibson/Epiphone store and salesman was insisting that I try Epiphone Les Paul Custom (Arctic White). Well, I've tried it - and I bought it. Sound is awesome but I have changed strings gauge on it to .10-.46 and I have to intonate guitar. Are those saddle-screws on crapy place or is it just me? I mean, to reach them I simply have to scratch some "gold" off of my custom bridge :(... Anyway, I have bumped into this topic now and I see there are many things that can be done (nuts, tuners...) in order to improve tuning stability and intonation....not that it's that bad on my LP now but hey, any improvement is more than welcome I'll inform you of any improvements and sorry if I bother some of you with p.m. for some help ... bye peace....ned @RobinTheHood : we also have Epiphone Thunderbird IV bass - never ever goes out of tune! Really, my bass player takes absolutely no care of this one, leave it in open, in damp places, puts it on the floor (string facing floor)....nothing. absolutely. I'm also amazed by this....especialy when I take in consideration my never-ending struggle with tuning... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoop Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 What I suggest you to is make yourself a little tool for adjusting the saddle screws. Simply take an old screwdriver if you have one, one you don't use anymore of the appropriate size. Put it in a vice and bend it just above where it tapers to form the tip of the screwdriver. If you bend it 90 degrees, you can access the saddle screws from the side. It's a little bit primative and awkward, but saddle screws on a Tune-O-Matic bridge don't seem to take much effort to move, so it doesn't work too bad. It may be a bit tedious at times, but it's a small price to pay to set it the intonation right. Just be sure to get a screwdriver long enough so you can reach into the inner most screws, the D and G string sadlles I personally have never bothered to get the intonation completely perfect on my Les Paul or my new SG. I've adjusted it to be close, but it's not perfect. I set my Strat and Tele up perfect because they were a lot easier to adjust, and I'd just learned how to adjust the intonation on a guitar correctly, so I was experimenting in a way. I simply play in my own home, for my own enjoyment, so super perfect intonation isn't as important to me as it would be for those who regularly play in a band and what not. I've checked and found both my guitars fitted with Tune-O-Matic bridges to have pretty good intonation without any adjustment. I'm not too concerned about bone or graphite nuts either. If it ain't broke, why fix it? The thing I've found to have the most impact on whether my guitars stay in tune, is the gear ratio of the tuners themselves. My old SG had 14:1 ratio tuners, and although it stayed in tune reasonably well, my new SG definitely stays in tune a lot better, as it has 18:1 tuners I believe. I'm sure most here know, but for anyone who doesn't, 18:1 means that 18 turns of the tuner will rotate the string post through one full rotation, whereas 14:1 means 14 turns will rotate the string post through one full rotation. Therefore, any movement that may occur in the tuners is going to be much less severe with the 18:1 tuners, as they are a lot finer, and require a greater number of turns to move the same distance as a 14:1 tuner. They're a lot more precise when tuning to pitch as well. As others have mentioned, it's always a good idea to make sure that the screws and nuts holding the tuners in the headstock are firm. And of course your stringing method. I personally wind my strings around the post before threading them, grasping the end with pliers, pulling the string through, then tuning until there is enough tension to prevent the string from slipping. I usually wrap the wound strings, E, A, D around twice before threading them, and the non wound strings, G, B, E, three times. I always have the coils below the hole if possible (sometimes it doesn't quite go according to plan, but still works nevertheless). I string 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3. It may or may not be technically correct, but it works well for me. Then I tune them to pitch in the same order, repeat once or twice, play for a bit, then retune. By this point they stay pretty consistent. I've taken to using DR strings, and because of the method used to wind these strings, and the amount of material in them, they require no stretching other than what I just mentioned, bed in, and hold their pitch very quickly. Even with other strings I've used, I never stretched them, I just let them bed in naturally over time and with playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ned_predgrupa Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Well, I am currently working on an "adapter" which could be easily assembled onto a standard screwdriver which would help moving thos screws. If I manage to make it as I plan I'll post some pictures here. However, this has confused me : on this video (around 0:45) you can see that screws are on the oposite side of the bridge, and therefore much easier to acces! I was wondering if it possible to rotate the bridge for 180 degrees and you would have them in that position. After some visual inspection, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't do this but hey, I bought this one just 3 weeks ago, and I have few concerts to play in the following weeks so I don't want to mess it up imediately . I would have to check which tuners are on my LP Custom (ratio vise) but I am conisdering purchase of better ones (if necesary) and probably a change of nut or trying a suggested trick with graphite pen. peace...ned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 as AJ98 said......if all else fails, go to Super Rotomatics with the 18/1 gear ratio...... not only will they "hold tune" better under aggressive bending, they also make "fine tuning" a much easier process. I play a lot of Blues, and some Funk, and even worse, I "pull" my bends rather than push them, I know, i'm "challenged" but i've found that I can better control insanely aggressive bends this way.... and the 18/1's don't slip, even under MY fingers. Notice my screen name........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmikatt Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I have always rotated my bridge 180 on my guitars with this type of bridge without any problems. just makes the screws much easier to get at for setting up the intonation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostInThe60sTonight Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Just looking for some tips to try here . . . Biggest problem I have with any guitar that costs less than $1000 is slippage of tuning. So far some tips I know that work: 1. If you do not have a graphite or bone nut, use graphite powder (or pencil point shavings) in the plastic nut under the strings. 2. If you do not have a graphite or bone nut, get one installed. 3. Make sure the screws on the tuning pegs are tightened. 4. If you do not use a tremolo, don't have one. Does anyone have anything else to try out? I've had my nut replaced and it's pretty good now, but sometimes my 'G' string in particular seems to creep on me. I wonder why that one string? The guitar is new and has Grover tuners. Did I get a bad tuner? I've made sure the screw is tight . . . I've had a couple of people who use a tremolo a lot tell me it is very important with any new set of strings to be sure the strings are stretched BEFORE you start playing, especially with the trem. String -'em and bend them up and down the neck. This relieves the stress in the new strings and makes the return to intonation from the trem dip a lot more likely. Oh, and having played a classical, where you might have to retune after just about every song (or set), retuning is no big deal to me, especially with electronic tuners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I've had a couple of people who use a tremolo a lot tell me it is very important with any new set of strings to be sure the strings are stretched BEFORE you start playing, especially with the trem. String -'em and bend them up and down the neck. This relieves the stress in the new strings and makes the return to intonation from the trem dip a lot more likely. That is pretty much the rule for any steel (or bronze) string guitar. The strings have an excess of elasticity when new and need to be stretched out a bit. They are going to stretch whether you want them to or not, so its best to do it before playing on a new set. And sometimes they still need a little time to settle after that. That is one of the reasons that I dont like Slinky's very much. After stretching and settling, they feel dead to me. Now, I dont mind playing on old strings, but when they are new, I want them to feel new. Man, this thread is old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Great article. I actually just ordered a set of Pyramid flat wounds for the Riv and I see they have a wound 3rd string. I like the tone so far but want to see if these will get me a little closer to that early Beatles sound. I know part of it is the Casino ( and a lot of it is the player ) but part is also the strings and the Pups so we will see how it works out. -Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.