"never stays in tune"

[unreal77]

Hi my friends:

 

I sometimes hear people go like this and they sell their guitars.

 

What I want to know is:

 

 

Is there a moment where really there is no solution to this?

 

No new tuners, or nut? change the bridge perhaps?

 

 

Let me know because my question is about a 12 string...

 

I want to get one that sometimes can be a hit or miss and maybe that issue of tuning can be fixed. right?

 

Please help.

[rpach10115]

How many times are you winding the string around the tuners? If you don't do enough wraps around the tuner peg, the string may slip. Try using sandpaper on the post where the string wraps arounf to roughen up the surface to give the string more abrasion so it won't slip.

 

Have ypou tried any of the aftermarket silicone treatments on the nut? Use graphite or a "nut sauce" to allow the free travel over the nut. Also, make sure the cutout's on the nut allow the free travel of the string back and forth.

 

What do the saddles on the bridge look like? Are they smooth or rough? Use the same remedy for the bridge that you use on the nut. Make sure that the string can travel over the bridge with minimal griding if you have a tremolo.

 

The string anchors at the tailpiece, so that can't be the problem.

[brianh]

Three basic issues AFAIK:

 

1. String slippage due to poor tuners, incorrect string installation, or sticking nuts.

2. Intonantion not set up properly.

3. Bridges that don't provide any intonation adjustments.

 

No. 1 and 2 can be solved fairly easily by almost anyone with access to a PC or a good setup book from the library.

 

No. 3 requires the ability to change out the bridge, which depending on the guitar may need to be handled by a pro.

 

Post some pics of the headstock and bridge of the guitar for more detailed responses....

[coolcarl]

Watch the following video! This guy knows guitars. Once I started stringing my guitars this way I never had a tuning problem again. Seriously!

 

[charlie brown]

Well..."Never" is often over-used. Provided you follow the tips already stated, and there's nothing

wrong with your guitar, construction wise (weak neck joint, twisted neck, broken truss rod, etc.)....

the tuning will still vary, a bit, with just normal temp/(epecially)humidity changes. At least, on instruments

made of wood. That's all quite normal...IMHO.

 

CB

[RSDx]

Sounds as though he has his eyes on a guitar being sold as "not holding tune"...... ?????? Unsure, but might sound that way if read that way As stated by CB, if there's nothing structurally wrong with the guitar (warped/twisted neck, bad neck joint, whatever), then tuning issues can be overcome routinely. Improper string winding or faulty nut slot filing are the major culprits, imho. I've never, in my 44 years of playing, run across tuners that I would blame for tuning problems...honestly !!!

 

Let me know because my question is about a 12 string...

 

I want to get one that sometimes can be a hit or miss and maybe that issue of tuning can be fixed. right?

 

Please help.

 

 

[RobinTheHood]

I've never' date=' in my 44 years of playing, run across tuners that I would blame for tuning problems...honestly !!!

[/quote']

 

I have. On my Johnson strat. They would absolutely not hold tune unless I strung the strings upside down...over instead of under. You just havent played enough crappy guitars lol.

[Figstrum]

Tu crees que es la tension del brazo que a lo mejor no te deja que se quede afinada. A lo mejor necesitas un ajuste a la barilla de tension en el brazo.

[RSDx]

You just havent played enough crappy guitars lol.

[biggrin] This could be...LOL

[snookelputz]

You must also consider that some people have an "ear" that just doesn't hear octaves properly, giving tons of problems with tuning a 12-string.

[Notes_Norton]

No guitar stays in tune. I apologize if the rest covers territory you are already familiar with......

 

There are things you cannot control like temperature that actually changes tension of the strings and properties of the wood.

 

You have to tune it up every time you pick it up - period.

 

Then we have the things you can control, which were covered by previous posters so won't repeat them -- with this exception. Pencil lead graphite in the nut works great, no need to use "nut sauce". Every time you change your strings, put some lead graphite in the slots. Unless your nut is cut incorrectly, it should be enough to stop the binding.

 

But you MUST tune it up every time you pick it up, and if you should jar the guitar while playing it (like tapping the headstock against a microphone - the number 1 cause of my guitar going out of tune on the gig), you need to re-tune it.

 

If you play a guitar out of tune, you will never train your ears to hear properly.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ?

[Dave]

I sometimes leave my guitar in the case from Sunday to Sunday after playing at church and check the tuning and its within a cent or so from last week. That's the exception, but it happens. Good strings, properly stretched and wound will hold tune on a good guitar pretty closely. It depends on the guitar, though.

 

On a set neck guitar with a hard tail bridge, it's usually tuner slippage, sticky nut, or bridge movement that creates a tuning change, provided the strings are pre-stretched. Bolt-on neck guitars are notorious for neck movement if the screws aren't tight. And then there is the whammy bar problem which is a completely different ball game...

 

I'll never forget sitting in one afternoon at an outdoor concert with a friend's band. I used the 2nd lead player's Strat and started a solo in the first song. I bent the 2nd string about 3 semi-tones and after that it was way out of tune. The 1st string popped when I bent it, leaving me with 4 strings I could play until I got a chance to tune between songs. He had just put on new strings and didn't stretch them. Good thing it was a hard tail. There's lots to be said for having your own axe when you sit in. (grin).