Sgt. Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hey, I topwrapped a studio and liked it! I'm wondering whether winding the tuners up and down while the string is in tune will get the nut slot comfortable? (just don't break the string!) seems like a lot of twisting, but use a string winder. If I lived in an ideal world i'd get a luthier to install a bone nut and everything would be wonderful. but ... so the studios are having tuning instability at the nut when they're new. they're all new at some point ... play the *** off of the thing, use it, abuse it, play it hard! get some wear on that new nut. the breakin period is troublesome somewhat. the new guitar goes out of tune when i play it ... ??? how do i fix it??? i wonder: Do older model Studios go out of tune as often? I noticed the g string pinging when tuned. strings don't return to exact pitch all the time when there's a lot of bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
politicalamity06 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 There is nothing wrong with your guitar. It's not the humidity, or the case (lol, that's a new one), or the truss rod, or the tuners. You are not installing your strings correctly. If your luthier did not explain this to you, I would question his experience no doubt. The problem is a combination of things. Once you understand these and compensate for them, your guitar will stay in tune. First as stated, you must lube the nut(pencil shavings work fine for this). Second, you must lock the string around the post (you tube will show you how). Third, use as little wraps around the tuning post as possible. Fourth, Ernie Ball makes strings that are reinforced at the ball end to prevent the wrap slippage at the stop bar. These are the best strings i have ever used, and assist in helping the guitar achieve rock solid tuning stability. Finally, adjust your intonation AFTER you have stretched your strings. As any string stretches, the intonation changes. You need to make sure your strings are fully stretched or your intonation will be off and you wont play in tune. My les Paul rarely drops out of tune. As a matter of fact, it stays in tune better than my Floyd rose Guitars. I have ZERO tuning issues because I have followed the steps above. Hope you read this, because I know it will help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roryodwyer Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 All, I posted on here a while back about the fact that my Gibson Les Paul Studio wouldn't stay in tune. I ordered it new from my local GC last year. The initial problem was that the G string wouldn't stay in tune after I would play guitar solos. Now, the G, B, and high E strings won't stay in tune when I play guitar solos. I had the guitar set up with my local luthier after I received the guitar. I then had him do a second "set up," after explaining to him that the guitar would not stay in tune. When I got the guitar back the second time (about two to three months ago), it did stay in tune pretty well for a while. Now, it goes out of tune whenever I play it and start bending the G, B, and high E strings. If I were to gig with this guitar, it would be a total embarrassment on stage, as I would have to stop in the middle of songs several times to retune. I'm at the point now where I might just put the guitar up for sale on Craigslist. On the other hand, I'd hate to part with it, after spending so much money on it. What else can I do to keep the guitar in tune? Should I spend more money than I already have to have a new nut installed? Should I replace the stock tuning machines? I would appreciate any help with this ongoing issue. Just saw this post. Didn't bother readingn down through the responses but sound like you need to lube up that nut!!! Big Bends Nut Sauce is a must. Your guitar should always have it on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazytrain513 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 First of all, let me thank you for knowing why he did that. Way too many times I've been asked if I did that to clean them. From about 1982 to 2003 I boiled every set of Ernies I put on every electric guitar of mine before I took it out of the house. If I strung it on Friday and played also on Saturday I'd keep them strings on and use that guitar for next couple rehearsals. Some guitars didn't go out as much so didn't get boiled and strung up as often, my main guitars over twenty years, in two countries and three states, all got boiled strings every time they went out. I wasn't much of a trem bar user, I started boiling back when I had a couple trem'd washburns and an Electra Phoenix I remember, but oddly enough never used my stracaster trems. Still boiled strings for all of them, Mrs has a couple pictures of me over the stove with a boxa Ernies on one side and a pot on the other, Mrlbl in the face and a Heineken in my back pocket. Good times. Then, I retired from gigs and stopped boiling them because if I'm not in tune nobody but the cats will know. We boiled them to stretch them all the way, then when they cooled they shrunkdeded all the way down to shrunked, and couldn't stretch anymore. Only lasted a gig or two, would get really rough and begin oxidizing fast, but stayed in tune. Were fabulous for the first two sets, soft and slinky. I think I wasn't the only guy doing that, there were others, Eddie made it famous, but not, as many still think, for cleaning them. Thanks for reminding me CrazyTrain. rct Anytime rct! It's interesting to here about someone actually trying it out. I've thought about it many times but never really got to the point where I actually felt motivated enough to give it a shot but that's a very interesting account! I think I'm gonna give it a shot in the near future -- btw, Ernie Balls all the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vangoghsear Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 The second is the behevior of tuning "down" to the correct pitch, instead of "up" to the correct pitch. If you are tuning and go too high in pitch, always go back down below the correct pitch and then back up. That way, the worm gear on the head is resting firmly on the gear at the bottom of the shaft. Has the OP responded to this portion of this comment? I have a friend who has played semi-professionally for years and yet he constantly tunes up AND down to find pitch and spends half his gigs tuning after every other song. I've told him as often as I can without overstepping our friendship that he needs to tune upwards only, but he just doesn't grasp the concept. He has a much better ear for tuning than I do, so he hears when it is out and tweaks it up or down. This can have a big effect on tuning stability. In addition to the gearing not being in position to hold, the strings can bind up in the nut and become looser above the nut shift out of tune when pressure is applied when bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Proper Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) I,ve owned many Les Pauls in my time and I had the same issue with all of them (g string won,t stay in tune , you bend it and it goes flat , you play the string open and it goes sharp ) The only way to fix the problem is to get a Les Paul with a floyd rose , I love the sound of the Les Paul but I don,t own one because of this problem . They want $5000 Ca for a Les Paul with a floyd and that is two rich for my blood , So now I play BCR guitars. Edited November 13, 2020 by Chris Proper added more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 10 hours ago, Chris Proper said: I,ve owned many Les Pauls in my time and I had the same issue with all of them (g string won,t stay in tune , you bend it and it goes flat , you play the string open and it goes sharp ) The only way to fix the problem is to get a Les Paul with a floyd rose , I love the sound of the Les Paul but I don,t own one because of this problem . They want $5000 Ca for a Les Paul with a floyd and that is two rich for my blood , So now I play BCR guitars. 1st post on a 8 year old thread. The (G) string problem you describe is binding in the nut. Its quick and easy to fix (translation = quick and easy two fix). You owned 'many Les Pauls' and never figured this out?! A Floyd Rose wont 'fix' anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 right! the reason for the improvement with the FR is the string is locked at the nut. which is ok till one breaks a string, good luck finishing the song if you're working at the time. a properly fitted nut is really the simplest and most effective fix for most. I've got enough gibsons laying around with correctly regulated nuts to know this is true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Proper Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 I always break strings on my guitars until I got a floyd rose , I,ve owned my BC Rich guitar since 2012 and I,ve never broken a string on it and I am a heaver picker , the way the floyd is set up it just won,t break strings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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