Most common reason a guitar will not stay in tune

[edwarddavis]

I have a few guitars that I have a hard time staying in tune,
Do string brands matter , Nut , any ifo would be great

 

[Caretaker]

If it has cheap tuners, that would be first. Then the nut. Then the nut playing it. Most likely the nut.

 

[edwarddavis]

reading about bends nut sauce any users opinions, was gonna give it a try,
these guitars are not cheapos , good tuners etc .Player does have serious issues though , hes way out of tune .

 

[Caretaker]

reading about bends nut sauce any users opinions, was gonna give it a try,
these guitars are not cheapos , good tuners etc .Player does have serious issues though , hes way out of tune .

Before buying any "products", just take the point of a pencil and scrape a little graphite into the slots and see if it works. This can be messy but it`s cheap. If it works then go get the cleaner version.

 

[HoboMan]

I have a 61 SG/Les Paul with the old sideways vibrola. I could not get it to stay in tune but I didn't want to remove the original vibrola.
It already had nice shaller tuning pegs on it.
Just for the heck of it I replaced the bridge and problem solved.

 

[Rosewood]

Nut is the main cause provided the strings are in good condition and are stretched out. Tunning gears are rarely the cause unless really bad. Nut has to be cut correctly and out of the right material and lubricated.

 

[David Collins]

The nut being cut properly and the strings being wrapped suitably on the tuners are the biggest causes. As Rosewood said, it is very very rare that I find tuners themselves to be at fault - maybe one in a hundred guitars, if even that often.

 

[maccampbells]

#1 cause would be old strings.

 

[Dana Olsen]

Hey Edward - I agree with Rosewood and David, the nut is the primary source of tuning probs.

That said, what kind of guitars and what string gauges? Strats have their own issues what with string trees, and the way the strings are wrapped around the tuners and the way the trem is set up.

As everybody here is implying, it's better to cut the nut slots right than to just pour lubricating products in the slots. Once the slots are right, then a little graphite should make it nice and slippery.

We all know that guitars are all individual. What solves the tuning prob on one guitar will not necessarily solve it on your others, but in general, if you have tuning probs, most techs will look at the nut first. That doesn't mean the nut will be the problem on all your guitars, but it's where most folks would start looking to solve tuning probs.

There's also the bridge, as HoboMan wrote, and the stud anchors for the bridge, cheap tuners, broken or bent tuners, break angles .... The nut's a good place to start looking.

Dana O.

 

[in a little row]

Hey Edward - I agree with Rosewood and David, the nut is the primary source of tuning probs.

That said, what kind of guitars and what string gauges?

The nut's a good place to start looking.

Dana O.

Nuts, yes, usually...but if your necks not straight and frets are not in proper condition, new nut wont fix it...im thinking mostly along the lines of acoustics here, and a lifting top, screwy neck and bridge issues all play in to this as well...

j

 

[in a little row]

Player does have serious issues though , hes way out of tune .

http://rebelyellwhiskey.com/home.html



j:AOK

 

[RvChevron]

If the guitar has a trem, don't forget to lube where the string contacts, saddles, and bridge plate....etc.

 

[getbent]

was not in tune to begin with (intonation)

 

[edwarddavis]

thanks guys, , these guitars do not have cheap tuners and bridges, probably the nut or maybe the way I put te strings on these guitars.
One is a tele type bridge and the other is a tone pro with wrap around and separate string intonation. The intonation is ok when its in tune but the tuning goes out more than I like . I strech the crap out of the strings when I put them on and a week after too. I think its probably the nut , I can hear the little clink when I tune them. i will try lube first and take it from there. I dont know any good guitar techs and better off not foolin with the nut .
thanks

 

[EADGBE]

#1 cause would be old strings.

Yep. My thoughts exactly. Old or a bad brand of strings won't intonate properly. Partly because of inconsistencies in their diameter. I like GHS the best. Also worn out tremolo springs can cause tuning problems.

 

[edwarddavis]

lol, not on a trem guitar but I do feel the same way you do. I think out of all my guitar I have one trem and the bar has never been inserted . I have had a few trem guitars and never use them. Not worth the trouble. could never figure out the trem attraction . The bigsby on a guitar really makes my wonder why any one would have a big thing like that , that you probably never use and it makes you guitar go out of tune.
But hey thats just my 2 cents.