Whats your most stay in tune Les Paul?

[jhale]

A Les Paul is hard to beat for most applications. I have a 69 and while it stays in tune pretty good I want another that stays in tune stupid good. Any suggestions? Also will sperzel locking tuners and graphite on nut really make a huge difference? I play pretty hard and bend and vibrato a lot.

 

[C-4]

I have owned a lot of Gibson LP's.
This guitar is the one that stayed in tune the very best of the lot.
No, it's not an LP, but the closest thing to it that I now play. To me it's way beyond the tone ability of a Gibson LP.
I have one with Planet Waves Auto-trim tuners and one with Sperzels, but that is not the only reason this piece stays in tune better. It has a graphite nut, and is impeccibly set up from the factory.

I could keep my Gibsons in tune with the standard Klusons, and found no need to change them out. They were quite stable guitars, but evfen after a hard set on this guitar, when I check the tuning, the drift is so minimal as to be laughable.

Of the 70 or so LP's I have owned, this one was head and shoulders above the rest, including two original 68's. It was the best and most stable LP I have ever owned, but it is not as stable as the guitar above.

 

[Sean French]

Properly cut nut, saddles and stretched strings = a LP that will stay in tune.
Locking tuners do nothing to help a LP keep in tune.

 

[jhale]

C-4 is that a full graphite guitar?

 

[itstooloudMike]

You're going to think this is a strange response, but as someone who has owned at least a dozen different Les Pauls over the last 40 years, I have one that beats them all for staying in tune. It's an Epiphone Les Paul Plustop Pro/FX, with a factory installed Floyd Rose trem. They only made these for a short period, and I bought it more out of curiosity than anything else. I just always wondered what a Les Paul with a Floyd would be like. Since I didn't want to pay $3K or more for an Axcess, I decided the give this Epi a try. Well, let me tell you, it not only plays great, the dang thing holds tune like no other Les Paul I've seen. I can leave it hanging on the wall for a month, pull it down and put it on my strobe tuner, and it's in perfect tune! I can play it for hours, and never make a tuning adjustment. And actually, I'm not much of a trem user. But the trem system is worth having even if you don't use it, just for the tuning stability. And I know what you're going to say, "what about all the tone you lose because of that Floyd". Well, you would be surprised at how little the tone seems to be affected. It sounds full and fat, just like any other Les Paul. I've been very impressed, and I actually didn't think that would be the case. Who knows, I may end up looking for one of those Axcess models, now that I know how great the Floyd LP combination can be.

 

[GCDEF]

All my Gibsons stay in tune really well. None have graphite nuts or locking tuners. Two things make a big difference. Make sure the nut is cut properly and make sure you stretch the strings every time you tune, not just when you change them.

 

[jhale]

Not strange Mike Im open to all ideas.

 

[Aran]

My R9 stays in tune fine. Not sure why others have problems. Maybe the way they string em up?

 

[killer blues]

A Les Paul is hard to beat for most applications. I have a 69 and while it stays in tune pretty good I want another that stays in tune stupid good. Any suggestions? Also will sperzel locking tuners and graphite on nut really make a huge difference? I play pretty hard and bend and vibrato a lot.

that is tough. LP's that tune well have properly cut nuts. That is the long and the short of it. It is all about the luthier's ability here.

 

[Tidewater Custom Shop]

This one. It has Grovers from the '50s and a bone nut that I cut. I also lock-wrap the strings. Beautiful, toneful, and stays in tune!

 

[Peppy]

that is tough. LP's that tune well have properly cut nuts. That is the long and the short of it. It is all about the luthier's ability here.

Exactly. Both of my R0s stay in tune. One needed a "cut nut" (ouch), the other did not. With Les Pauls it's all about the cut of the nut.

 

[DRS]

My 2010 Les Paul stays in great tune. It has a Plek cut nut.

 

[weathertite]

I have 2 Les Pauls at present. A 96 Standard and 98 Florentine. Both stay in tune well except for the G string. Had a Recording in my youth. All seem to go flat on the G string. Never knew why. Just attributed to poor technique on my part.

 

[halcyon]

My only Les Paul, a good 'ol USA Standard, stays in tune REALLY well. The only related change I've made is a bone nut, cut and installed by a professional (not me; I don't do nuts). The tuners are stock Kluson tulips. I use a bit of vaseline on the contact points when I change strings. And of course I stretch 'em good. That's all...

It's rock solid.

 

[Stringrazor]

Don't have any problem staying in tune with my '06 R8.

I use a touch of Big Bends Nut Sauce on all my guitars. Good stuff.

 

[SW33THAND5]

I have never had tuning problems with any properly set-up Gibson. Or any hardtail for that matter. (especially ones without string trees)

 

[JJ321]

I've owned 4 LP's over the years (2 Studios/2 Standards) and haven't had any problems with them staying in tune.

 

[tiktok]

Off-the shelf Gibsons with light strings, I always had tuning problems.

Once I put .011's, and got a properly cut nut, problems pretty much went away. Adding locking tuners to the equation really sealed it.

 

[crgtr]

Don't be a hater, but the one that stays in tune the best is this one...

I just stays in tune all the time. And I've abused it too!

 

[jjp]

This one, and the only one I own: