Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

[theodie]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

Thanks to each of you for your input. I brought the Hamer in today to a local shop for a setup (never used them before). I asked the tech about whether a new nut would be beneficial and he didn't seem too enthused about cutting a new one... he did show me how there was no angle to the nut slots though. He did a truss rod adjustment while I was there and I need to call him tomorrow to check on the rest. Is there a great difference between the cheap plastic stock nut and a bone or graphite etc. nut?

As long as the slots are prepared properly, you should have no need for another nut. Yeah, graphite is a bit more slippery but, they are not required unless you do alot of them use. Bone and graphite will have a slightly different tone also.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

As long as the slots are prepared properly, you should have no need for another nut. Yeah, graphite is a bit more slippery but, they are not required unless you do alot of them use. Bone and graphite will have a slightly different tone also.

Nut material is important for more than just tuning stability. It's an important ingredient in creating the natural tone of your guitar. I would change a plastic nut to bone, tusq, or graph-tech immediately. MHO, of course.

 

[GuitarSandwich]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

I've seen loads of them fail; fall apart, core wires pull through wraps, top strings get jammed between the pin and the inside of the post...

They are the most ridiculous design that anyone has ever wasted some beautiful engineering work on.

I have to agree with this. Those Sperzels are just crap. The only thing worse is the Grover which are now made in Taiwan. Junk, utter junk.

Get some Gotohs or if you really want quality get Schaller. The Tone Pros are suposed to be good, but I've neverr seen them in person.

 

[GuitarSandwich]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

Nut material is important for more than just tuning stability. It's an important ingredient in creating the natural tone of your guitar. I would change a plastic nut to bone, tusq, or graph-tech immediately. MHO, of course.

Graph tech IS plastic.

 

[theodie]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

Nut material is important for more than just tuning stability. It's an important ingredient in creating the natural tone of your guitar. I would change a plastic nut to bone, tusq, or graph-tech immediately. MHO, of course.

I am a luthier, dont you think I know that???? BTW, I did mention it changes tone a bit, read the whole post/thread next time! The author of this thread was asking the question in reguard to tuning stability! If you are happy with the tone and it has a plastic nut, who cares, leave it as is!

 

[theodie]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

I have to agree with this. Those Sperzels are just crap. The only thing worse is the Grover which are now made in Taiwan. Junk, utter junk.

Get some Gotohs or if you really want quality get Schaller. The Tone Pros are suposed to be good, but I've neverr seen them in person.

+1, Sperzels are crap compared to Schaller!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

Sperzels = a $60 solution to a $25 problem......a proper setup.

I think if it weren't for the fact that people don't understand that guitars at the store need a final setup, Sperzel wouldn't even exist. Personally, I think they suck the resonance out of a headstock, and I'll never own another guitar that has them. For example, if you replaced a Fender neck that has Sperzels with an identical neck that has Kluson vintage tuners, the guitar with low mass vintage tuners would sound better, because the energy wouldn't be getting dampened by big lug nutz on the tuners. It's arguable, because some people say it's good for sustain or non locking trems, but there's a reason $3000 guitars almost never use locking tuners. Because the builders know better.

 

[Pick_n_grin]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

I just came home from picking up my guitar from the shop. Boy, was this a disappointing experience. The tech seemed nice enough. He explained how he adjusted the tension in the neck, cut the nut slots, cut the side of the nut to angle it better, adjusted the intonation, oiled the (rosewood) fingerboard, etc.
So I briefly played it to try the action and to see how the tuning stability was.
Granted, they are new strings, but it holds tuning as well as it did before. The worst part was his attempt at explanation. He didn't say that the problem was that the strings are new... he said that it should stay in tune now, and if not...(he didn't really complete the sentence). When I talked about the Sperzels, he tried to explain that locking tuners are made only for quick string changes. I told him that I know people who use them for, uh, holding the guitar in tune well, and he said that's not what they're for and that 'they are good tuners' but that they are made for quick string changes on stage. (I suspect the previous poster may agree with this?).

When I asked him how much I owe him (the strings were my own), he said how about $15. When I initially phoned his shop to ask for setup rate, I was told $40. At first I felt badly giving him only $15, but considering that I was not satisfied with the result OR the explanation, I thanked him and gave him the small amount that he asked for. I'm stretching the strings now... think this will solve the problem?

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

Stretch the heck out of the strings. If that doesn't work, change your name to pick Pick_n_Frown.

 

[Pick_n_grin]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

LOL Pick_n_frown. I should add that the treble strings are winding up sharp at times (I told the tech while I was still in his shop, as it was still happening). Still stretching....

 

[PoorMan]

Re: Hamer not staying in tune even with Sperzels

Stretch the strings. If it's going sharp it sounds like it's hanging up at the nut.