How do you stay in tune?

M

mtranmusic

New member
Okay other than locking nuts and locking tuners what methods do you use to stay in tune? Bare with me here, I noticed that if the strings change temperature they will go out of tune (cause metal expands and contracts due to temperature). So I give the strings a good play in period before any show, I tune the guitar with an Eric Johnsonish method and I keep the strings warm by continually playing them. So they don't change temperature. And this method (which sounds absolutely ridiculous) works really well for me. I play a strat and check my tuning after every song. It stays in tune really well. Am I just paranoid or what?
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

I tune before the show, wait for the guitar to warm up, and tune again. Then I start the set.

I check my tuning maybe two or three times during a set, but for the most part it's never a problem. My guitars are very stable and have been set up correctly, so they stay in tune.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

When you restring stretch the strings several times while tuning initially. After that, when you go to a gig or out of the house or whatnot, get there early and let the guitar acclimate to the place then tune. You should always be fine unless you have some serious issues with your guitar or you are bending your neck constantly like Michael Schenker.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

I make sure my guitar is set up very well.

I have a regular ol' plastic nut which I intend to replace sometime soon, and a non-locking bridge, and non locking tuners. But it's set up immaculately, so when it does go out, it barely does, and that's only when doing aggressive bends and whammy stuff. I tune after songs that involve either crazy bends or whammy, and if i'm not playing those songs, then I most likely will not need to tune between songs.

Setup, setup, setup!
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

I may not be remembering correctly but i read at one time EVH oiled/lubed the nut and bridge to keep it in tune because he used the whammy bar so much. don't know if this really worked. This was pre-floyd rose with the charvel's he use to play.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

Tune up at sound check, again once set up and again just before we start. I use an in line tuner that auto mutes every now and then or if I hear something untoward going on. Other than that, I just try to maintain a decent level of set up.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

I just tune every few weeks.
I check before each service, but I seem to always be in tune.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

How do I stay in tune? I cheat and use a double-locking tremolo. Hard to be a a properly set up double locking setup for tuning stability.That said, the biggest things I found have been already mentioned in this thread, but I'll go over them anyway.

When installing new strings, stretch them. New strings that have just been taken out of the envelope and put under tension will stretch a bit before they settle. If the strings are stretching while you're playing, you'll have a hell of a time to trying to keep the guitar's tuning stable. I'll put on a string, tune it to pitch, then pull up on it nice and hard to stretch it. You don't want to pull so hard that you snap the string, but a nice strong pull ensures that any stretching the string is going to do is going to happen right then and there. So I'll put on the G string, tune it to pitch, give it a good stretch, check the tuning and discover the pitch has dropped down to a flat E#. I tune back up and repeat until the string no longer goes more than 20 or so cents off pitch from stretching. Sometimes I break a string anyway during string changes, but that's part of why I buy spare strings. Doing it this way does take a bit longer, but at it does help with keeping tuning stable.

Another thing I'll do is when it is time for a show or a rehearsal, is show up early and bring my guitar inside first thing. This minimizes the time the guitar spends in the car, which is usually much hotter or colder than indoors, minimizing the temperature changes the guitar has to go through. Sitting for an hour or so inside the building where the show is being played gives the guitar a bit of time to acclimatise to the building's temperature and humidity and settle. During setup for the show, I'll check the guitar's tuning, and make any adjustments needed. I'll also check between songs, but often it doesn't need any adjustment.

Finally, setup, setup, setup. If your nut is out of whack, the bridge is set too high and is binding, the tuner pegs are loose in their holes, or the truss rod is too tight or too loose, tuning stability is just one thing about the guitar that's going to suffer, nevermind playability.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

Mattr4president said:
I may not be remembering correctly but i read at one time EVH oiled/lubed the nut and bridge to keep it in tune because he used the whammy bar so much. don't know if this really worked. This was pre-floyd rose with the charvel's he use to play.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's a good idea. Loads of people use pencil filings, as the graphite will work as a lube. It's helped me a lot.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

By stringing in a very effective way, and stretching the string until it won't go out of tune any more. Also, by making sure the nut is lubed with pencil graphite dust.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

bungalowbill said:
Always tune up to pitch...never down.
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+1... I feel that this is a really crucial point on tuning that gets forgotten by a lot of people.

As far as staying in tune - having a great setup will get you 75% of the way there.

- Make sure the guitar is intonated properly.
- Stretch new strings upon installation. I usually put the new set on, and then stretch and retune to pitch twice.
- If you're not using locking tuners, I usually have one wind going over the string in the tuner post, and then two or three winds going under it to help prevent slippage.
- Lubing the nut with a little graphite or vaseline works well to prevent binding. Just rubs a sharp pencil into the string slots or apply a SMALL dab of vaseline wit a toothpick
- Some brands stay in tune better than others and that all depends on how you play. D'addarios tend to work best for me, for example.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

I replaced the tailpiece on my guitar with six burly hamsters wearing harnesses. The ball ends of the strings are fastened to the harnesses. When the guitar gets out of tune, the hamsters shift their weight to adjust the string tension as necessary, and I'm back in business. :fing2:
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

Jessie Sammler said:
I replaced the tailpiece on my guitar with six burly hamsters wearing harnesses. The ball ends of the strings are fastened to the harnesses. When the guitar gets out of tune, the hamsters shift their weight to adjust the string tension as necessary, and I'm back in business. :fing2:
Click to expand...

:lmao: oh God... can't breathe.
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

I keep on old t-shirt on my guitar stand.

Whenever I reach for a guitar I must lift the t-shirt too. I use the shirt to stretch each string and give the body and neck a quick wipe down... tune up and I pretty much stay in tune. None of my guitars have exhibited problems staying in tune. A proper set up is key. Always tune up, not down. Sometimes I'll go a little bit sharp to stretch the string, then go flat, then tune UP to pitch...
 
Re: How do you stay in tune?

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Re: How do you stay in tune?

- proper nut slotting and sometimes/more often than not lubricated
- tune up to pitch
- ensure your saddles arent wobbly
- if you arent using locking tuners, string it around the post in the manner depicted in this image. it can be a hassle, but I've been doing it this way for a while, and I rarely have tuning issues.
 
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