How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

[Adieu]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

Yeah, overall the budget tuners aren’t totally crap these days. Same with cheap guitars. They were awful when I started playing. Lol

But it seems some don’t have a great gear ratio, and just don’t tune as smoothly. You get close to pitch but it’s not precise enough. I almost always end up replacing these with brand name tuners.

In general I think the best thing these days is to switch to locking tuners and something like a GraphTech nut. Just stick the string straight into the tuner and lock and tune it. This prevents having wraps around the post. Then stretch you strings by pulling on them an inch or two and retune. Do that a few more times.

Works for me even on my guitars with non locking trems.


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YMMV

I don't buy the wraps around post = bad position

I've usually left a lot of wraps, on purpose, and had decent results.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

YMMV

I don't buy the wraps around post = bad position

I've usually left a lot of wraps, on purpose, and had decent results.

Why would you do that? What benefit would it have?

When you have multiple wraps it gives the string the opportunity to loosen around the post and then tighten up again. Usually not in tune. Then if you have over lapping wraps you have the possibility of the string compressing on itself which will also lead to it not staying in tune.

As a repairman I see many guitars where the owner has no idea how to properly string a guitar. Generally it’s too many wraps and they are very sloppy.

You only need three wraps at most, and always wrap so the string is towards the headstock.


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[Chistopher]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

Why would you do that? What benefit would it have?

When you have multiple wraps it gives the string the opportunity to loosen around the post and then tighten up again. Usually not in tune. Then if you have over lapping wraps you have the possibility of the string compressing on itself which will also lead to it not staying in tune.

As a repairman I see many guitars where the owner has no idea how to properly string a guitar. Generally it’s too many wraps and they are very sloppy.

You only need three wraps at most, and always wrap so the string is towards the headstock.


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What's worse is when people buy locking tuners just to string up their guitar as they normally would with 3 or 4 wraps around the post.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

What's worse is when people buy locking tuners just to string up their guitar as they normally would with 3 or 4 wraps around the post.

I’ve seen it all! Or they are wound backwards.

I had one regular customer who brought me his guitar to put new strings on. He just never figured out how to do it. Lol


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[Mincer]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

I still find the very idea of wrapping wire around a post archaic. I love the double-ball strings I use, but it would also fundamentally change the appearance of guitars. In any case, I think we are due for some radical evolution in the mechanical design of the tuner/string relationship.

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

I guess I've been lucky. Abused Strats for years with no problems.

I am onboard with locking tuners, as it's just easier/quicker.

 

[Adieu]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

Why would you do that? What benefit would it have?

When you have multiple wraps it gives the string the opportunity to loosen around the post and then tighten up again. Usually not in tune. Then if you have over lapping wraps you have the possibility of the string compressing on itself which will also lead to it not staying in tune.

As a repairman I see many guitars where the owner has no idea how to properly string a guitar. Generally it’s too many wraps and they are very sloppy.

You only need three wraps at most, and always wrap so the string is towards the headstock.


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Being able to take off a pickguard or swap pickups on a non-tunamatic bridge without a string change...

On tunamatic, just enough wraps to take off tailpiece without removing strings.

 

[RorySquier]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

Why would you do that? What benefit would it have?

When you have multiple wraps it gives the string the opportunity to loosen around the post and then tighten up again. Usually not in tune. Then if you have over lapping wraps you have the possibility of the string compressing on itself which will also lead to it not staying in tune.

As a repairman I see many guitars where the owner has no idea how to properly string a guitar. Generally it’s too many wraps and they are very sloppy.

You only need three wraps at most, and always wrap so the string is towards the headstock.


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Three wraps is also what I do to my guitars. It's enough to hold the strings in place even with heavy vibrato arm use.



;>)/

 

[Old Guy]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

I guess I've been lucky. Abused Strats for years with no problems.

I am onboard with locking tuners, as it's just easier/quicker.

I'm with you, brother. If you lube up your nut with graphite, and the nut slots are filed correctly, I don't see much of a problem with my Strat. I've gone all out holding it by the Tremolo arm and waving it around, and it stayed in tune. Not that I'm recommending doing that. YMMV

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

Being able to take off a pickguard or swap pickups on a non-tunamatic bridge without a string change...

On tunamatic, just enough wraps to take off tailpiece without removing strings.

And how often do you need to do that? You can slack the strings with three wraps. Or even no wraps with locking tuners.

Personally I’ve removed the strings from the tuners to do work on my guitars. Even took the bridge off with the strings attached. Lol.

I just put them back on. Or put on a new set.


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[Ayrton]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

I did not watch the video, but worm drive tuners really don't slip. Yes, there are crappy tuners, but no amount of string tension is going to cause the post to spin. Tuning problems are 99.99% friction at the nut and/or bridge.

I do three complete wraps (no over/under) for security and a steeper string break over the nut. For sealed tuners, that is three fingers width of string past the post, and on vintage split tuners that is four.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

I did not watch the video, but worm drive tuners really don't slip. Yes, there are crappy tuners, but no amount of string tension is going to cause the post to spin. Tuning problems are 99.99% friction at the nut and/or bridge.

I do three complete wraps (no over/under) for security and a steeper string break over the nut. For sealed tuners, that is three fingers width of string past the post, and on vintage split tuners that is four.

This.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

I For sealed tuners, that is three fingers width of string past the post, and on vintage split tuners that is four.

That’s a good way to measure it. I usually go two tuners more and then bend the string and cut it.

But I’m migrating my guitars to locking tuners with short posts.



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[GuitarDoc]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

Even with locking tuners I leave enough extra string length so I can replace pup or change a magnet without having to remove the strings.

 

[Adieu]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

WHAT??!!!

You were just playing with us right?

You realize of course that you are one of my favorite posters on this forum, right? You always have something very funny to say which totally brightens my day.

Lol nope.

Hehe guess you've never taken em off to clean or replace?



Covered loosely, but UNsealed

 

[RorySquier]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

Well, I just wasted 8 1/2 minutes of my precious life watching that video.

Why was it a waste? I thought it was very informative and the method works great!



;>)/

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

So what's the difference between 'unsealed' and 'sealed' anyway? Is it correct to classify a tuner as unsealed just by saying 'look, if you remove the cover you can see they're unsealed!' I mean- the cover itself is the 'sealing' element, correct?

Or is there any additional aspect of a 'sealed' tuner to differentiate from an 'open' tuner - packing with grease for ex. m as is done with Sperzels?

 

[greekdude]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

frudua is cool. he also has an article on problems with "sitar sounding" locking nuts. If you are affected its worth reading.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

^^Funny, that's usually a symptom of not having a locking nut or string tree to stop sympathetic string vibrations.

 

[RorySquier]

Re: How To Keep Your Stratocaster Guitar In Tune...

frudua is cool. he also has an article on problems with "sitar sounding" locking nuts. If you are affected its worth reading.

He sure is quite knowledgeable indeed.



;>)/