Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

[Diego]

I've been battling a problem for years with my Ibanez that I'd never given much consideration for some reason, but I have some gigs coming up and I really need this thing to be rock solid.

This guitar CONSTANTLY GOES SHARP for whatever reason and it's pissing me off beyond belief.

This is an Ibanez SZ320. It has a Gibraltar bridge (Tune-o-matic alike plus string thru body), a bone nut made by a local luthier, and stock tuners.
I've had this issue with everything from 9-42 to 10-60 like I have strung now (constantly in Drop C)
I'll tune this mother****er to perfection and after 5 minutes, I'll have at least 3 strings sharp, randomly. All of them go sharp at some point.

I'll stretch 'em a bit and they'll be back to normal, only 5 minutes later again, they're sharp again. I've resorted to tuning them a couple tenths below and wait for them to go up, but that's just stupid. I can't have a guitar like this, man.

Could it be a badly cut nut? **** tuners? Maybe my bridge unit has a bit of play in it's cavities?
I'm just looking for ideas before disarming this thing and putting it through a goddamn window. Or eBay.



EDIT: I just applied graphite in the nut slots (hadn't done it in a while I think) and it seems to have improved a fair bit. Too tight nuts slots then, I'm guessing.
Which doesn't make sense since this happened with lighter strings too. But I'll give this a check soon.
What else could it be?

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Most likely the nut.

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Buy a Les Paul.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

It could also be binding at the string slots on the bridge. Try lubricating any surfaces the string passes over - friction is causing tuning issues.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Big bends nut sauce is your friend ...well worth the (small) investment

Yeah..either the nut (most likely) or the bridge or the string-through ferrule edges ...they're catching somewhere..

 

[AlexR]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

It would have to be the tuner end for sharp. At the bridge end any holdupp would cause the string to go flat as it releases. The nut causing a holdup with the normal 'tune up to pitch' will have the 'post nut' portion of the string sharper than the scale length. The release would cause an evening of tension and the scale length to sharpen.

 

[Will S-T]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Hey Diego, is it just this guitar? Does this happen in summer and winter?

Saludos!

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Big Bends on bridge and saddle.

Make sure you have a clean, even wrap on the tuner posts--about 2-1/2 winds are all you need.

Strings fretting sharp with first position "cowboy chords" indicate that the nut action is too high.

Bill

 

[Diego]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Hey Diego, is it just this guitar? Does this happen in summer and winter?

Saludos!

Hey! Just this guitar, and yes, it happens all year.

After I lubed the nut slots yesterday, I can tell that this is happening a lot less but there's still some weirdness in the low E; I'm 90% sure the nut slots are a bit too narrow.
The nut slot height at least is doing well; it's almost as low as it can go - helps with intonation in the first positions.
I hadn't thought about lubing the string-thru ferrule edges; I'll give all of this a quick check.

Thank you guys! You're all amazing!

 

[Will S-T]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Querido, it's all about your location and accessories.

Move to Valparaiso, get a crate of some bad ass pisco, una guarra from Colombia who grows
her own "hierba buena" mate and buy yourself a Tele!

Me das las gracias luego!

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Not to Hijack but I've never used that Big Bends Nut Sauce. Does it stay wet?

I use a dry Teflon lubricant. It's wet out of the bottle but dries very fast and leaves behind a dry, wax like film with the Teflon. I put a drop of it in a plastic Dixie cup and apply it with a tiny detail paint brush. Works pretty well. Even seems to work just as well applied to the slots/strings without removing them. Works out good when I forget to use it when changing strings.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

I've had this issue with everything from 9-42 to 10-60 like I have strung now (constantly in Drop C)

Diego, most probably the truss rod is the culprit, due to the different tension the different string sets apply to the neck.

You should take the nut out, clean up both the rod and the nut, lube it and put'em back again and adjust the tension until the neck is in a slight back-bow.

Now put the strings, tune to the desired pitch, wait about five minutes, then apply more tension until the neck reaches the desired relief.

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Onlin...e_nervous_about_adjusting_that_truss_rod.html

Here are some basic general instructions.

HTH,

 

[Archer250]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Don't you play with super high action, IIRC? That **** causes tuning issues.

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

 

[Diego]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Used to. I've been bringing it lower and lower and now it's definitely low/medium.
Just a pinch higher than shredder low, a bit more relief. Partly because intonation was a disaster!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Fold a little piece of fine grit sandpaper under each string, and slide it through the slots. It'll loosen the nut slots and seat the strings better.

When you check the intonation, try and get every note from the 10th to 15th fret to read dead center on the tuner, not just the 12th fret. It dials it in better.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Fold a little piece of fine grit sandpaper under each string, and slide it through the slots. It'll loosen the nut slots and seat the strings better.

When you check the intonation, try and get every note from the 10th to 15th fret to read dead center on the tuner, not just the 12th fret. It dials it in better.

D. Take off the strings. Tighten every screw on the entire guitar. Also tighten every nut. So often I had the same issues and it was the tuner screws and tuner nuts loose, and/or the bridge screws loose. It could also be the nut as mentioned, but try the others first. Get new Tusq string trees, they don't bind- all my guitars get them. Also, you have to make sure the saddle screws are even and make good contact with the bridge .Thats a primary concern and not so easy to get right, you have to work at it. Sometimes it's best to get new saddles.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

D. Take off the strings. Tighten every screw on the entire guitar. Also tigthen every nut. So often I had the same issues and it was the tuner screws and tuner nuts loose, and the bridge screws loose. It could also be the nut as mentioned, but try the others first. Get new Tusq string trees, they don't bind- all my guitars get them.

He might only have one screw on his neck plate.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

He might only have one screw on his neck plate.

IDK< but sometimes it is an unstable neck that is the culprit. That's a possibility but i doubt it. Check the truss rod. Does it have good resistance?
also, i didnt know this was a TOM bridge. Fix any play in the bridge screws with Pipe thread tape.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Bob could fix the problem.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Strings consistently going sharp - WTF is going on here?

Used to. I've been bringing it lower and lower and now it's definitely low/medium.
Just a pinch higher than shredder low, a bit more relief. Partly because intonation was a disaster!

Similar story here too. Though, partly it's because I kinda prefer the snappy tone. Anyway, the nut may need filing and lubricating. I always apply a mixture of carbon and vaseline every two weeks to keep things moving. My guitar doesn't go out of tune easily.