Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

[twoheadedboy]

Hey dudes. I have an '01 Gibson Les Paul Junior with a Leo Quan adjustable bridge. It sounds amazing, but I'm having trouble keeping it in tune. It is stock except for the bridge. I have a set of Grover tuners that I could put on it, but I don't feel like modifying the headstock. I have lubricated the nut and had it filed properly. I find that I have to keep a pedal tuner on stage and tune every 2 or 3 songs. It isn't way out of tune, so I don't really mind doing it, but I'm wondering if there's anything that I could be doing different to keep the guitar in tune. Thanks!

 

[theodie]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

every 2-3 songs and it isnt that far out of tune??? Sounds like it is working properly! Probally cant do much better!

 

[twoheadedboy]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

haha yeah...feel free to let me know if (from your experience) this is par for the course for les pauls. this is the first good one i've owned.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

I'm a ham fist. Before I got the Graph Tech Saddles I'd be out of whack after every song. I still play with a ham fist, but they made a huge difference.

 

[Curly]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

it's a problem for me, too, and I don't have a solution

some say it's the short scale, but I don't have a problem with my Hamers

 

[Martian]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

Prestretch each new set of strings while you're installing them and make sure that each of the strings behind their bridge saddles are perfectly wrapped around the bottom of the bridge, not off on an angle as they feed into their individual saddles.

 

[Texas Swamp]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

Make sure the nut is also properly cut. Gibson has been having trouble with doing that.

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

#1 Don't drop it.:chairfall
#2 Stretch new strings real good
#3 Make sure your tuning pegs are tight
#4 Intonate guitar to its tuning. i.e. E standard, C standard tuning, etc

My SG X stays in tune real good. Sometimes for a whole gig. My Gothic SG however has its own agenda.:eek13:

 

[BOONIERAT]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

I have an Epihone LPJr (P90) that I was having to same problem with. Seemed like I was tuning more than playing. Got mad and just played for about two hours with out touching the tuners. Guess what, it was still in tune. Not scientific, but it worked for this one.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

Don't change the tuners....they're probably fine. Make sure the nut is cut low enough so open chords aren't pulling strings sharp. Make sure you use the pinch lock stringing technique with 2 wraps on wound strings, and 3 or 4 on plain strings. Most likely, the source of the problem is intonation that is slightly imperfect. On shorter scale guitars, the intonation must be DEAD ON, which means every note up to the 20th needs to read dead center on your tuner. Fine tune the intonation. If you ever hear that 'ping noise' when you're tuning it, the nut slots aren't wide enough for your string gauge.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=5248

 

[twoheadedboy]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

I string the way Seymour does in the videos on this site (holding the string at the nut and winding around the post by hand then just winding it up a little to the proper tension). I've never had a problem with slippage on any other guitar that I've owned before (Fenders, SG, Reverend, Ibanez, Yamaha). Pulling the string through and then winding puts more wear and tear on the gears, and takes me longer to do. I guess my winding style could be the case here, but at this point I doubt it. Read my original post and you'll see that I've had nut work done, so that probably is not the problem. My best guess is that it's wintertime in Canada

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

Thanks for the thread, Scott. I've tried wrapping strings everyway imaginable on my Les Paul Studio except for the way you've shown. If that does'nt work it's going to a tech. Of all the guitars I own my LP gives me the most grief with tuning. If the tech can't get it right I think I'm going to off it. It's not worth the aggrevation.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

Two things:
1) A Pauls 3 per side headstock angle is just plain problematic. The physics of it are such that the strings can just hang up. That's why you should always tune "up" to pitch on a paul -or most three per side tuning setups.
2) Gibby kluson tuners blow chunks. I replaced mine after the keys got all loose, and one bent from a fall. Gotoh's with some ridiculous ratio like 32:1 or something (it was 15 years ago,,,) Best thing I ever did...

Warning- a big potential for out of tunage is a shaky neck...if the truss is loose, or you store the guitar somewhere with big temperature changes, like in front of a window where cold air gets in at night and the sun heats it up in the day, that can cause such problems.

Stretch the strings when you change them, make sure intonation is on, lubing the nut helps, and always tune up to pitch!

But that applies no matter what- otherwise I say go for new tuners. What's more important - a filled hole on the back of the headstock, or righteous tone? The thing likely has no collector/resale value...It's worth as much as it sounds like it's worth. Drop some Duncans in while you're at the shop.

 

[twoheadedboy]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

The thing likely has no collector/resale value...It's worth as much as it sounds like it's worth. Drop some Duncans in while you're at the shop.

This statement makes me cringe. For one, the guitar is still mint. Also, Gibson just upped the price of these guitars. Yes, a collector might not be interested, but I can still get my money back out of this guitar provided that I don't go drilling holes in the headstock. Also, I have Duncan P-90s in another guitar. Compared to those, the stock Gibson P-90 in my Jr. sounds just as good. No Duncans required here.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

Hey dudes. I have an '01 Gibson Les Paul Junior with a Leo Quan adjustable bridge. It sounds amazing, but I'm having trouble keeping it in tune. It is stock except for the bridge. I have a set of Grover tuners that I could put on it, but I don't feel like modifying the headstock. I have lubricated the nut and had it filed properly. I find that I have to keep a pedal tuner on stage and tune every 2 or 3 songs. It isn't way out of tune, so I don't really mind doing it, but I'm wondering if there's anything that I could be doing different to keep the guitar in tune. Thanks!

I can't keep my Les Pauls in tune for more then 3 songs either... I notice i nock the G string out of tune with serious bends a lot.... I also notice part of my tuning trouble is my heavy picking hand resting on the bridge.... I seem to knock the guitar out but hitting the strings behind the bridge and hitting the strings too hard....

I jammed with a guy i Toronto at a bar a few moths ago who had a new Les Paul with him.... I had a cheap moddified 1994 MIM Squire strat.. he had to retune every song! I'd go crazy doing that! My Squire lasted the whole neck after ituned it the first time... and i had pasted it around to other players as well and had it sitting the whole not in the corner of the bar.... Amazing how well that thing stayed in tune...

 

[MattPete]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

it's a problem for me, too, and I don't have a solution

some say it's the short scale, but I don't have a problem with my Hamers

My hunch is that it's the way the strings splay out on Gibson 3+3 headstocks.

I have a helluva time keeping my SG in tune, but my other guitars with tilt-back headstocks don't have any problems (Warmoth 3+3, Warmoth tilt-back strat, PRS Soapbar SE). I think the reason is that they have a straighter string pull.

 

[twoheadedboy]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

My Reverend is a 1 piece maple bolt-on that isn't even a tilt back headstock. It held tune beautifully until the cheap tuners crapped out. It seems like there's something about the bolt on/maple neck design that is much more stable. It's a shame mahogany sounds so good. :smack:

 

[MikeS]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

Hmm, I never knew there were tuning problems with Gibsons. My LP is by far the most stable axe in my collection. A G string might go slightly out of tune after tons of big bends, but that’s pretty rare.

You don’t by chance wrap the strings around the tailpiece, do you?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Tips for keeping a Les Paul in tune?

My hunch is that it's the way the strings splay out on Gibson 3+3 headstocks.

I have a helluva time keeping my SG in tune, but my other guitars with tilt-back headstocks don't have any problems (Warmoth 3+3, Warmoth tilt-back strat, PRS Soapbar SE). I think the reason is that they have a straighter string pull.

Ya that straight string pull makes a huge difference.... My Godin has an angled back mahogany neck and the strings travel straight to the tuning posts... even with trem use on that Godin Solidac they stay in tune pretty good!!! The Gibson style of headstock pulls the strings off to the side as well as back like an Acoustic.... More friction

I also have trouble keeping my Exployer and my Charvel with the Jackson Style headstock in tune as well.... That extra friction is a pain sometimes.....