Does your guitar sound out of tune no matter how you tune it?
Does the pitch jump past tune when you tune it even though you are making small adjustments?
You play one tune and the guitar is out of tune?
These are common problems that are quite easily solved.
Have you ever noticed at a gig that some guitarists tune their guitar after every song and others can do a whole set without re tuning, here is the secret.
Restring your guitar putting as many winds on the tuner post as it will take, this helps to transfer sound to the guitar
and brings the string to the bottom of the post to give you a better string angle over the nut.
Once you have restrung the guitar it is time to stretch in the strings, pull the string upwards from
the 12th fret to stretch it (not too much or it will break) then re tune, repeat until the string stays in tune.
Do this for all the strings, after you have finished all the strings will go sharp as they are slightly elastic,
re tune to pitch and they will stay in tune. After a ten minute play in, re tune and they should stay in tune for a whole gig set.
Change one string at a time, if you take them all off, the neck will move and it will take some time for it to return to it’s normal position.
Once the guitar has settled re check intonation (see Basic Guitar Setup).
If your guitar jump tunes it usually
means that the nut slot is too tight, take some 2000 grit sand paper (obtainable from www.stewmac.com)
and gently widen the string slot until the string will fit without grabbing, lightly polish the slot base as well, and lubricate with graphite grease, or HB pencil.
If you have a Gibson style bridge, polish the string saddles with the 2000 grit paper, clean and lubricate with graphite grease or HB pencil.
On Fender style guitars unscrew the string tree on the headstock and polish the grooves with the 2000 grit paper, clean, lubricate and refit, lubricate the bridge plate where the strings exit the body, and also the bridge saddles plus nut slots, this will equalize the string tension and stabilize tuning.
If you have Fender style bridge saddles, check for any grooves that the string may have worn and polish them out, clean and lubricate.
Clean guitars sound better, if you have loads of crud on your fingerboard it kills tone, clean it off with lighter fluid
on a clean cloth, if you have a rosewood fingerboard and it looks a bit dry, oil it using linseed oil (obtainable
in craft shops in the artists supplies department) use sparingly on a cloth taking care not to let it run under the frets,
and wipe any excess off with a dry cloth, repeat after half an hour the allow 12 hours for it to dry, then polish your
fingerboard and frets using a good guitar polish like Fenders and buff up the board and frets to a high shine.
This will make string bending much easier and restore your lost tone.
Do not use Lemon oil commonly on sale in guitar shops as this lifts the grain on rosewood.
Do not use oil on a maple finger board! Just clean and polish.
If after setting up your guitar properly and doing all of the above, you still do not like the sound of the guitar
I recommend the Buzz-Feiten tuning system, this will make your guitar sound perfectly in tune no matter which
chord you play anywhere on the fret board, for more information visit www.buzzfeiten.com
