Equal amounts of sharpness - or flatness - across a group of strings is movement in the neck, probably due to humidity and/or temperature fluctuations.
The thin necks move around a lot.
Les Paul owners check this out
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Equal amounts of sharpness - or flatness - across a group of strings is movement in the neck, probably due to humidity and/or temperature fluctuations.
The thin necks move around a lot.
Here's a couple of important things to consider for tuning stability.
First of all, the strings must be adequately wound and evenly spaced across the tuning post. This provides adequate and even pressure across the nut floor.
This is generally (3) winds around the post for wound strings and (5) winds for plain strings, regardless of flat or angled headstock.
The saddle needs to be cut smooth and 1/2 of the wound string profile should be in the groove. Plain strings should be level with the top of the saddle.
The nut slot should be no more than .003" above string diameter and cut with a funnel shape.
There should be a "fall away" cut into the floor starting at about 2/3rds of the distance across the bottom of the nut floor.
Saddle slots must be polished smooth.
First of all, the strings must be adequately wound and evenly spaced across the tuning post. This provides adequate and even pressure across the nut floor.
This is generally (3) winds around the post for wound strings and (5) winds for plain strings, regardless of flat or angled headstock.
The saddle needs to be cut smooth and 1/2 of the wound string profile should be in the groove. Plain strings should be level with the top of the saddle.
The nut slot should be no more than .003" above string diameter and cut with a funnel shape.
There should be a "fall away" cut into the floor starting at about 2/3rds of the distance across the bottom of the nut floor.
Saddle slots must be polished smooth.
Nut Slot Profiles
If you observe these factors, you will have excellent tuning stability, and if not, nothing will help.
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gball
Ambassador of Boogie
The only thing I disagree with is the number of wraps of string. I do no more than 2 on any string as I find that the less there is to stretch the more stable the tuning is. I have found over the years that the less string the better
I use the “self-lock” method and usually only need about 1 1/2 turns, at most, on the wound strings, often less.
If you observe these factors, you will have excellent tuning stability.
Ive tried several different ways. The 3 turn wound 5 turn plain doctrine was shared with me by Wildwood's Greg Koch.
I tried fewer winds on the plain strings, but found the stability was better (as i was told it would be) with more winds due to the taper of the post loading the winds.
There's no one way to do it and if you can do it with 2 winds, then that's awesome!!!!
Locking the string isn't necessary, but you can do it. The string will still slip on the post and will need tome to take a "set" or settle in, regardless.
Ive tried several different ways. The 3 turn wound 5 turn plain doctrine was shared with me by Wildwood's Greg Koch.
I tried fewer winds on the plain strings, but found the stability was better (as i was told it would be) with more winds due to the taper of the post loading the winds.
There's no one way to do it and if you can do it with 2 winds, then that's awesome!!!!
Locking the string isn't necessary, but you can do it. The string will still slip on the post and will need tome to take a "set" or settle in, regardless.
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I've found the nut is the tuning culprit about 95% of the time.
Oh sure, there's always a little settling in, but I don't need nearly the wraps to securely anchor the string.
If you are doing step and a half to 2 full-step bends, you will...
DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
Since I started buying pre-slotted nuts and sanding them from the bottom until they're the right height I haven't had any tuning issues.
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Yup.
I'd argue even more than that. Like at least 98% IME.
I honestly don't find this to be true on a Les Paul. Hell, I don't even make the most remote attempt to "stretch" the strings when I slap a new set on - I just put them on (using the method Smitty does), tune it up, and maybe have to retune a time or two on a couple of strings during the first 10 minutes or so of playing. Granted, I have only been able to pull this trick off with GHS strings, no other brand, so that may have something to do with it.
If you are doing step and a half to 2 full-step bends, you will...
Yeah. I switched from D'Addario back to GHS a few months ago. I used GHS a long time ago. Anyway, the much faster "settling in" time is what I noticed right away with the GHS.
Not if you use the self-lock method. That's the whole idea. Even extreme bends don't pull the string loose. The more you bend, the tighter the string locks against itself. I have never on any of my guitars had a string come loose from the post, no matter how far I bend, ever since I began doing this about 15 years ago.
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
For me at least GHS blow every other string out of the water, across the board. They have the most balanced tone and output, string-to-string that I have found, never have the shrill high end that some like D'Addario's have, have the best bending feel and fast return to pitch and then the settling in thing is just icing on the cake.
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Right. A Tech at the local music shop (Shout out to Ron at Bill's Music House in Catonsville, MD!) taught me this trick sometime in the mid-'80s and I have used it ever since. There's never any slipping at the post, and the less winds there are the less there is to stretch.
Edit: just looked at the Les Paul I have sitting in my office and its about 1-1/2 winds on each string and its perfectly stable no matter what I do. It sits on a stand in here and the temperature varies a lot from daytime to nighttime, especailly on weekends, and I almost never have to adjust the tuning - and when I do its almost always because it went a semitone or so sharp on all strings because of that fluctuation. Still in tune, just a tiny bit sharp, pretty much never flat no matter how much wanking I do on it.
Ah yes...the D'Addario "sizzle"!
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Yeah, always has driven me nuts when I have tried to use D'Addarios. Fizzy, then they start sounding OK...about two hours before they go completely dead and need to be replaced. They have always been my least favorite strings, by a pretty wide margin, and its unfortunate that all the strings that they are OEM for, like Gibson, exhibit the same shrill/fizzy quality. My go to are the Boomers, but I will string up with SIT's from time to time as well, a very close second.
If you are doing step and a half to 2 full-step bends, you will...
Under heavy bends, the strings frequently fail at the lock-wind from brinnelingand stress. That's why i just stick witb Greg Koch's method...