Sup Alan

Firstly, I must give credit where credit is due, so well done on the site, it's going great.
now to the problem at hand. See, i bought an electric guitar just under 2 years ago. It's a Squire (Fender Bullet Strat), bullet series or something. For a long time now I've noticed that the strings don't stay in tune for more than a day or two at most. Is there an easy way to sort it out?

Also, as you can probably already tell, I'm litteraly a Retard ??? when it comes to the guitar terms. In my head there are only three parts to a guitar (i.e. Head, neck and body!!!). If you've got like diagrams labeling or highlighting the major parts please post it. I really gotta get to know whats what. I've also got a semi accoustic Cort (model AD-850CE if that makes any sence) so if there are some very basic mods I can do, let me know and I'll check it out.

Much Appreciated ('Shot' is the word I'd use)
Thanks

Frequent tuning is part of playing the guitar! It's not uncommon to see the big names with top of the range guitars tuning inbetween songs. It's just a fact of life, a guitar needs to be tuned often. Locking tuners might help, but even then you'll find that you still need to tune quite frequently. That's why a tuner is an essential part of the pedalboard.

One other point to make is change your strings often enough - old and dirty strings are prone to tuning problems. And keep your guitar properly set up (read Alan's book, excellent read that explains a lot of the technical stuff about guitars).

Even moving a guitar from one room to another can affect the tuning.

Guitar parts diagram:
http://www.atlantaguitarworks.com/acoustic-guitar-parts.gif

Your semi would more than likely have a ribbon piezo pickup under the saddle and an output jack at the bottom that doubles as a strap attachment. Have you tried plugging your Court into your amp? Most semi-acoustics sound even better when plugged ?

Riaan wrote: It's not uncommon to see the big names with top of the range guitars tuning inbetween songs.

That's because they (or rather, their guitar techs) change strings maybe an hour before the instrument is to be played live. This keeps the strings sounding fresh but has the tuning downside.

Riaan wrote: It's just a fact of life, a guitar needs to be tuned often. Locking tuners might help, but even then you'll find that you still need to tune quite frequently. That's why a tuner is an essential part of the pedalboard.

Disagree completely. You need a tuner in your pedalboard since you use a pedalboard because you play in different places (home, rehearsal, gig). The different circumstances (humidity/ temperature) between the places and/or for instance your car throws the instrument off.
Locking tuners only prevent the string from 'creeping' around the post, something they're usually not doing so much anyway if you string the instrument right. Many guitars do NOT need that much tuning at all.

But let's look at how big the problem is. If you retune, is it always the same direction (eg. it's always flat)? Is it always the same string(s)? Which one? How much do you need to turn the tuner button to get back in tune?

Tuning is a part of playing the guitar (the most basic maintenance you can do), but excessive tuning isn't - unless you are using the trem a lot. You can minimise tuning problems by making sure all the relevant bits are in order and the guitar is set up.

In order of importance for Strat-type guitars:

• Strings - Change regularly. Depending on how much you play, between every few days and three months (maximum!).
• Stringing method - Getting as few turns on the tuner as possible is very important. The less windings, the less chance things will move and slip (especially with trem usage). Less string length to stretch or rearrange itself when you use the trem, the better. Stretch them in properly before using.
• Nut - If you hear pinging noises when you tune, it's almost certainly the nut. Strings bind (stick) in the groove then jump suddenly with a "ping". Nut material is important, the best materials (unbleached bone, Black Tusq [A.K.A. Trem Nuts]) are self lubricating. They must be cut properly to let the string move through the slots easily - bone especially. Cheap plastic nuts are a nightmare as they are usually very high friction
• String trees - The one thing Leo got completely wrong - adds lots of friction. Low friction trees like Graph Tech, roller trees or, if possible, remove them entirely (not usually possible without staggered height tuners or winding more string on the post to bring the string down lower).
• Tuners - Often blamed, but not the culprit as often as people think. Obviously if they are old and worn or really cheap models with lots of play, they can slip, but most of the time even the cheaper sets will hold well for a few years. Locking tuners (which lock the strings in the post holes, not lock in position as some tend to think) are nice because they mean less windings on the post. Some locking models are staggered too, so you can get rid of the trees.
• Trem - A properly set up trem is important, otherwise it may not always return to zero properly. If the pivot points on the baseplate, or the screws they pivot against are worn (amongst other things), they will cause problems.

We all have our formulas for staying in tune. For me it's staggered locking tuners, Graph Tech Black Tusq nuts and no trees. I don't use the trem, so I usually have them down hard against the body (which helps). Restring every two to three weeks (don't play as often as I would like), stretch them in and they are settled within 10 minutes and rarely go out of tune. When they start going out of tune, I know it's time to change strings. I occasionally go into CT (2 hours travel) with a guitar (in hard case) on the back of a bakkie and it's usually still in tune when I get there (unless there is a big change in climate, but even that's not bad, because I play fat necks).

Shot for that diagram bro. Exactly what I need!

I'll check it out, though restringing every 3months at maximum seems abit extreme. But then Again I do play every day and maybe that could be the case. But sounds pretty pricy. Sigh, the sacrifices we make for our guitars.

If you retune, is it always the same direction

Yeah, always flat. Mostly all the strings. Not just a couple.

Have you tried plugging your Court into your amp?

I have, but i prefer the electric in my amp cause I've been playing a lot of metal (Lamb of God) and the accoustic just doesn't cut it.

Retard wrote: Sorry, you lost me there ???. Whats a string tree

One of these...



...and if you are playing every day you should be changing strings at least once a month. Yeah, it works out expensive, but it's worth it.

Haha oh, my bad.

Yeah, it has been a while since I changed strings. I think at least 2 or 3 months.
What strings. I mean at the moment Im buying medium guage Slinky strings. They feel good to play on and I've able to move fast and freely with, but is there something else I should look at?

Thanks Alan

Retard wrote: Yeah, always flat. Mostly all the strings. Not just a couple.

Does not sound too good. If it's always flat it can't be friction problems on the string trees or the nut, nor can it be an unstable bridge. Leaves the strings, the tuners or the way they work together.

Change the strings, taking care that you do it right (see weblinks for lessons elsewhere on this site). Retune a couple of times within two hours. If you need to retune all the new strings up more than, say, 30 degrees, every day: take it to a tech.

If you really feel that you want to play your strings longer than a month, it would be a good idea to go for stainless strings like Fender 3350L. They tend to loose their nicest tone within a couple of hours, but after that they remain at playable level for longer than others. They are also said to have more stable tuning.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:

• Trem - A properly set up trem is important, otherwise it may not always return to zero properly. If the pivot points on the baseplate, or the screws they pivot against are worn (amongst other things), they will cause problems.

Alan, now Im sure Im bugging you. But how can I check if my trem is set up properly? and if not how an I sort it out? wait... whats a trem again ???

Gearhead wrote: Change the strings, taking care that you do it right (see weblinks for lessons elsewhere on this site).

I know i don't know much, but I do know how to restring at least!

Gearhead wrote: go for stainless strings like Fender 3350L

how much will that set me back? R120?

they're in the $4,50 region so if you want to pay R120 you can get them anywhere.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: ...and if you are playing every day you should be changing strings at least once a month. Yeah, it works out expensive, but it's worth it.

Alan, someone told me "if it ain't broken ... don't fix it!!!!!!!!!!!" ?

I'm embarrassed to say I went six months without a string change on my gig guitar :-[ Warren at Marshall's deadpan chirp - with a really bona fide compassionate look on his face - was: "We'll then you'll think you've got an entirely new instrument"! And VV, I'm going to put on those cool new strings you sold me (two weeks ago) tomorrow, I promise ... :-[

Riaan C wrote: Alan, someone told me "if it ain't broken ... don't fix it!!!!!!!!!!!" ?

? Sometimes we say things like that, but often what we really mean is "If it ain't broken, don't fix it yourself (I need the work)!" or "I don't want to do that for you, it's a mission and more work than I can charge you for it".

But strings? I don't know how people do it. I don't play every single day anymore, but am fairly heavy on strings and use heavier strings (which age quicker IME), and after three weeks they start feeling like limp fish, sound dull and (horror of horrors) I have to start tuning them daily.

I dunno, maybe it's me. I'm the same with drum heads - a month out of snare batter (single ply coated), three months for tom batter heads (two ply Evans Genera), six months out of kick batter and all the resonant heads about once a year. Any longer than that and they start sounding bad to me and I can't get 'em to ring in tune anymore. Am I alone in this? Neps?

I'm embarrassed to say I went six months without a string change on my gig guitar :-[ Warren at Marshall's deadpan chirp - with a really bona fide compassionate look on his face - was: "We'll then you'll think you've got an entirely new instrument"!

Do I really have to translate that one for you too? (Actually, no... you don't wanna know) ?

Alan, you've gotta read this to believe it.

Thought I was bad?? Don Was went 16 YEARS without a string change on his bass ?

Great article:
http://www.performing-musician.com/pm/nov08/articles/wasnotwas.htm

Bass strings ARE different in that respect

Scary in the extreme. Some guys like the sound of dead strings on bass. Personally I'd go for flatwounds if that were the case -and those you often do only change when they break (Maybe Don Was uses flats?). But normal roundwound strings just don't ring true after they wear - they can't vibrate evenly when they have grooves worn in them.

I have a lot of respect for Don Was as a producer ...but 16 year old strings? And when one breaks he replaces that one only (you'd get a huge tone difference between the old strings and the new one). For me it says that the musician in question doesn't care about the tone they produce ...or even their tuning that much.

Tapewounds are even longer lasting. And they sound like dead roundwounds as well.