Guitar Strings Won't Stay In Tune? Try These Tuning Stability Tips
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- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
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There's nothing worse than a guitar that just will not stay in tune... Like we always say, time spent tuning is time that could be spent playing. Well, try these easy tips and see if you can't solve those tuning stability issues once and for all.
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i have a les paul. once i put it down and pick it back up, its tuned an octave down. Lol
Me too
I put a graph tech nut on mine and it’s rock solid now
Thx . 5 decades and I’m just now learning to string correctly, new subscriber.
You may want to mention a few bridge issues (particularly trem systems) that can affect tuning.
I was very surprised the bridge got no mention!
If you keep the nut lubed, you should not have trem/bridge tuning problems.
Thank you so much, I am just learning how to personally care for my guitar, and I never knew there were screws attached to the tuning pegs!
Great Work Scott!!!
Thanks Marlo, glad you enjoyed it!
That was my issue...very loose lugs
I forgot about them! They're so small!
I just bought my second used stratocaster, this time an actual capital S Stratocaster, just a few hours ago, couldn’t resist, cleaned the thrift shop grime off it, polished it, orange oiled the fretboard, and restrung it., this being only the third time I have restrung a guitar myself.
I totally agree with everything you said here BUT I think there is another factor with a guitar that has been sitting around as long as my new/used one. Not only do the strings need to settle in, but it’s been a long time since it rock and rolled, if it ever did, or had string tension to do it, so every little place where parts join-nut, neck, bridge saddles, and so forth-is just settling in.
Guitar strings together put about 150 lbs of tension on the instrument, so even the neck relief is going to change from it’s total laxness to being ready for action.
I think after two days of trying to keep it tuned up, it will probably be a lot more stable, at which point I think I’ll take it to a shop to get a professional setup.
Tightening the tuning knobs worked!
Nice. I watched a few of these and you mention things other vids do not. What I am looking for is someone talking about how playing technique can affect tuning-pressing too hard on the string pulling the note sharp and such.
great tips man! appreciate it
🙏
Thanks, very helpful!
My G string just won't stick :( also struggling with my guitar strings
My G string is an a-hole. I've done everything. Lol
@@sierrag.1069 lol
Always struggle with the G string. But whyyyyyyy?
Samuele Sarasini fuck me too my first acoustic broke and I’m taking a guitar class at school and they gave us all guitars and my g string has went out of tune so many times today
Thank you thank you thank you. I had to buy my guitar online, and it was the first new one I'd bought, and I bought it during the COVID-19 lockdown when our area didn't permit getting setup done. So I just…missed the fact that there was a screw to adjust tuning machine tension. :P I was wondering why it wasn't holding a tune.
On tuning up/down to pitch, one of my teachers used to say that if you chronically are flat or sharp, you should tune from the other direction. As a sax player, I was always instinctively sharp (curse of the sax section), so I tune up. I thought that was an interesting take.
it works thanks for this video!!!
first two worked like a charm. thanks
Tighting the screws of the tuner helped a lot, thx
Wow thanks dude it really works!!!!
Glad to hear!
Do you guys plan on making sharp picks? Jumbo Jazz picks are pretty good and some of my favorites, but I also like the Dunlop Sharps.
It's nice to see a reputable company like Stringjoy also endorsing the mechanical pencil trick! Haha! I thought only I did that :)
Useful video. Many thanks for Tip 1, tightening the tuning nut. My G was very loose. Also, I have discovered an issue with my 2nd fret. The D, G & B strings are in tune everywhere else on the fret and as open strings but are sharp on the 2nd fret, so I reckon it's a bit raised.
Not attempting it myself as not expert enough, but pretty sure it's the problem.
You might want to talk about stretching the strings when they are new to remove any slack.
So weird. I’ve been lazy and haven’t changed strings in a year(!!) on my main guitar which I use hours every day. Still sounds great and holds tune. Ernie Ball 10-52 on my Fender American Series using Fender locking tuners.
I replaced the nut on my guitar and I use a string set that goes from 10 gauge to 52. So of course I needed to increase the size of at least the 4, 5, and 6 string slots. As I don’t own the proper files or live near a reliable guitar shop, I simply took old pieces of those strings and used them to file the slots to the proper sizes and depths.
I’m originally a sax player. Temperature has a huge effect on the tuning of a horn, and I’ve found the same with guitar. So before tuning up, I warm up by simply handling and playing the instrument for a few minutes before I finally tune up. If I put it down to each lunch or take a break, I make sure to warm it up again, and it doesn’t typically need to be retuned when I do that.
I guess that's what happened to me on my last lesson. It's gotten colder + normally I arrive well before the lesson so I can check tuning and not waste the paid time but the last time it didn't go that way, so I tried to tune it right away and it was kinda a bit sharp (all strings or maybe half of them were in tune and half a bit sharp, can't remember) and I let it be (I know you shouldn't :D). The next day I picked the guitar up at home and it was back in tune. I didn't expect that.
I don't have much experience yet on how the weather affects since I only started this autumn. Until now I couldn't notice any effect of the weather on the tuning, this was the first time. My guitar otherwise stays in tune really well. And I have no idea how f.e. different bridge types (f.e. fixed vs. floating) react to weather changes (since I have only one guitar, so can't compare).
Good info...pls include use of humidifier also.
thank you !
Tuning up the pinch definitely works!
You're videos are great! When I started using Stringjoy Extra Lights on my dreadnought both my playing AND sound jumped a pay grade. Srsly.
My schedule is that I run through a complete setup check and cleaning every time I change strings. I personally find that this way ensures that the maintenance gets done.
I'd like to see some info on lap steel, dobro and b benders
Joe Walsh said always tune up to pitch . He said go below the pitch , then stretch the string then tune back up to it
Joe Walsh rules
Wow. Nobody has ever thought of that before.
I intonate between the 2/3rd frets and 19th. This seems to be a lot more sympathetic to bare chords. What points do you more commonly refer to? I know each guitar can have its own requirements. Often relating to fret wear
Another thing that will cause tuning issues that wasn't mentioned is the how many windings do you have on the keys of the strings. He just got one or two wrap around well you probably going tuning problem especially in the first second third strings
What about the springs, string trees and bridge?
this out of subject but what hair product do you use
rofl
I've noticed one other thing about tuning machines besides looseness, that cause tuning issues, and it's something called Tuner-Backlash, this is where you try to turn the button on the tuner and nothing happens till you get to a certain point, and then the string starts going up in pitch, this happens due to the tuner either being a bit worn, or because manufacturing tolerances arent good, I have bought brand new tuners which turned out to have about 1/8th of a turn's worth of backlash or worse, even when brand new, the worst were a set of Sperzel locking tuners, followed by a set of PRS locking tuners, and a set of Fender locking tuners.
what mic are you using to record your voice on this video? i want one of those haha
String Joy makes the best strings on the planet ... the heavier, the better. Only set I have ever played that comes close to the old Gibson ES-340 and 340L Sonomatics. Been playing 60 years, by the way ...
Just bought this guitar online. The G and high E strings slip out of tune. All the others are fine. Any ideas why it's just those two?
I have a ES335 - Copy which a trapeze tailpiece and a long part of the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece. It has this tuning stability issue although I solved all the problems discribed in this video. Does anybody have experience whether installing a stop tailpiece would improve stability?
This channel is great! Could you please make a video about tuning issues due to Bigsby tremolo systems? There are a lot of videos on UA-cam of people trying to get rid of these issues, but everyone seems to have a different solution... Some use roller-bridges or remove the tension bar or put the locking tuners or just lube the nut... It would be great if you make a proper video guide on how to solve this problem!
Dont why but I have an Ibanez Ergodyne EDR - 470EX, in Emerald Green, and the Locking nut de tunes my guitar when I tighten up the bolts to lock it in place can anyone help with this situation I’m in please, I never thought it would be stressful having a Floyd Rose Bridge.
I had tuning tissues with my ESP Eclipse using Sperzel locking tuners. Broke 3 strings just trying to tune. I ended up trying everything. And what worked was that I actually winded the string a couple of turns. Before locking. And voila.
isn't the whole purpose of locking tuners that you dont have to wind your strings
Manu and faster changing strings. But IF light strings doesn’t hold well, do this.
@WOOLgum
The holes on the tuning posts often have sharp edges and cause rapid string breakage. I round that corners with fine needle files. Would be enough for the plain strings, but I do it on all holes.
Next thing is how the string is aligned in the hole before tightening. Ideal is diagonal, so the string sits on the lower (towards body) side of the hole. Align the hole at 45 degree angle. If you put the string thru the center of the hole and lock it, as soon as you tune up, the string starts to rotate at the pinched point and will break.
I also double up the last 3mm of the high e and then lock it. So the pin pinches double of the string.
Finally I make sure to not overtight. About 2.5-3 pounds of turning force on the knurled disc is enough, otherwise the thin strings almost get cut.
Hope I could help😊
@@lone-wolf-1 good advice, thanks. Good to keep with me for the future.
I don’t have the ESP any more, I got an Anderson Pro Am and building my third Warmoth now. Warmoth totally blew my mind with the quality. I made my dream guitars and they hold up to Anderson in quality and they costed almost a quarter of Anderson. Sold almost all my other guitars.
I just heard a man say the words "Nut slot lubricant." I can die happy.
Some people have cited the "tug on your strings a little bit across various places of vibrating string" method every time you tune to get a guitar to stay in tune a little more and withstand bends, though I don't know if it's really worked well for me. Any thoughts?
Its not good for your strings, stretching them to much will wreck the wound strings. Plain strings won't be affected but its a bad practice that somehow became common aswell...
Also if you just string your guitar tightly or have locking tuners you shouldn't have any string slip to begin with, which is why people stretch their strings.
make sure when you intonate your guitar that you adjust the neck pick up down so the magnets don't mess with the string vibration...this effects true intonation...
Good call, I like that idea. Will try it out next time!
Tuning from down to up essential . That guitar is Bowed so adjust the Truss Rod . Locking Tuners - Solved !
Oh my god i can't believe i didn't know the first thing nor did anyone i know or anyone i've seen on youtube.
i double wrap my strings around the peg before threading. does it make a difference?
A tuning problem I've had that wasn't mentioned here was related to having a tremolo bridge (Floyd Rose/"whammy bar"). It is a cheapo that only locks at the nut (good ones lock at the bridge too). Does anyone have any tips or info on this one? What's the point of a tremolo bridge that puts the guitar out of tune every time you use it?
Kevin Benoit I know exactly what your talking about, and have the same exact bridge on my Ibanez. Unfortunately, I dont know of any tips to help keep it in tune, so I plan on getting a new bridge. In the mean time, I blocked off the bridge so I can't use it at all
TheAir97 thanks. It’s a total piece of garbage. My other guitar has an actual high-quality FR and it works like a dream.
I had the same problem with my ibanez guitar so I changed to 1000 Series Pro Tremolo System FRTP1000, now it's stays perfectly in tune, but little pricey 😂
I just got new elixirs on mine but they keep dropping down out of tune within a matter of seconds. Please help!
When you're putting new strings on your guitar, they won't automatically hold tune right out of the package. Take about 10-15 minutes after installation to physically stretch them out. I usually grab the string somewhere around the 15th-20th fret & gently pull up. Not too hard or they'll snap. Stretch out each string & then tune the guitar back to where you want. Like I said before, you'll have to repeat the stretching & tuning process for about 10-15 minutes until they finally hold. Hope this helps :)
4:07 you promised links to “a couple great videos” in the comments explaining intonation...
Just type "intonation on an electric guitar" in UA-cam and you get plenty of information.
When tuning a guitar some strings do not show a steady reading on the tuner . Some are spot on, why?
Great question! It depends on the stability of the string, picking style, and the tuner. If you pluck a string very hard, you can hear it slowly drop in pitch, if you pluck lightly, it will stay consistently at that same pitch. When you pluck hard into an accurate tuner, you can watch that change in pitch occur. It is possible unbalanced picking or unbalanced strings would show some strings as consistent pitch and other, lower tension strings as inconsistent in pitch.
I was bending my high e string and i heard a snap near the tuners, and no my high e string only tunes to b and it can’t go any higher levels I tune but the tension still increases, eventually the string broke I tried a new string and it would not tune to e, my guess the tuner broke does any one know it this can be fixed or do you have to replace the tuner?
Did you figure out what happened? This exact thing has just happened to me and I can't figure out what to do
Shem B yeah, for me I had to tighten my tuners, I recommend to loosen all your strings and feel the tuners to you see if there loose (wiggles easily) if you can compare it to another guitar, so after that if one or all or your tuners feel loose tighten them up with a screw driver make sure not to right it really hard. unfortunately if that doesn’t work I think you might have to buy a new set of tuners :)
I just got a strat. Goes flat right after tuning a string. Low e string tuned. Go to the A string tuned. Check on the low e string and it’s out of tune. What’s going on here
Shoot for no more than 2 wraps on the post and grab the string and pull on it while tuning up to pitch, pull some more repeat until it stays in tune, you'll probably need to bring it back up to pitch a few times when first playing it but it'll eventually settle in, if it's a squier you may need some upgrades, if you're strings "pop" while tuning up your strings are hanging up some where.
Whatever I do the guitar just doesn't stay in tune. After each play i need to re tune it...What's the fault of my guitar? Please help! I am using Yamaha PAC012. Tuning pegs are tight and i am using D'Addario strings of 009 gauge. pleaae help, I cant use the tremolo because of this issue.
Well a few things, first off you will always have to tune your guitar every time you pay. That's perfectly normal for any guitarist. But that said, using some quality strings in a .010 gauge will help a lot, and beyond that it's worth having a tech look at it.
Check the tuning machines, the nut, the bridge and how the strings are wrapped around the pegs.
i find the lighter the strings ,the more they go out of tune.
Tried a flathead screwdriver... doesnt work. The screw head seems to have an "x" shape. I dont understand
It depends on what tuning pegs you have so use the correct screwdriver for the tuning peg
You also need to tune,in the playing position,not laying down
Very important.
The string is in tune up until past the 12th fret, as soon as I play beyond the 12th fret its off key... whats the issue?
Likely an intonation issue, or slightly less like an issue with the string itself.
Could be that your strings are too high so you need way more pressure going up then fretting first few frets. I mean strings are usually higher of the fretboard in the middle. And 12 is around the middle. So you need much more force to fret it. Also, might be just intonation.
My pegs don't have those screws...
My low E will not stay and the string feels super loose
Go back to your tuner and tighten the nuts that surround the tuners. They get loose and affect the ability to tune.
Yes, you want to tune up rather than down. It has to do with the potential slack in the gears of your tuners. You want to make sure you have tension against the gear in the right direction. When you bend notes your string pulls against the gear. If you tune down to a note there can be slack and bending etc will pull the slack out and now you are out of tune.
You also need to look at your bridges saddles and make sure they are smooth for the same reason as you look after the nut. Finally if you have a trem system you need to make sure it is properly adjusted so that it returns to the neutral position. Often trem systems springs are not tight enough and even if you do not use your whammy bar bending a note can pull you out of tune because the trem does not properly or reliable return to a neutral position.
Good luck, these are all things we can do on our own instruments.
I just got a new Stratocaster and the tuning was weird and seemed loose, so I kept tightening it and broke the string lol
That's never fun! Where on the string did it break?
😁😁😁
I wouldn’t worry about anything in this video until you’ve already bought a set of locking tuners. Sperzel makes a great set. The amount of slack in the coiled string around the pegs makes it almost impossible to really keep a guitar in tune especially when bending etc. Everything else is pretty accurate except he doesn’t really explain how to do anything just tells you what the problem is
Locking tuners area a waste of money, just make sure you don't have more than two rapes around the post on the wound strings, a few more on the others is ok as long as your tuners aren't complete crap you should be ok, Wilkinson non lockers are good inexpensive tuners, take the money you save and put it towards a tusk nut, as long as your neck is set up right and not a complete pice of crap you should have no problems.
All the above: Locking tuners are the way to go on newer guitars that have drop in replacements with out modifications...
Good investment.
WHAT ABOUT BRIDGE SADDLES?????? I USE PARKER NIGHT FLYS...I THINK THE 'OLD' BALL BEARING SADDLES ARE 'BETTER' BECAUSE THERE IS 'LESS' CONTACT WITH THE STRING. THE NEW STYLE, IS MORE MASSIVE, AND THERE IS MORE AREA THAT THE STRING COVERS. I FEEL THE 'LESS' CONTACT WITH THE STRINGS, THE BETTER THE INTONATION & TUNING. What say you?
Hey Jospeh, good to hear from you! We've only every used one size of ball-end, I'm not sure if other companies used to use a different size or not though.
No, what I mean is the 'saddles' (on the bridge of the guitar) Parker flys originally used two tiny ball bearings on each saddle, where the string rests in between the bearings, I feel this design was better, FOR TUNING) than the new ones, which have more mass, and more of the string is touching metal. My question was: do saddles have anything to do with tuning problems, for ex. if the string gets stuck in/on the saddle? I feel the less contact the saddle has with the string, (LESS METAL TOUCHING THE STRING) the better the tuning. Do you have a take on this? tHANKS
Ohh, I see, sorry about that. I've never used a Fly so it's all foreign to me.
Thank You,Great Video! I Prefer Calling the 'nut' the 'Top Bridge'_ Based on Factual Reality!👍
I Wish More People Would!🎸
This guitar looks like the neck is very slightly warped btw 🙄
The video is now 3.5 years old...did it actually turn out to be warped?
Why my electric guitar 1st string sound same as 2nd string... 1 bought 3 type of 1st string. All the same
I'm not sure I fully understand, but you should probably buy a complete set of strings and make sure you keep them in order while you install them, that should fix everything.
@@Stringjoy thanks for dat advise man
My guitar seems to what’s the word. Tune like wahing ? Hit string it it goes in and out of pitch
Strange! Might be something to have a tech look at
Stacy Lenihan same, i got my epiphone g400 pro and the g string wahs like crazy
My guitar will be out of tune for different chords, I’ll tune it so an open E Major is in tune but then no other chords are in tune, they are completely out. I’ll try to tune it so that an open G is in tune and then no other chords are in tune. Then I’ll tune it to a tuner and sit there for ages making sure each single string is absolutely perfect, and EVERY chord is out of tune. I’m getting really sick of it and it’s making me want to do a Pete Townshend and smash my guitar over a table
You need the intonation set. You must be a beginner, look into it, if you've got the money a set up is well worth it if not and you know which end of a screwdriver is the business end there's plenty of videos that can help you out
gary jones I’ve been playing for over three years and I’ve spent nearly an hour setting the intonation up, making sure it’s perfect
The chords are still out, even though the intonation is spot on
Hi, Jeff. Me too, I have tuning issues with mine too. It turns out I was pressing too hard which makes the strings go sharp. Intonation is pretty tricky at times too. This video was an eye opener for me and I've been playing for 35 years. The whole climate and humidity thing blew my mind. Keep playing tho, it'll get better!
Agador Spartacus I thought it had to me, that I was pressing too hard, but I played with the lightest touch I could and it was still sharp. The action at the nut is super low, the neck is straight, intonation is perfect
Hey, Jeff. Sorry buddy that is super frustrating. Is there a shop you can take it to? Many times it's an easy fix and you don't need to sign up for a 100 dollar set up. Stay out of the big shops like Guitar Center. Try a smaller shop. If it's something minor like a truss rod adjustment, they might do it for free. Just make sure they know you're going to buy some strings or something. Wish I could help more. 😊
b and high e just go C L U N K vrOOm and go loads down
all i had to do was lube my nut up. LmAO i know how it sounds but i bought that Big bends nut sauce product and since then my guitar i had the worst problem with tuning just magically stay in tune now and never fucks up. you can use graphite to lube it also, i did the pencil trick and it worked for a while but ill stick with the sauce from now on Lmao.
Second
My high e string won’t tune AT ALL !!!
Winds me up lol tune it up go to play a chord and it's out again
Big Bends Nut Sauce or another white lubricant is infinitely better than graphite.
Ok most of this is OK but THE most important tip is to always tune UP to the correct pitch, if you go too far you have to lower the pitch more than needed
stretch and always tune UP to the correct setting.
This is most important after putting on a new set of strings, make sure you really stretch them out and remember that strings will only stretch (loosen) after playing they will never get tighter. I've found Fender strings will hold their pitch really well once they are settled (high steel content) , but most flimsy alloy strings like Ernie Ball etc. have very low output and will just keep stretching and stretching until they snap.
So we do address that in another video. There's not any experimental evidence to show that this is the case. It certainly doesn't hurt to do, but it's really just a rumor at the moment.
8:00
I use eb strings and I bend the shit out of them, never have a problem, takes a couple of days but after that they hold pitch just fine I have a lot of guitars and they can sit around for months before I might pick one up and then never more than one or two strings will be maybe a qurter of a note off I also use quality saddles, tuners, roller trees, and have tusq nuts on all.
@@Stringjoy FYI: Machine heads are designed to be self locking, that's why you tune up as it keeps them under tension, the mechanism is a simple design that hasn't been changed since being put on guitars because it works as it should, when they are under tension they will not move due to being two surfaces at 90degrees, machine heads DO NOT Slip, if they are broken they will jump due to the design. You can take the pegs completey off and they will still stay in tune, they are only there to make it easier to turn the screw in the mechanism. It's proven engineering. --- Regarding the Nut, most cause issues because they are cut wrong, they should be cut at an angle and lower at the HS end than the neck end to define an edge. Pure graphite is a great lubricant but some modern pencil lead contains plastics so some say not sure on what effect that might have on what particular material for the Nut you might be using, if it contains plastic and hardens in the nut then could cause binding issues, as an example....I've come across tuning issues also because of wrong string choice, especially on Archtops as not enough tension to keep eveything where it should be and a lot of issues just because they have not had enough winds on the Machine head itself. --- Just some food for thought if you do any more Videos on this issue. :)
Just to add guitars will never be 100% in tune just by the design of the Fingerboard and worn frets and Capos can also cause your guitar to go out of tune.
2 to 8 weeks to change strings? Geesh. But may be the reason for my classical nylon. Cant seem to keep it in tune and aged well used strings seems to fit the bill.
Are there really any guitar strings that are low quality? If so, can you name a few? Anyone?
Factory strings
@@omarterritory3568 I imagine that these would still come from a reputable string manufacturer
@@fatfro1 they sure don't sound or play reputable
@@omarterritory3568 lol well said. I did a little bit of research and I found guitar string manufacturers in China. I suppose guitars that are made in the east would ship with these on. I can't imagine they would import American made strings just to export them back to America. So, I see what you mean by factory strings being "bad". Now I imagine guitars made in America would ship with American made strings (Daddario, Ernie Ball, etc.) instead of importing cheaper Chinese strings. Wait, they wouldn't do that would they?
As a guitar player I can tell you climate change is real, especially in my house
Unfortunately...I don't have screws on my tuning pegs 😑. But full disclosure..I don't have a stratocaster...anymore.
Matthaeus Ebonah You've got a cheap hunk of crap then
When putting the string on, loop once on top of the end protruding through the hole, a poor man's locking tuner...
Maybe some tips for Les Paul next time...oh wait, it never stays in tune.
Elvis it’s the scale length
Elvis Les Pauls can be tuned?
Ronald Leggett Jr no it’s not.
It's actually pretty easy, trade it for a strat, no more tunning problems.
Do you really need to use a mechanical pencil, or can you use a regular pencil?
I've used a regular pencil, and it worked just fine for me.
either works as long as it has graphite in the lead, mechanical is easier because its thinner.
Either works just fine, it's the graphite you're after. I just don't have a pencil sharpener so mechanical is easier haha
my fucking A string won't tune i've been tuning it for 3 hours now
They could easily manufacture affordable guitars with better tuning stability..but where is the money in that?!
Maybe, but hardware is a pretty substantial cost in building a guitar and that cost gets doubled to the retailer and doubled again to the consumer (margins vary obviously, but this is an easy way to look at it). So if nicer tuners cost $30 more to the builder, the retailer pays $60 more and the consumer pays $120 more. On a $300 price-point guitar, that's a pretty substantial increase, and that assumes you're cutting costs where you can on everything else.
First
Or get an Evertune guitar and never bother with tuning again... except if you need to change strings
Tuning, stretching, intonating, and waiting. All you need to know.
John Smith Don't forget lubing... Never force anything into a tight place without lube..
6th string doesn't stay in tune
Yeah?
throw it away and get a different one if it doesn't work
Change strings regularly. They go out of round the older the are and the more you bend/play them. Therefore, as you go up high, the elipses are not true to pitch because the strings have several flat spots on them. Oh yeh ... Jesus saves. And time is running out. God bless.
change your strings every 2 weeks? HAHAHAHAHA how about.... NO??!! if you play your guitar every day you should change your strings when you notice their tone changes or if you don't buy singles for backups for when you break one whenever you break a string just put a new set on. every two weeks? you're hilarious!! maybe if you buy garbage strings made in china,lols a good reputable company like dunlop,d'addario,ernie ball, etc and you're good to go like how i described.
I change mine when they no longer stay home n tune.
Do you know how to intonate your electric/acoustic guitar with a deformation degree concept applied ?
Well, you are already near than you think.
Firstly, let's be clear with this wrong idea that is in our heads always: "My guitar now is in tune. I got the best tuner in the market !!!". Wrong!.
Even piano makers know the intonation is NOT perfect.
Some notes need to be more sharp (or flat) than others in order to get a "perfect" piano tuned.
The fact is that the real world tuning that makes sense is made by a perfect "out of tune" system. Some notes are near to the pure note by fractions than others.
One fine example is given at the first frets of any guitar. There's too much tension applied at this point because strings are near to the nut and the action is too high (ex. acoustic guitar). Have you heard a perfect Am chord .... but you get a sour Em chord on the first frets?.
Tension is even greater with wounded strings at this point. Try to play for 3 or 5 minutes an F Major chord. Your strength in your fingers decreases and that chord start to sound like is not a complete F Maj chord anymore. Some strings ring and others are muted.
The concept of deformation degree applied on a string is related to it's gauge. The greater is the gauge, the greater is the tension at the first frets.
It's harder to track the strenght you apply on wounded strings.
Check your guitar is in tune with your electronic tuner. Now play a G note on the 6th string/3rd fret.
Check on your tuner how this G note goes sharp as you play soft or hard.
Apply little pressure until you hit a perfect G note. It's noticeable !!!!
Knowing this lead us to the conclusion that open strings notes are not good for tuning because these notes have ZERO deformation degree applied.
The best way to keep tension lower in a practical manner when you are tuning your instrument is to "relocate" the nut to get a low deformation degree at the wounded strings.
It' s a logic step you need to be aware of:
-Tune every string as usual at the 12th fret harmonics, then fret notes at the 12 fret, and check open string notes.
-Execute some wide bends slowly at the 12 fret and the 7 fret on every string jumping from one string to another for about 3 minutes.
-Now, at the 7th fret/6th string , tune to B slowly.
-Next, 7th fret/5th string, tune to E slowly.
-Shift to 6th fret/4rth string, tune to Ab slowly.
-6th fret/3rd string, tune to C# slowly.
-Shift again to 5th fret/ 2nd string, tune to E slowly.
-5th fret/1rst string, tune to A slowly.
-Repeat wide bends and tune again the same way until you don't need to tune after bends. This way you got the perfect balance, tension vs. string gauge/lenght in every string. Your guitar NOW is "out of tune/in tune" by fractional notes at the right point on the fretboard with the lowest deformation degree when You fret notes.
Want to check how open notes are "in tune/out of tune" making chords sound sweet ?
Play a cowboy G Maj chord an pay attention on the G note on the 3rd fret/6th string.
Every note now is in a relocated harmonized-pitch due to the tension applied/wounded strings (Gauge) relationship.
Ask the pros about it. Check Earvana nut, Buzz Feiten System, Guitars with fan fretboard.
This relocated spot tuning procedure [Virtual Nut With Balanced Gauge/Tension Tuning] works wonders on cheap acoustic guitars.
One final word: Have you noticed how hard is to record an acoustic guitar that You think is in tune?
And what about when you use a wide capo?.
Goes Sharp enough to make things worse?
"Devil is on details" , said the guy that showed me to tune my acoustic guitar to the song's key .... every time I record a song. (?!?!).
Well, all that hell of "learning to deal with an acoustic guitar" is now .... in the past !
You're welcome !
Cheers.
He talks like Kim Kardashian. Vocal fry used by a guy. :-(
Now climate change is de-tuning your guitar
I've noticed one other thing about tuning machines besides looseness, that cause tuning issues, and it's something called Tuner-Backlash, this is where you try to turn the button on the tuner and nothing happens till you get to a certain point, and then the string starts going up in pitch, this happens due to the tuner either being a bit worn, or because manufacturing tolerances arent good, I have bought brand new tuners which turned out to have about 1/8th of a turn's worth of backlash or worse, even when brand new, the worst were a set of Sperzel locking tuners, followed by a set of PRS locking tuners, and a set of Fender locking tuners.