Bad tuners???

[Misha]

It's about my Squier Fat Tele, but I post it here because it doesn't matter which guitar it is...

 

If my tuners were fine:

 

How long should my guitar stay in tune? (How many minutes or hours of playing?)

 

What would be an acceptable limit of error? (don't know a better way to say it... What I mean, is if my "A 440" Hz is now an "A 400" Hz???... My chromatic tuner shows error between -50 to + 50 Hz....)

 

I suspect that they are bad? Any recommendation for new tuners?

[Rickkkk]

Hmmm .. I would say that a guitar's likeliness of staying in tune depends alot on how you play it .. especially an electric. If you do alot of lead playing, string bending, etc. .. it would tend to go out of tune quicker. If you do more simple strumming, it would stay in tune longer.

 

As for "limit of error", as you put it, I personally don't have a big tolerance for things being out of tune. I pick it up pretty quickly and it bothers me .. So I guess the answer to that is even more subjective.

 

Sorry I couldn't be more definitive ...

 

Good luck !

[recordingtrack1]

I own an American standard Tele and it is great. Tele's IMO are notoriously stable guitars and stay in tune quite well. Even played hard they are tough and should hold on to their tune relatively well. Besides the signature "twang" this is one of the reasons they are so popular.

 

There are so many factors to consider, everything from how hard you play, to note bending, to temperature and humidity changes, to how well set up the instrument is, are your strings new or old, etc.

 

I'm sorry that I cannot answer your question but considering the above factors it should hold tune pretty well. I would take it and have a new set up done on it, but that's just my two cents worth.

 

Best,

 

 

RT1

[Misha]

Hi RT1,

 

I don't play hard, but I do bend a lot (this is what my teacher ask me to practice!) The guitar is new, it was still in its box when I got it! So the strings are new too!

 

My other electric guitar is an Epiphone LP Std, it stays in tune pretty well, it is muchhh tooo heavy for me though! I could do note bending quite easily with it, with accuracy, but my back/neck/shoulders get too painfull when I play with it...

 

Maybe if I'm not as good with the Tele for note bending it is because it doesn't stay in tune? Anyway, it bothers me a lot to hear the harmonics/chords/notes... finally, the sound of the guitar... when it's not fine tuned!

 

Maybe I should just try new strings???

 

If I need a new set up, by a pro... I might ask for new tuners too... It must not be too expensive, doesn't it? I don't want to go there twice!

[guitarist21]

I don't think you need new strings, Misha. Strings go out of tune and you just re-tune them. It is an unfortunate and annoying part of playing guitar (IMO), but it is necessary. I doubt there's anything intrinsically wrong with your guitar.

 

I find my electrics go out of tune more frequently than my acoustics. Everything you've said sounds perfectly normal. While a good set-up is nice to get, I'm going to guess its not why your guitar goes out of tune.

 

If the problem is completely ridiculous (like you strum a chord and all the strings go 200Hz out of tune, since you like having the Hz in there;) ) then I'd go see a pro. But it sounds like your problems are completely normal. The unfortunate solution is just retune.

 

Ellen

[Blackwatch]

I also have an American Standard Tele and I do 3 finger bends all over the neck and the thing hardly ever goes out of tune. It might be the way you wind your strings...your tuners, your strings....etc.....Good Luck

[EvilTwin]

If you bend and then notice your guitar is out of tune, it could very well be the nut. If your nut slots are cut improperly (too narrow OR too wide), that's most likely what it is.

 

When you tune, do you notice any sort of metallic or screechy sound? If so, that's it.

[bjorn-fjord]

Does your guitar have a vibrato bridge? If so, tightening up the springs can help the guitar stay in tune longer. Properly cut nut slots are also critical. A little pencil lead in the slots will help prevent the strings from binding at the nut. Tuners shouldn't be a major factor unless they are total pieces of {censored}, which I doubt they would be on a Fender product.

[dwerlin]

nut problems are a big cause of string instability. if you are tuning up and hear a "ping" on any of your strings, then your nut is too tight, which may or may not lead to problems depending on how tight it is.

 

for instance, the nut on my Martin DX-1 is a little tight on the high strings, and i get the "ping" sometimes when tuning. however, with that guitar tuning stability is not an issue for me.

 

i had a MIM Fender Tele where i would also get the "ping" however with this guitar it was so bad that after i played for a while my tuning would actually be sharp because the strings were binding too much at the nut!

 

also, if they're new strings, unless you stretch them they will go out of tune frequently until they stabalize themselves (from either you stretching them or just from playing...which will take longer).

[Godot]

Unless your tuners are ridiculously bad, your problems aren't caused by bad tuners.

 

How many windings of string are over the posts? If it's less than 3, that could be your problem.

 

Do you stretch your new strings? If you don't, that's the problem. New strings have take time to stretch out.

 

Nut problems, as mentioned by others, is another cause of tuning problems.

[JasmineTea]

 

Originally posted by Misha I suspect that they are bad? Any recommendation for new tuners?

I tune my guitar every time I pick it up, Misha. Sometimes it's out of tune, sometimes not. I stretch the strings when I put them on new, this helps to keep them from going out of tune.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with your guitar.

 

Mon Ch

[AK47]

I would like to second the making sure the strings are tied correctly at the tuners. I knew a kid once who bought an inexpensive guitar that had some cheap strings that just seemed to slip on the tuners. We changed the strings and problem fixed. Who knows? Also being a bolt on neck you might want to make sure the screws holding on the neck are tight. If the neck moves around regardless how minute it will adversely effect tuning. I don't think the tuners are your problem. Good luck:wave:

[Misha]

Hi again,

 

I read all your answers and I think that it might be the nut... if something... though, When I tune, I don't notice any metallic or screechy sound

 

The strings are stretched, my teacher did it when I showed him the guitar. He told me that I did a very good purchase! So I know that it is a good guitar (for the money, great sound, great playability, great neck, great finish.) It just doesn't stay in tune for long!

 

It doesn't have a vibrato bridge so it's not a problem, There is at least 3 windings of string over the posts, the screws holding on the neck are tight, etc,...

 

It just doesn't stay in tune like my Epiphone or Seagull or Cort do!

I do 3 fingers bends (those poor fingers!) with both my electric... The Squier just don't take it!

 

 

I'll get it set up by a pro! The worst thing that could happen to me is that it will be better, anyway!

[mikesr1963]

How are the strings wound on the pegs. Be sure they don't overlap and are streatched well after you put a new set on. I have 4 squiers once I tune up I can usually play from 10 to 30 minutes without tuning depending on how hard I'm cranking on them. I really don't thing about it because I have foot controlled tuner on my board.

[Misha]

 

Originally posted by mikesr1963: I have 4 squiers once I tune up I can usually play from 10 to 30 minutes without tuning depending on how hard I'm cranking on them.

 

 

The strings are a little bit older now and it now stays in tune for 10 to 30 minutes... So I guess it's normal for that guitar. However, it is still not as good as it is with my Epiphone!

[guitarist21]

Generally, because the strings are thicker, acoustics stay in tune longer than electrics. Just takes a little patience with the electrics. I know that in my band, I tune my electric between each song. Quickly, of course, so as not to fatally disrupt the show.

 

Ellen

[Terry Allan Hall]

 

Originally posted by Misha It's about my Squier Fat Tele, but I post it here because it doesn't matter which guitar it is... If my tuners were fine: How long should my guitar stay in tune? (How many minutes or hours of playing?) What would be an acceptable limit of error? (don't know a better way to say it... What I mean, is if my "A 440" Hz is now an "A 400" Hz???... My chromatic tuner shows error between -50 to + 50 Hz....) I suspect that they are bad? Any recommendation for new tuners?

 

 

 

Not to knock 'em, as they're really nice "budget" guitars, but Squiers have very inexpensive tuners (after all, they're "budget" guitars)...new tuners will DEFINITELY make all aspects better!

[Kap'n]

Like everybody else said, a bad nut can cause tuning problems.

 

However, even more important is how you string the guitar, and whether you "stretch" the strings, which is actually mostly pulling the slack out of the windings on the tuning heads.

 

I virtually never have to tune my guitars, acoustic or electric, during performance. I mean I'll check them between sets, but they're very stable.

 

I credit a lot of this to the way I string a guitar. Given a guitar with conventional (hole perpendicular to shaft axis) tuners, try as much as possible to

 

 

I have only once in my lifetime experienced a guitar that had tuning heads that were so shoddy that they wouldn't hold the guitar in tune. It was a seventies Silvertone LP-shaped guitar with five built-in effects. You could see the knob turn when you bent strings.

 

Every other guitar I've ever seen with tuning issues had poorly wound strings, a poorly cut nut, or neck stability issues.