Guitars that stay in tune

chill.

I used to play a Fender Jaguar & go all apeshit on the tremolo bar, and the thing always seemed to stay in tune. This might have something to do with the tremolo system that is unique to those & Jazzmasters, which is mostly why indie rockers etc. buy them these days.

Yeah, I own a '65 Jazzmaster which I purchased on ebay 4 years ago. I play pretty much daily and it rarely goes out of tune.

hi dere my name is locking tremolo and you should look into my function.

Actually I don't know what that is. You mean like a Floyd Rose? Or you mean, like, using an allen key to secure the bridge and all that?

I also used to own a guitar with a Floyd Rose floating bridge: don't buy into it - they're a fucking nightmare.

Unless you're Ynwie Malmsteen or something

"Yngwie"

RE: Jazzmaster - no way I'm spending 5k on a guitar so I can play 1-4-5 progressions in E major tuning

I actually copped it for 950 since it got a refin in the 80's. And thanks, Chaki, but I know the locking tremelo is responsible for its staying in tune.

I'm guessing a Tele or a Les Paul might be the ticket?

telecaster's can withstand some pretty brutal punishment and only come out sounding better.

I used to play a Fender Jaguar & go all apeshit on the tremolo bar, and the thing always seemed to stay in tune.

my jag would go out of tune all the time under stress but once i "fixed" the bridge it was pretty stable.

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ask yourself: do you really want your guitar to stay in tune? and why?

have you asked yourself yet?

what was the answer?

Pete Townshend made a career out of beating an SG and managed well. So does Angus Young. It's not so much a specific brand and make of a guitar problem as it may have to do with string, bridge, neck and nut interactions. You could have a local shop pro look into giving it a diagnosis and allowing a work-up.

And sometimes a particular instrument is just a dud. My old SG, on the other hand, exhibits no stay-in-tune issues extraordinary from my other guitars.

i have a tele and it never goes out of tune.

HALP

http://cache.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/glenngrin.jpg

Pete and Angus have guys to tune their guitars for them, though.

Gorge is completely and totally OTM.

Another thing that people rarely think about that hugely impacts the tuning stability of their guitar is the string wrap at the tuning peg.

Get flight case, your guitar will stay in tune in it unless its a) really shit, b) exposed to extreme temperature changes.

Also learn one tuning by ear, beat frequencies with harmonics on the 3rd 5th frets are handy for the beginner.

That or get a tuner pedal.

Another thing that people rarely think about that hugely impacts the tuning stability of their guitar is the string wrap at the tuning peg.

This is so OTM, its amazing. This is the same reason, more or less, that the Floyd Rose trems stay in tune so well - the locking function at the nut means that there is a limited amount of string that can stretch due to playing over time. This means that they will go out of tune less, and thus less often.

I also used to own a guitar with a Floyd Rose floating bridge: don't buy into it - they're a fucking nightmare

This is ALSO so OTM. Just too damn much to fuck with.

Solution? Locking tuner heads, made by both LSR, Sperzel and Schaller. The Schaller-produced ones I have on my Strat have the dual advantage over traditional tuning heads in that they are easy to use, and you don't have to worry about wrapping in a certain way, and they do a good job of keeping the thing in tune.

They really are the way to go. Floyd Roses offer more stability if you're going to be doing dive-bomb, EVH-style stuff, but the locking tuner heads provide a great, much less complicated solution.

And you can put them on ANY guitar.

I think this solves my problem. I'm going to have locking tuner heads put on my SG. Is that all I do, bring it in to the shop and ask them to put them on?

HALP

LOL

I second the Jaguar recommendation. Mine just stays in tune forever.

I think this solves my problem. I'm going to have locking tuner heads put on my SG. Is that all I do, bring it in to the shop and ask them to put them on?

I guess so - mine came with my Strat. I would ask the guy if there are any other recommendations he might have, and whether the locking heads would in any negatively effect your SG, but I can't honestly think of anyway that it would.

Awesome, thanks guys! Psyched to try this!!

The cool thing about it would be that, if they don't work, you can always put the original SG locking heads back in.

Good luck. I hope it works out for you!

Oh - one more thing. Check to make sure that they don't have to alter the tuning head holes in the headstock before putting the new ones in. If they need to do that, you may not be able to go back to your original tuning heads.

Just ask about the whole process before you agree to get anything done, is all I'm saying.

And, as a rule, DO NOT TAKE IT TO GUITAR CENTER to have this done. They tend to outsource their repairs, so there's too many people between you and the guy who's actually doing the work on your geetar. Go local/small shop and support those dudes.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2212/2116494930_7b5e6045f8.jpg

Who dat?

motherfucking champion

lol

Is something wrong with your guitar? Does it need to be intonated? It shouldn't be hard to keep it in tune.

i'm pretty sure guitars aren't supposed to stay in tune

yeah

dust in the wind, bra

It shouldn't have a problem holding tune while you play, or something is wrong.

You could always pursue a career in corny 90s indie rock, though.

MY NAME IS EARL

sanskrit is now banned on the ITR

what the hell is that

a lie.

or my craggy visage, depending on what you were talking about.

this link might be a good thing to look through as long as you're trying to make your guitar work right.

i'm dumb. here - Public service announcement: how to set up your own guitar/bass and not pay for others to do it...

JJ - do you know anything/have any opinions on the Epiphone Elitist Les Pauls?

The painful truth is that all the Elitist series (DEAR GOD THAT NAME MAKES ME ANGRY) stuff I've come in contact has been higher quality than the equivalent Gibson model.

Haven't played the Les Paul though.

In my experience Fenders tend to stay in tune better than Gibsons.

In my experience [your favorite brand] guitars stay in tune better than [your not so favorite brand] guitars.