Keeping your guitar in tune
I have a routine of things that I do when I replace strings, to ensure that the guitar is going to stay in tune for at least the next three or four songs. Regardless of how much bending and whammy bombs my client is going to require of the axe.
The Wrap
When wrapping the strings around the tuning peg, make sure to have a good 3-4 windings and each wind should wrap neatly under the previous. No sloppy strings crossing over each other.
Stretch the crap out of them
After the the string is tuned to pitch, pull the string away from the body at the bridge and at the nut. Then retune and repeat three times. This action really sets the ball ends and the peg winds. Then grab the string with both hands, between fingers and thumbs pushing against each other, and run up and down the neck stretching along the entire length of the string. Then retune and repeat until the string stays in tune, usually three times. Careful, don’t stretch too far and break them. Let the guitar sit for a couple minutes and you will notice that the strings are going to recoil a bit and go sharp. This is normal. Tune it back down to pitch and be confident you got all the stretch out of them.
I have heard some say not to over-stretch the strings because it causes them to go dead quicker due to breaking open the space between the winds. I suppose there is probably some truth to this, however I am usually in a situation where I am changing strings before each show, and I will gladly exchange a touch of “brightness” for an embarrassingly out of tune guitar.
Mind the nut
Make sure none of the strings are binding and can move freely back and forth thru the nut slot. If you use heavy gauge strings this can become an issue with a stock guitar. If you think this may be a problem, take the guitar to your favorite technician and have him re-file the nut slots to accommodate your preferred gauge of string.
Lube
Nut lube is a wonderful thing. There are a few different brands out there. I prefer Rene Martinez’s Graphit ALL lube. After the string is all stretched, lift it and use a toothpick to apply the lube in each nut slot. You can also use the lube under string trees on the headstock, and on bridge saddles to reduce string breakage.
Intonation
Make sure the intonation is set correctly. You can do this yourself with an accurate strobe tuner or take it to a technician and have him set this for you. Remember that intonation changes anytime you do any sort of adjustment, string gauge change or tuning change. Intonation is always set last after everything else.
Those dang Floyds
Floyd Rose floating bridges do require a couple more steps. As the guitar is used and ages the knife edges and the posts tend to become worn over time. This causes the bridge to stick and not always settle back to its “zero” position. Once all the previous steps have been completed, the nut pads have been locked down, with the exception of the nut lube. Push down slightly on the whammy bar and release. Then set the tuning for all strings with the fine tuners at the bridge. Repeat this two step process until the guitar stays in tune. You are basically creating the zero point where you slightly tap the bar down. Don’t do a full on dive, this over-stretches the springs. They will recoil a minute after the guitar is tuned and cause it to go sharp.
So there you go, I hope you enjoyed this months tech tip!