Low E problem lateley

[ZoSo58LP]

Ok so my prized possesion '89 USA strat has always played fine...until recently I noticed that my low E goes outta tune often and when i strike it, the tuning varies..like i dont play very hard, and it can be perfectly in tune, but when i hit a chord, the E goes in/out of tune...so its tuned right, but hitting it makes it go higher....and i cant f'in stand it anymore...it just sounds like ass and this thing has always played fine with 10's....do i need 11s?!?!!? i cant solo too well wiht them! please help...thanks!

[Zaphod B]

Hardtail or vibrato?

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by ZoSo58LP

Ok so my prized possesion '89 USA strat has always played fine...until recently I noticed that my low E goes outta tune often and when i strike it, the tuning varies..like i dont play very hard, and it can be perfectly in tune, but when i hit a chord, the E goes in/out of tune...so its tuned right, but hitting it makes it go higher....and i cant f'in stand it anymore...it just sounds like ass and this thing has always played fine with 10's....do i need 11s?!?!!? i cant solo too well wiht them! please help...thanks!

Did this start up with a change of strings? You might have got an E string with loose windings or something, though if you watch on a strobe tuner, just about any string will start out a little sharp if you hit it really hard.

[ZoSo58LP]

its the vibrato floating bridge...but its never done this before thats the thing. and i sat with a tuner and hit the others, and they stay in tune fine when i slam them...the E doesnt...and its ironic its happening because my crappy custom strat's E just started doing this 2 months ago, now this one? wtf. bending it soloing or doing pinch harmonics and doing vibrato really sets it outta tune. help haha.....maybe my tremsetter is out of adjustment? does anyone know howto set these damn things up? i never learned

[ZoSo58LP]

i actually just set it up so the brdige doesnt float anymore...guess the tremsetters useless now....i mean it seems to not do it as much, but still detunes...made the action much lower as well, had to adjust that. but i mean theres no deadspots on the neck, its got very low action, so if aynthing needs adjusting now its just the saddles....but idk, its not too bad now.. any insight would still be appreciated though!

[muttley600]

When a note will not stay in tune or drops (or raises for that matter) it can only be caused by a few specific things. Mass/stiffness of the string, tension in the string, length of the string.

The mass and stiffness per unit length of the string material has changed. This is what happens when strings get old. The properties of the string are no longer uniform and result in intonation problems.

The length of the string, thats why we fret notes to raise or lower the pitch . Obvious I know but bare with me..

Tension in the string. The tension in the string changes and so does the pitch. If the other factors above remain the same this can be the only thing left to exam and must be causing your problem.

So look at how tension is maintained. The string is fixed at the tuner and trem/tailpiece, whatever! It passes over the nut and the saddle, and is held by the integrity of the guitars rigid body.

So the theory here is quite simple and you need to rule out each of the above one by one. If its just the E string you can pretty much rule out a problem with the guitars rigidity or neck joint. Take it from me tuners are very very rarely the problem in cases like this. If all else fails you can switch two round to rule them out but I doubt you'd need to. Leave it until last.

So your left with the trem, which by design messes with the tension, the nut and the saddle. You say you have locked the trem, so for now you are left with the nut or saddle. These would have been my first suspects. If the nut is sticking very slightly it will allow you to tune to pitch but slip when played lowering the tension in the vibrating part of the string. What you have is tension stored in the non vibrating part of the string behind the nut that is released for whatever reason. In severe cases it will creak when you tune and even break strings. Get some graphite in the slot to see if it helps or raise it out of the slot by shimming it with some wax paper just to test it. If it does help you will need to get the slot looked at. The same applies to the saddle for the same reason.

Like I said you need to look at all the things that can alter the tension in the string and then those that are unique to the E string as it is not effecting other strings. Have a good look at that nut, then the saddle, then the trem block. If that fails report back.

Good luck

[ZoSo58LP]

hmm i understand what youre saying...with the nut, I have the old fashion roller nut...so its literally just a big metal block up there, I cant really see inside...the trem block now stays 100% stationary...and i just set up my intonation and saddle height for maximum goodness haha...but its still doin it a bit. maybe i just am playing too hard? maybe i do need to move up to 11's? ugh haha i dreaded 11's on my brothers les paul, dont know if i can bare with them on here! maybe ill just customize my set and get a big fat E...

[Dani Pace]

Are you using a standard or a drop tuning? If you are tuning the low E string down a heavier string may help solve the problem. One word of caution, if you go to a heavier string the string may stick at either the nut or the saddle. You mentioned that you have a roller nut, how long has it been since you lubricated the rollers? A small drop of light machine oil, applied with a toothpick can work wonders for a sticking roller. The string will eventually wear a flat spot on a stuck roller, which will cause resistance to string movement and tuning problems.

[SHEPPARDB.]

Originally Posted by ZoSo58LP

i actually just set it up so the brdige doesnt float anymore...guess the tremsetters useless now....i mean it seems to not do it as much, but still detunes...made the action much lower as well, had to adjust that. but i mean theres no deadspots on the neck, its got very low action, so if aynthing needs adjusting now its just the saddles....but idk, its not too bad now.. any insight would still be appreciated though!

I've noticed when setting up my Strats that the p/u height can cause intonation probs on the lower strings.You can try lowering the p/u on the bass side and see if it helps.

[Light]

If this is a very recent thing, as in just this set of strings, try changing that string. Bad strings can do that sometimes. If that's not it, then it is likely sticking somewhere, with the most likely being in the nut. Nuts wear, and every now and then need to be adjusted or replaced. Try pushing down the string behind the nut to see if it comes back to pitch. If not, your nut is pinching the string. Take it to a good repair guy and have them look it over. Usually we can see the issue right away, though some of them can be a bit more trouble to chase down.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[Zaphod B]

If you have the LSR roller nut, the roller for the lower E string might be sticking or otherwise misbehaving. I have that nut on my '91 MIA Strat Plus, and there is very little clearance for standard-gauge strings - are you using anything bigger than 46?

[ZoSo58LP]

hey guys, thanks for all the help! lights always got the answers here so okay, i like the idea of applying some machine oil to the roller nut. i'm using a set of fender superbullets, 10 guages...always have, and never had this problme. ive been rocking half step down lateley, altohugh this HAS happened with standard as well. ive noticed that whenevver i do some crazy low E bends, with a pinch harmonic or something (ala zakk wylde), it REALLY comes out of tune. OK so light, i did the trick by pushing the string down before the nut. at first, it went out of pitch. then i retuned, did it agian, and it was fine. again was fine. then i tuned to drop D, did it, came out. did it again, came out. again, and was fine from then on. do you think i should lube up the nut on the E? also, ive got the lace sensor pickups, and theyre not THAT close to the strings, but it was advised to lower them. should i give that a shot too? as i just made the bridge stationary, they are a bit closer to the strings now.

[Zaphod B]

I have Lace Sensors in mine as well, and you can get them as close to the strings as you want, unlike other other single-coils. You can check the Fender setup guides to verify this.

[ZoSo58LP]

alrgiht good...so it seems the suspect here is my roller nut! better lube her up

[Zaphod B]

Originally Posted by ZoSo58LP

alrgiht good...so it seems the suspect here is my roller nut! better lube her up

Can't hurt!

[steve.h]

Dammit guys, "just lube your nuts" is your solution for EVERYTHING around here!

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by steve.h

Dammit guys, "just lube your nuts" is your solution for EVERYTHING around here!

Real guitar players grease their nuts. ;^)