Random tuning stuff

spantini

spantini

COO of me, inc.
I've always read that when tuning a guitar you should never tune down to a note, always tune up to keep tension at the key. Makes sense to me. But sometimes I can only nail the note perfectly by going sharp and tuning down. This has and does happen with my Strat, Acoustic and bass guitars.

When tuning up, I frequently settle for the tuner fluctuating a cent +/- , but rarely dead center. I have found that going sharp and tuning down results in the tuner settling at dead center with no fluctuations.

This happens with my old KORG Chromatic CA-1 tuner tuning my acoustics through it's internal speaker, or line-in with the electrics. Also happens with tuners in my guitar sims.
 
I agree with tuning up to reach the proper pitch , but it doesn't "always" work that well. I've noticed that when I do tune down to a note , I still put a little up presseure on the key without bringing the pitch up any. My biggest problem is the high E strings have worn into the bridge a little (on my acoustics). The saddle also gets slotted putting a steeper angle on the string compounding the problem. They often get right to the note then pop a little sharp. Hasn't been a big enough problem to break out the super glue and baking soda yet .. ms
 
As a matter of habit - and that it feels correct in terms of physics - I tune up from flat.

It seems to me that as long as you stretch/bend/pull on the string after tuning down from sharp - and get the necessary pitch and stability - it shouldn't matter.
 
Ultimately if it actually matters, there’s something wrong with the guitar. Identifying and fixing that issue is probably the right answer.
 
I tune up if I'm flat and down if I'm sharp !
And I sometimes tune right down 2, 3 or 5 steps for some interesting chord variations. And then use a capo and varispeed just to be even more awkward and show my guitar who's boss. :geek:
 
I was reading about long and short scale guitars and string tension. IIRC, the long scale instruments have higher string tension and short scales have lower string tension. This caused me to go "Huh..?" because my mind compares this to tying a rope or wire between two trees. The longer the rope, the more it sags in the middle because (I assume) it can't be pulled taught enough to make it straight - less tension. Then a shorter rope or wire can be pulled straighter with less or no sag. I assume this is because it's more taught. I equate taught with tension. So the rope/wire comparison is opposite of guitar strings. Or so it appears . . .

I'd like to know the physics involved here.
 
The frequency at which the string vibrates depends on an inverse relationship between tension and length and mass. Basically F=T/(m * L). If m stays the same, and L gets bigger, T has to get bigger so F can stay the same.

So yes, the same strings tuned to the same pitch must have more tension on a longer neck. This is why I put 11s on my fender scale guitars but 12s on my gibson length ones.
 
In my fifty years as a machinist, tension is almost always applied using the "up" method, so, I always applied that to the guitar. When you torque a head
you don't back off. If I need more slack, that is another story.
Speaking of slack.
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