Why won't my cheap guitar stay in tune?

I

IloveJesus

New member
I've been playing for years, so I'm not a newbie on playing.

But I know nothing about tech specifications on guitars. I usually play acoustic, but bought a cheapo 200 dollar electric Epiphone.

The thing falls out of tune if I simply set it down or lean it against the wall. Even when the strings are in tune, the intonation is off, so that a strummed chord is out of tune.

I bought it at Guitar center (no discredit to them. I love that store because they let me do anything I want--at least the branch near me).

Should I ask them to set it up for me? Will they for free or want to charge me?

If I'm going to take the time to have a technician work on it, then I might as well scrap it and buy a real guitar.

I just use it for recording at home, and mostly hard rock with powerchords, but still, it sounds like crap. I have to tune it and nurse it through the songs, never setting it down for fear it drops out of tune.

Any simple tricks I can do in an hour or so to shure it up?

It's a bolt-on. Looks like the one Billy something-or-other from Greenday plays. One volume, one tone, one three-way switch.
 
Maybe a simple tuner upgrade can help.

If your intonation is out, a guitar tech can fix that, and you could probably learn pretty quick how to intonate yourself.

Also, you may want to consider having a tech look at it anyways. A lot of the lower priced guitars are not set up at the factory where they're assembled. Even if they were, they're put into boxes then shipped from China or Korea where they probably are subjected to major climate changes (cold airplane cargo areas, or shipping containers on a boat?) before they get to the store shelf. A good setup and intonation adjustment may make all the difference.

If your playing style is hard (hard strumming/picking) it might help to step up a notch (or two or three if you use 8's or 9's) to heavier strings. Of course, this will almost certainly require another setup.
 
But what's it going to cost to get a tech to work on a 150 dollar guitar? It probably won't be worth it.

If he'll even take it.

Could sticking strings do it (on the nut)?
 
sounds like a truss rod problem...

if you have a floyd rose on that guitar then...you better get used to it..
 
Most likely it's a combination of ...
1. Sticky nut, you can try and lube it, but it probably needs filed(a tech can do this pretty easily. You need the correct sized files made for this.They're round on the bottom of the slot.
2.Nut height too high. see #1
3..Slots not cut(filed) correctly on the saddles.
4. Bad strings. Are they original? If they are they're probably really cheap strings.
I would take it and get it set-up. If they won't do it for free, drop a little $$ and have it done. It shouldn't be much. It will make a world of difference.
I'm assuming the action and playability is decent on it. If it isn't, then that's also contributing to the tuning issues. Good Luck!!!
 
Yeah, actually the action and playability is great. I love that. No problems there. No fret buzzing.

And I forgot to mention it's a fixed bridge. No tremelo.

Original strings.

You know, maybe it is the truss rod. Seems to easily bend (the guitar).
 
cusebassman. I don't think so... but who knows nowadays..

anyways.

if like you say the guitar bends easily, that almost sounds like your problem right there. you could try to see if your tuss rod is loose, but be carful, cuz you could easily wreck the setup that you seem to like.. you could try this.

hold the guitar upright and mute the string, and with an open plam "smack" the back of the neck and listen for rattleing of the tuss rod. if you hear rattleing that probably is your problem, if not.. you can try tightening the tuss and see if it turns lightly or heavily, if it turns really lightly, try tightening it a touch. if it's firm, I wouldn't touch it unless you want to crack/warp your neck.

it could also be the mashiene heads too...

but I am no expert by any means. so I would ask politely at your local music store if they will have a look at it, I know my local store set up a guitar for me for $20...

don't blame me if you mess around with it yourself and things get messed up.. messing with a tuss rod can seriusly mess up your guitar permenently.

good luck. if someone disagree's with my sugestion, please speek up. cuz I am no expert :) and yes, I do make mistakes
 
Nick_Black said:
cusebassman. I don't think so... but who knows nowadays..
Click to expand...

mm yea, I could definitely be wrong... there just seems to be a large crop of new members posting a lot, and some of what has been said here seems like a sarcastic repeat of things that have been complained about before. Of course, people continue to seriously ask about the best ____ for $____, etc. etc., so Im probably just being overly suspicious.

If I am, I hope you get your problem resolved :)
 
I'm a bit of a troll. I can't argue with that. Of course, trolls have a thick head of hair, and I can't really say the same for myself.

But the post is real.

If I can get the guitar setup for twenty bucks, that's a deal. But I'll probably just save up and get a decent guitar.
 
New strings and proper intonation should help a lot. Also check the neck bolts, these need to be pretty tight, be careful not to strip them though. A decent set up can easily make a $200 guitar play and sound a lot better. Depending on where you have it done, a set up can range from $20 to well over $100 so shop around a little. QC at Epiphone has gotten a little lax and their factory set ups are not the best in the industry, and the super light strings they put on everything leave a lot to be desired. Forget getting it set up at GC, find an independant tech and have it done right. If the guitar has any potential a good tech will bring it out.
 
Just put on a new set of strings to start - you should know how to do that if you've been playing for years. Maybe the ones on it are slipping on the tuners.
 
Why won't my cheap guitar stay in tune?
Click to expand...

ummmmmmmm............because it's cheap? that's one of the biggest differences between cheap guitars and non-cheap guitars.

you can get it setup and properly intonated, get new tuners, a new nut, a new bridge and whatnot, but chances are you'll always have problems with it.

you get what you pay for.


cheers,
wade
 
mrface2112 said:
ummmmmmmm............because it's cheap? that's one of the biggest differences between cheap guitars and non-cheap guitars.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of the "cheap" guitars made by the major players (Fender, Gibson, etc) are quality instruments after they've been set up properly. Those $350 "made in Mexico" standard strats are a great value for the money. I think that's probably the baseline for a cheap guitar that is actually usable as an instrument.
 
There's no reason even the cheapest guitar shouldn't stay in tune (intonation is another issue.) Again, put on a new set of strings. If this doesnt fix it, make sure the nut slots are wide enough and not binding the strings. Make sure the tuners are not slipping somehow (which would cause strings to go flat.)

Is it one or several or all strings going out of tune? Are they going sharp or flat?
 
i'll agree that the current run of mexican strats/teles and the epi les pauls are "good value" guitars.

but with a few exceptions, i wouldn't exactly call em "good guitars". there's just a level of quality that's missing from those instruments (and it seems that often quality is inversely proportional to value). maybe it's b/c some of em are made by 13 year olds in china. :D

yes, you can turn a mexi tele into a decent guitar with a setup, filing off the sharp ends of the frets, installing a new nut, new tuners, new bridge, new wiring, new pickups and all that......but why not just get a better guitar in the first place and save yourself the hassle?

and truth be told, i've only played one mexi tele that had the same sort of feel and responsiveness that my 88 american tele has. and even my 88 tele doesn't have the feel and responsiveneess that my 83 strat's got--that 83's got mojo. and i got that 83 strat for $500 in Jan 07.

in terms of "new" guitars, IMO, there's a world of difference between the $350 strat and the $800 strat. and the epi les pauls (or SG's) just don't do it for me--i've yet to play one that's felt even remotely "alive".

i'd advise anyone looking for a cheap "new" guitar to save a few pennies more and seek out an early 80's fender (they're all americans). they're just plain better guitars.

YMMV

cheers,
wade
 
mrface2112 said:
i'll agree that the current run of mexican strats/teles and the epi les pauls are "good value" guitars.

but with a few exceptions, i wouldn't exactly call em "good guitars".
Click to expand...

I agree the epi stuff isn't so great, but I still think the mexican made standard strats and teles are good guitars. It's a shot in the dark trying to find one with nice sounding pickups, but aside from that they're fine after a proper setup. I play my cheap strat as often as I play my custom stop. I did upgrade the pickups eventually.

But like you said, YMMV. I didn't buy mine online, I was able to play it and hear it before paying for it.
 
mrface2112 said:
i'd advise anyone looking for a cheap "new" guitar to save a few pennies more and seek out an early 80's fender (they're all americans). they're just plain better guitars.
Click to expand...

The early eighties? When CBS was ruining the name, and before the employees bought the company (85-86 or thereabouts)? Those were some bad guitars, easily surpassed by current Mexican/Korean/whatever Fenders, especially if you can cherry-pick among a few of 'em.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top