My guitar won't tune

TripleM

Well-known member
I can't seem to get my guitar in tune. I have a decent quality Strat (US made). It's been fine for years, the problems just started recently.

The problem is NOT that it WON'T HOLD its tune - it's that it can never be tuned to begin with.

As an example, I can tune the D and G strings by putting a finger on the 5th fret of the D and tuning the G until they're the same pitch. However, if I then put my finger on the 10th fret it should be the same pitch as the 5th fret on the G. But the G is WAY higher.

This happens on almost all the strings. What's wrong? How easy or difficult is it to fix? Thanks.
 
I'm going to assume your not kidding? Check the fretted note at the 12th fret against the harmonic-If they dont match you can never be fully in tune-Use the back and forth saddle adjust to match em up...C'mon you knew this right?!;)
 
The two most common offenders are old strings and bad intonation. Old strings simply stop ringing true once they are full of smegma (insert definition here...)

If you change your strings failrly often and it doesn't tune then you definitely need to have a luthier check the neck for proper relief and intonation. I personally get this done about once a year because a lot of little things like the weather, bumping the guitar, etc. will throw the intonation off.
 
Strat - I'm serious. any form of harmonic tuning is off too.

Phyl - the strings are new. I was afraid someone was going to say something "it's a problem with the neck." Oh well.

Thanks both for the replies.
 
This really isn't a big deal and it happens to all guitars at some time or another.

Necks are made of wood, wood changes shape due to weather or other stresses, that's why guitars have truess rods and adjustable bridges. BTW, even changing to a different gauge of strings can throw off the intonation.

If you're brave, download some information on neck adjustments and intonation and give it a try yourself. If you're a coward (like me) spend the money and take it to a pro. I've actually tried to adjust my own guitars but quickly found out that it is not as simple as it seems.

Finally, you may just have super sensitive ears. The longer you play guitar the more sensitive you become to the slight tonal inaccuracies present in all instruments. Some people go so far as to only buy guitars with the Buzz Feiten (spellling?) system installed because they can hear the small errors inherent in most standard necks.

FWIW, YMMV
 
http://www.totalguitar.co.uk/print.asp?ID=2519&type=FTR

That link is pretty good for intonation adjusting--It's pretty simple really-especially if you have a tuner. If you still have a problem after that-I would suggest someone looking at it-

You say this problem just started? Well-what has changed or happened lately? Did you buy a new brand or gauge of strings? Did the guitar take a fall or some unnatural stress on the neck?Did the guitar change location? eg: from a hot basement to an air conditioned studio? Any of these could have an effect on intonation. Hope you get it figured out-I remeber liking your song in the mp3 clinic....


Strat
 
GoenDude! :D

Welcome to the fold man.
And yeah...there's a lot of good people here and a few of em are pros in one area or another.
Stick around.....;)

Oh...and new guy buys the beer. :D
 
GoenDude! :D

Welcome to the fold man.
And yeah...there's a lot of good people here and a few of em are pros in one area or another.
Stick around.....;)

Oh...and new guy buys the beer. :D

Sorry DogBreathDude, but Goen was another one of our Pakistani spammer friends. Been getting a lot of them showing up lately.

I just don't understand how they think their spamming methods can be very productive. Not the best business model, in my view.
 
Sorry DogBreathDude, but Goen was another one of our Pakistani spammer friends. Been getting a lot of them showing up lately.

I just don't understand how they think their spamming methods can be very productive. Not the best business model, in my view.

Dogbreath is just too friendly for his own good! (That and he's always trying to get the new guys to buy the beer. :))
 
Dogbreath is just too friendly for his own good! (That and he's always trying to get the new guys to buy the beer. :))
That he is, one of the nicest on the board. And my gut instinct says the beer may not be exactly what he's used to having.... :D
 
Old thread, but maybe somebody will reply...

I have a Schecter 6-string Diamond...w/ the FloydRose bridge. I've set the intonation correctly using a very sensitive tuner, and have laboriously set the tuning on all 6 strings. But when if I play E open, and D 2 frets up, the notes are so off, it makes me cringe. I have no idea what could cause this besides the frets being in the wrong spot. Since the guitar was a little on the cheap side, makes me wonder if Schecter did this on purpose for their cheaper models? Who gets the fret positions wrong? The fretboard has nice action and the neck is nice and perfectly straight. The guitar hasn't been played much. I'm stumped. Totally stumped.
 
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