Strat trem question

G

Greg_L

Banned
So I gots this MIM Stratocrapper. Setup on it is pretty good. Good action, good intonation, new strings, good playability, but lately it's been going out of tune worse than usual when wanging the wang bar. I don't do big gay 80's divebombs or anything with it, but little surfy wiggles and slow bends down knock it out of tune way worse than it used to. What could be the cause of this new suckage? Gimme some ideas please. :confused:

Oh and I have 9's on it with the standard 3 trem springs.
 
mjbphotos said:
Different strings than you used to use?
Click to expand...

No, nothing is different. Same gauge strings, same brand strings, all I've done is tweak the neck and saddle height as part of a minor maintenance setup. The trem works smoothly and returns back flush with the body. It just goes out of tune really easily now. It didn't used to do that.
 
ocnor said:
Try some powdered graphite on the nut.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was thinking that too.

So it's my understanding that it's going out of tune because the strings are sliding through the nut and/or saddles when dropping tension by using the trem and they're not going back to their exact original position. I just think it's weird that it's just all of the sudden happening when the 20 years before today it stayed in tune reasonably well even with heavy trem action.
 
The only thing that I can think of is that by adjusting the saddles you slightly changed the angle of the strings causing it to bind.
 
Here's some pics. Maybe someone can spot something goofy?

20130113_210800.jpg


There's a chip on the nut next to the low E. It's been there forever and never seemed to matter before. It's close to the slot, but the string has NEVER popped or slipped out. Ever.
20130113_211022.jpg


20130113_211123.jpg


20130113_211520.jpg
 
It looks like the nut slots are cut too deep. I'd just replace the nut since it's chipped anyway.
 
You should get the hipshot tremsetter. :D It's a bitch to set up, but it doesn't go out of tune when you whammy and unlike the Floyd Rose, it stays perfectly in tune when a string breaks (though I am not sure about that :D). My strat has it and it's awesome.
 
Troubleshooting vibrato tuning issues can be a pain.

Questions to ask...

Does it happen on every string?
If not which are the worst?
Does it happen every time?

You've already mentioned some slight changes to the setup so I wont list questions regarding that.

If it only happens on individual strings it's most likely the nut or saddle binding. Fix is to dress the offending saddle or slot.
If it happens on all strings it will most likely be the vibrato block not balanced or seated properly. These are the most common causes but they can be misleading so check carefully.

In your case I would use some graphite on the saddle and nut first and if that doesn't work start looking at the vibrato itself. Sometimes after adjusting things do need a little time to settle down. If you just use the vibrato a little try really digging in for a while and dive bomb it and see what happens. Sometimes that will bed things in. In the worst cases you may need to temporarily block and lock the vibrato block to check that things are staying in tune with it hardtail...

Let us have the three questions above answered and get back to us.
 
muttley600 said:
Troubleshooting vibrato tuning issues can be a pain.

Questions to ask...

Does it happen on every string?
If not which are the worst?
Does it happen every time?
.
Click to expand...

1) Yes, pretty much. All strings go out of tune. Some worse than others. I just tuned it up, did a big old bomb down, and re-checked. All the strings went sharp. Did it again, same thing.

2) The wound strings seem to be affected the most. On the second test, the high E didn't go out of tune at all. The low E, A, and D go way out.

3) Yes.
 
I was gonna suggest that you didn't properly place the strings in the tuning pegs right - but now it doesn't seem to be the issue from what you are explaining to Muttley's questions.
 
ocnor said:
Try some powdered graphite on the nut.
Click to expand...
^^^^this ^^^^^

although if you go to key/lock kiosk they'll have a different powder that locksmiths prefer and it's white so it doesn't show up so bad.
Maybe a teflon?

But if the wound strings are the biggest culprits ..... to me that would make it even more likely that it's at the nut.
 
Lt. Bob said:
^^^^this ^^^^^

although if you go to key/lock kiosk they'll have a different powder that locksmiths prefer and it's white so it doesn't show up so bad.
Maybe a teflon?

But if the wound strings are the biggest culprits ..... to me that would make it even more likely that it's at the nut.
Click to expand...

Okay I'll try it but that seems like a band-aid. Should I get a new nut?
 
Greg_L said:
Okay I'll try it but that seems like a band-aid. Should I get a new nut?
Click to expand...
well ....... I dunno and I'll be interested in muttley's take on this but one of the things a nut has to do is let the string make a clean break at that end of it's 'speaking' length.
So by it's very nature a nut kinda grabs the string unless it's a roller nut.

personally, if a lube fixed the problem i wouldn't go any further than that.
 
Lt. Bob said:
well ....... I dunno and I'll be interested in muttley's take on this but one of the things a nut has to do is let the string make a clean break at that end of it's 'speaking' length.
So by it's very nature a nut kinda grabs the string unless it's a roller nut.

personally, if a lube fixed the problem i wouldn't go any further than that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm gonna give it a try.

I've never seen a roller nut. That's a neat idea. Roller bridges are okay, but why not a nut? Why not both? Might need too much angle down to the tuning pegs.
 
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