Why does my G String keep going out of tune??

G

GuitarDemon666

New member
My G String keeps going out of tune after I play my leads. I've stretched my strings plenty... I don't understand how it could be slipping.

I have a Les Paul Studio with the original tuning keys.
 
I'd check/clean the nut, the bridge and the stop tail-piece, especially the tailpiece posts. Loose posts can create serious tuning havoc, as can sticky nuts and bridges.

To check the tuner, simply swap the B and G string tuners and see if the problem persists. If the problem continues with the G string, it isn't the tuner, if the B string starts going out of tune often, it is the tuner.

Also, of all the strings, the G string tends to lose tuning first in the presence of aggravating circumstances - such as too high action. Many low-tension, ultra-slinky strings are simply not suited for high-action guitars, and assume use on extremely low action setups.

You may want to try switching to a thicker string gauge - the Les Paul itself was designed for a tone that usually assumes a thicker gauge than you'd use on a strat. While I use 008s and 009s for strat-style guitars, I prefer 010s or even 011s on my Ibanez AR50 (that has a very LP-ish tone/feel).

Of course, all this assumes that you are using good strings to begin with. I didn't want to start with this point - I assume anyone using an LP wouldn't cheap-out on strings. :)
 
Thanks!!! I'll try all your suggestions.

One more question... when I'm tuning, and hear a 'twink' up around the nut... what is that? is something slipping?
 
GuitarDemon666 said:
Thanks!!! I'll try all your suggestions.

One more question... when I'm tuning, and hear a 'twink' up around the nut... what is that? is something slipping?
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Bingo. That's a clear sign that the string is being caught by a sticky/cramped nut slot. So what happens is that you tune up, start playing and at some point, the nut "releases" the string and it goes out of tune.

Have a qualified guitar tech file the nut slots a bit, or just dab a little silicon grease (don't use vegetable or similar oil, or stuff like petroleum jelly - they can create completely new problems!) on the the nut to allow the strings to slip easily, and see if it helps.

But check out the other points as well - usually, this kind of problem is a combination of things.
 
If your G string goes out of tune your flute isn't being flutted properly.
Oh, sorry - G String is down under for thong, (thong is down under for a rubber sandle clasped by the big & 2nd toes).
 
The "twink" you are hearing sounds a lot like a string sticking in the nut to me. A decent tech can fix this in a matter of seconds with the right tool.
You might solve most of the problem with a dab of graphite or lithium grease in the nut slot.
 
try a lighter gauge G. might be cheaper than fucking with the nut. What size strings do you have on it now?
 
You know, if you wore boxers it wouldn't be a problem.































Sorry about that.




It is unlikely that it has anything to do with the gears. There are any number of possibilities, but the most likely one is that your nut is adjusted improperly. (Particularly if it is a newer Gibson - say, the last 2-3 years or so - as their nuts recently have been just horrible.)

You could also be having problems at the bridge end, and of course if you have too many wraps around the tuner's post, that is a whole other issue. Make sure you wind your strings neatly with 2-4 wraps around the post. Do NOT tie knots in your strings (god I hate when people do that...I always end up sticking myself in the finger when I have to untie them, plus it makes it harder to get everything tight on the post).

The best thing is to take it to a good repair person and have them look it over. As often as not, it is just that people have a bad string or have done a bad job stringing their guitar, and it doesn't cost a thing for us to show them how to fix it.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Pencil lead in the nut will work as lube if it's not too far undersized.

I don't "tie" my strings but I do back-wrap them under the next winding so they NEVER slip on the tuning gear itself.
 
Sounds like they've got you on the road to solving that problem ...... does sound like a problem at the nut to me.

Light said:
It is unlikely that it has anything to do with the gears.
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That's worth repeating.
So often I see people talking about strings going out of tune because "the tuners slip" and the reality is that a worm gear, by it's very nature, pretty much can not slip, so it's virtually never the tuner that causes a string to slip out of tune. They can be so crummy that they do a poor job of getting the string tuned and stable in the first place but that's not that common nowadays when most tuners are fairlydecent .... even on cheaper axes.
 
The G string on my acoustic makes that "twink" sound when tuning up, but I always thought it was just the tuner post. I've been been trying to get around to taking in my guitar, but I've been so busy lately.

Now, the nut on the guitar -- I don't know if it's plastic or bone, but I haven't seen another one like it. It looks like it has marks from a seraded (sp?) edge from being cut when it was made...kind of hard to explain. The low E string doesn't seem to fit very well into the slot...it kind of is sticking up. The thinner strings still have the same width slots as the thicker strings too...I think I just need a new nut.

My B and e string give me the most problems. I have to do big compromises in tuning the B string in order to make E, A and D (open chords) sound in tune when played. I know guitar's are never perfectly in tune, but it's way too off.
 
RideTheCrash said:
The G string on my acoustic makes that "twink" sound when tuning up, but I always thought it was just the tuner post. I've been been trying to get around to taking in my guitar, but I've been so busy lately.
Click to expand...


The vast majority of the time that is caused by the string sticking in the nut, and almost never from the tuning machine itself.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
From what I've normally seen though, the slot sizes correspond to the string guage...like my high e wouldn't have the same slot width as my low E string right? 'Cause that's the way my nut is.
 
There are two main ways guitar heads are set up - one where the Nut is also the defining factor in string length, and others where there is a "dummy" fret just prior to the Nut. The "dummy fret" kind ensures that string length won't change if the grooves in the nut aren't shaped right on the bottom.

With either type, the groove in the nut MUST be at least a couple of thousandths wider than its string - otherwise, the string will bind in the groove and will NOT always ride at the very bottom of the groove. This is sort of important when there is a "dummy fret" very close to the nut, but VERY important if there's NOT a dummy fret - this, because in the second case the bottom of the groove is what controls string height at the nut.

Without a lot of experience, I wouldn't recommend filing the nut grooves yourself (especially on an instrument WITHOUT the "dummy fret") because you'll cause uneven string height.

I've only had one guitar whose tuners slipped and caused tuning problems - and they were crap tuners with a lot of miles on 'em. (this was an SG knockoff I bought in a pawn shop for $40 to use in gigs where you're afraid to use their toilet :=)

However, there is a right and WRONG way to use tuners - the WRONG way is to turn 'em whichever way puts the string in tune and STOP - this can leave whatever "backlash" in the worm gear so that your string can slip, lowering the pitch.

The RIGHT way is to "sneak up" on pitch from a lower pitch, pushing a bit on the short section of string between nut and tuner AFTER you adjust the tuner so you equalize the tension on either side of the nut - by doing this, you remove any "backlash" in the gears of the tuner and this will minimize or eliminate the chance of the string moving at the tuner.

If you're not SURE of what you're doing in this, and you don't want to pay a Luthier to replace your nut so you can start over, I'd recommend a good guitar tech FIRST. There's a LOT more to guitars than people realize until you start studying the subject... Steve
 
FWIW, I had a similar problem with my G string. I switched to a heavier gauge with a wound third, and that cleared it up. Someone with far more technical knowledge than me may explain why, or maybe I just got lucky. Either way, I loved the strings anyhow and haven't looked back.
 
Lt. Bob said:
Sounds like they've got you on the road to solving that problem ...... does sound like a problem at the nut to me.


That's worth repeating.
So often I see people talking about strings going out of tune because "the tuners slip" and the reality is that a worm gear, by it's very nature, pretty much can not slip, so it's virtually never the tuner that causes a string to slip out of tune. They can be so crummy that they do a poor job of getting the string tuned and stable in the first place but that's not that common nowadays when most tuners are fairlydecent .... even on cheaper axes.
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Roger that. It always amuses me when folks talk about getting better tuners because the cheaper ones slip. The thing is, you cannot rotate a worm gear by turning its pinion. Tuners, even the cheapest ones, do not slip. The only tuner I ever had that slipped was one where the clocking of the pinion gear wore out so the gear spun on the shaft, but that was obvious; I couldn't get the string anywhere near up to pitch.
 
A little pencil "lead" (graphite) will often solve the problem. Scrape a little in the gap and off you go. Bettter yet take it to your tech and have him/her adjust. Then you can use "lead" in the future if necessary; I find it helps in this humid environment. 97 Degrees and 80+% humidity. Sweaty.. :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
Thurgood said:
A little pencil "lead" (graphite) will often solve the problem.
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No, it won't. It will HELP, but it will not solve the problem of a nut slot which is too tight. To get it right, it needs to be adjusted properly.


Light

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