What Does It Mean when Your Guitar Won't Tune?

I want to talk about " What does it mean when your guitar won't tune".

People bring guitars to me all the time and say, "It won't tune...." OK, I can sympathize with that, I go nuts when my guitar won't tune properly.

There are many different factors in keeping your axe in tune. First thing to consider is, " Does it get tuned up and play OK for a time, then, go out of tune?" Or does it, "Never get properly in tune" ?

If it is the second, never gets in tune, the next question is....."Do only the bar chords (closed chords with no open strings) tune up properly, and the open chords, (chords with open strings) play out of tune?"

If that is the case, then that is a symptom of an intonation problem. The open string (non-fretted) is not in relationship with fretted note, or in other words, the scale length (or length of string) is not relative to the frets. The length of the string does effect the tuning, so does the age of the strings, and how much dirt or anything that translates to extra weight on the string. If the nut end of the string is not at proper length there is nothing you can do to make the open string play in tune with the fretted note.

How does that happen you ask? Improper wear in the nut grooves changes the scale length.

Now, don't all rush out and buy tools and try to improve your guitar nut, believe me when I tell you, It is not easy to "cut nuts". Really, you need the exact tool and technique or it will not work right and there will be a rush on guitar nut repairs. Cutting the nut properly is difficult and must be done with great precision.

Inaccurate cuts can create a whole new batch of problems, such as a rattling sound when the string is played open, this occurs when the string is loose in the slot and is moving around.

Clicking when the notes in fret area 1 through 4 are bent. That occurs when the string is being pushed to the side of a too wide nut slot.

Clicking when bending the string, or clicking when you tune the string is caused by the string slot being too tight and the string releases after being held back (or pinched) in the very tight nut slot. When the tension gets high enough, the nut slot cannot hold back the string any more, and the string finally releases and makes a click, that is when the string usually goes too far in the direction you were going in.

Have I lost you yet? If not, continue, if I have, move down to the third paragraph!

When the nut slot is too low the open string hits the first fret, causing noise with that note or worse, there is no open note because it will sound like the first fret note because the string is pressing on the first fret.

If the slot is too high, the first fret or two, sometimes three, will play sharp because you are actually stretching the string to reach the fret. May sound silly or unbelievable, but the guitar string changes tension very easily, which changes the tuning.



OK back to the original question......does it just play out of tune all over the place? That can mean different things......Check nut slots, angle of neck, truss rod relief, pickups too close, causing magnetic pull? Dirty or old strings? Dirty/old strings play flat. High action (height of strings) can cause guitar to play sharp, the string gets stretched in order to press to the fret. Too much relief causes a guitar to play sharp in the middle of the neck, if the relief is great enough. Pickups too close can cause sharp notes or vibrato on the bigger strings, such as string six. Flat fret tops can cause tuning issues, squeezing the strings too hard is a major problem too.

And, maybe finally............. the intonation needs to be adjusted (bridge saddles moved to proper length).

OR......does your guitar tune up well then go out of tune after you play for, say, a couple minutes?

Well if it is that, you will have to wait till my next post. We should dwell on what I have been rambling about, and give it a rest!! Tuning a guitar is a very dangerous thing, it can make you crazy. Now, we don't want to get neurotic.........but did you know that some guitars go out of tune when you lean forward or backward, just a tiny bit? It's stupid stuff like that that makes me wonder why I ever got involved with the guitar in the first place. I was only 7 or 8 years old, how did I know I would be someday working on them for a living! You might think wow, what a miserable life....on the contrary, it has given me, and I am sure many of you, a very pleasurable time. So that is why we keep marching forward in our conquest to have the best guitar in the world! Some guitars get protection like it is an offspring!! I have one that does.

Till next time, with more tuning talk, play music and have fun!