I bought a new strat and can't keep it in tune. When I tune to a tuner, it shows okay, but plays terrible. I tune an open chord and nothing else is in tune. Then when I tune a barre chord, all barre chords sound okay until I play an open chord. I'm frustrated. Please give me some suggestions.

thanks,
Marshall

Sounds to me like the setup is off or more specifically, the intonation needs to be adjusted. Technically speaking, Fender does setup the guitars before they leave the factory, but many guitar shops don't bother to check them before they put them on the sales floor (especially if it's a lower end instrument). Guitar Centers (in my area at least) is really bad about this...instruments such as Squires and even MIM Strats come out of the shipping carton and go right up on display. Between being bumped and jostled around in shipping (especially if it came in from over-seas) and possibly being handled by several people in the store where it was purchased, it's very likely just out of whack.

Setting the intonation is fairly easy...you can look around here at Fender.com or just Google "intonation" and you'll find lot of info. If you're still not sure, in most cases it's usually only about $20 or so to have a tech set it up for you. Do be aware that this should be checked on a regular basis and if you ever change things like string gauge or something, it will certainly have to be reset, so it is worth learning how to do yourself. Also, depending on where you live, the weather can wreak havoc with this as well...every spring and fall here in Ohio, my guitars always go wonky for a few weeks! LOL!!!

BTW...tuning to a chord is ALWAYS going to make the guitar sound out of whack. There's a great deal of science to explain this and you can look that up on the internet yourself, but understand that any kind of "open tuning" (be it an open chord or a bar chord) is going to screw things up. In other words, if you tune to an open E, while it may sound right playing in E, if you go to play something in another key such as F# for example, it's going to sound completely out of tune...that's just the way guitars work. This thing we call "standard tuning" is a balance...it's a way that the instrument sound reasonably in tune at any given time in any given key. Unless you are playing slide or doing something specific that requires open tuning, then stick with standard tuning (and also be aware that open tuning will also require a change in the instruments setup!).

Do be aware that Strats are notorious for tuning issues...it's simply the nature of the beast. The key to keeping a Strat in tune is a good setup (and if you're heavy handed with the trem, you're still likely to have issues). Also, I've personally found that a brand new guitar usually needs a "settling in" period as well. In the case of my new Squire Strat for example, the lacquer finish wasn't even completely set...I left a "dent" in the finish just by hitting it with the end of the cord. Check the intonation (or have a tech check it for you) and reset it, then check it again in another month or two...it'll probably be out again. If that doesn't fix the problem, you may have to have a tech look at it for you. If nothing else, take it back to where you bought it and say "hey...fix it!". After all...that's what warrenties are for .

Good Luck!
Jim

Hi! mdbrence!
and welcome to the forum.

1st go here http://www.fender.com/support/stratocaster.php
and see if that helps. If you have no experience setting up guitars, or if this is a new one, take it back for a setup. Intonations are probably off, but to set them right other things need to be adjusted first, such as neck relief, bridge saddle height etc...

Hey, I'm impressed and very thankful there were so many replies to my question. I have always played a Les Paul and this is my first Strat. I didn't realize there were so many things to deal with on the Strat tuning. I have learned a lot from everyone. The guys at the store said it had been set up, but I don't think it has. I think that is probably the first issue to address. Thanks.

One more question, will a hard tail or locking the tremolo bridge help with the tuning?

Thanks again,
Marshall

It sounds like an intonation problem to me.... you can watch videos online about setting up a guitars intonation.. that will help

well. it may have been "setup." a key reason many of us have learned how to setup our own guitars is often times you take your guitar in, and the tech may give you a 2nd rate tuneup. I don't trust my precious strat into anyone else's hands.

To your new question I guess locking it, or installing a hardtail would make it easier, but if your guitar is setup properly, and not broken, it shouldn't be an issue with the standard bridge.