I have an Epi G400 Custom(SG bodied 3 pup Les Paul)and have no tuning issues at all,I can pick it up after a couple of months in the case and it's still in tune.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I'm probably gonna have to duck after saying this, but the most stable guitars I own as far as staying in tune are my Squier Stagemasters. No joke.. I always find myself surprised by it. I can't really explain why, I'll just take it for what it is.

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Wow, i have never had a Gibson product, or Gibson style guitar that didn't go out of tune in the case, maybe I bump them putting them in.
My Epi Dot with TOM is super stable though, as long as i hang it instead of put it in the case.. My favorite 3 axes al stay in tune if I keep em set up properly. Strat, Epi Dot and Ibanez, with Floyd Rose. My Ovation acoustic seems to go out of tune if there is a breeze blowing on it.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

My point about 2point trems (of all kinds) is that their just not durable. They wear out quickly with use. Van Halen alledgedly only got 2 weeks out of one before the knife edges had gone. I've never been through a Floyd that quick but I've done one in inside a year. The Fender 2point trem is no different and doesn't alleiviate the durability problems of the Floyd. Once them knife edges or pivot posts have gone you can forget a accurate return to the zero point. I like floyds they do their job well, the real strength of them is the string being clamped off at either end. How much use are they without the locking nut? Not a lot.
I do prefer Kahler's cammed trems, the scope for setup on the things is unreal. I find them very stable. Again once the shaft to mounting join wears they lose stability. It's just something I've never seen happen on a vintage trem.

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No no and no

My $600 Epiphone Sheraton II stays in tune better than my $1,800 Gibson ES-339. The Sheraton's tuning stability is about as good as my Fenders.

John

Thats could well be because Epiphone set neck tennon's are cut at the correct angle. Gibson use a tennon cut parallel to the neck, then shim it.

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No no and no

I've owned a few SGs and they've all had tuning niggles. The necks do flex under hand pressure as they're longer in length at the meeting point with the guitar. ie there's less guitar supporting the neck joint. Aggravated also by short tenon joints..

The SG design is just vulnerable in this area. Grip them too hard, or hit the strings too hard and they're out of tune. The upside is the legendary easy access to those highest frets..

Live with it. Get a stage tuner - hold them like a baby and stroke them rather than pummelling them. I just see their problems as being a characteristic of the breed.

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

The biggest tuning stability myth involves the stretching of strings. Many reputable firms advise you to "stretch" them. This is nonsensical. All the "stretching" achieves is a better, tighter fit on the post and in the bridge.

I find that Bigsby-equipped instruments have a tendency to slide out of tune, although a sharp whack on the bar usually brings it back. It;s almost certainly a combination problem involving the inherent instability of the tremolo system and a less-than-perfect nut.

Okay well putting your theory (or mythbust) to the test. Do you need to stretch strings on a Floyd Rose with a lock nut?

If you still need to stretch them several times before the guitar shows tuning stability I would argue that the strings do need to be stretched from manufacture. Even expensive strings.

As for a nut and tuners obvious pulling up on the string (or lots of bends) will tighten the string on the post. The idea of stretching is to get fast stability you can avoid it altogether if you like it the slow way.

Myself I do lock windings and help the curve for wound strings over the saddles.
I put pressure on while winding and use 2-6 post windings for Low E to high E.
I stretch the string upwards in the middle of the guitar then set the strings with trees into place.
Roughly tune again then stretch down the length of each string twice and quickly tune before I bother playing.
I'll then do some bends and check how far I'm out.

Process takes all of a couple of minutes. I use a floating trem on my main so I find it best to approximate if doing all strings at once.

I agree. I remember watching a instructional video with some famous guitarist, can't remember who right off, but he told how all his stage hands are trained that when they restring his guitars, they bring it up to pitch and then pull on each string and then re-tune. After that, it is ready to hit the stage. After watching that, I have always done the same thing. I give them a good pull and then re-tune and no tuning problems. Before I started doing that, every time I had new strings on I would play, tune, play, tune and then finally after some time stay in tune. So yes, I know from my experience my guitar tunes up faster after a good string stretch!

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I read a interview with Lee Dickson, Claptons tech. On gig day he restrings the guitars whilst everyone else is loading in gear. He leaves em for a hour whilst he goes and sets the amps into position and the wireless receivers. Then he goes back to the guitars and spends up to 3 hours stretching the strings.

If it's good enough for the Clap, it's good enough for me.

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No no and no

And that's exactly what I'm trying to achieve when I stretch new strings after I put them on... a better, tighter fit on the post so they stay in tune. Myth? Nope. I would say stretching is essential for fast tuning stability.

John

I should have been more clear. Pulling on the strings does not actually stretch them -- they're steel wire, after all. All it achieves is creating a better seat for them in the bridge, the nut, and on the tuning post. What I was trying to elucidate is the myth surrounding strings actually stretching and becoming slightly longer.

Yep that makes more sense to me, and is 100% correct. The often overlooked part of the term is in. as in Stretch the strings in.

Thats what I always used to hear it called and makes more sense with what your going to acheive.

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No no and no

Hmmm, I dunno.

I clip the balls off the strings and lock the ends to the bridge and string the floyd up in the usual way- set the fine tuners to the middle of the thread, tune to pitch and lock the nut down. I find after that- the strings will go flat after a while. Thus I will use the fine tuners, or unlock the nut to re-tune if they have gone too flat. I tend to only do this once, or perhaps twice if im lucky.

I do believe strings stretch- and it particulaly depends on the string brand too. Ernie Ball Super Slinkys are what I use. Once stability has been achieved, theoretically I should be able to detune the tuners (while the nut locks are down) and the guitar will hold tune. I will only have to use the fine tuners from that point on.

When you think of the physics behind it all, effectively what we are doing is strtching strings and thus by doing so- raising the pitch (such as tuning up/bends) and reducing the length of them whist we tune down/depress the trem bar resulting in lowering the string pitch...

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