I do a lot of recording. When you overdub guitars and start creating layers, being out of tune even slightly can really sound amateur night. So I'm constantly checking my Strat ( A Custom Deluxe from the CS) with a Peterson tuner. And the guitar has locking tuners and I do not use the trem bar except once in a blue moon.

I had the guitar setup by a Fender tech, and he checked the intonation and had it fine about 5 weeks ago. He even showed me how even with a brand new set of strings, you might get a string that didn't intonate. My new set of DR's which he put on, had such as string, and he replaced it with an Ernie Ball that worked fine.

Because I record a lot, I keep the guitar on a stand next to me. It is really not ever in it's case.

In the last week or so, I've noticed the intonation going out of whack. Bar chords or little 3 string chords on the 7th or 8th fret are not in tune with open chords played on other tracks. The tuner confirms this.

I am really getting frustrated at not being able to keep this in tune and am wondering:

1 Does this mean the strings are already shot after a few weeks? Is this why they are not staying in tune all over the neck?

2 Is keeping the guitar out of it's case gradually throwing it out of tune because of temperature changes (though there aren't many here in the house)?

Does everyone fight this problem?

What are some tips to overcoming it?

Thanks
Tom

In my 40+ years playing when I was gigging I had to change my strings at least weekly to get perfect intonation,no matter what the brand(but I found D'Addario's better than most).If you are playing more than 2 hrs a day that could very well be your problem.Even when I'm playing around the house I never go over 1 month with a set of strings and I wipe them down every time I use the guitar.

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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.

Thanks, I will change strings. They don't feel particularly bad but it has been about 5 weeks and I'm playing it daily....thanks!

Tom

Hey oceantracks,

I am not clear whether you mean intonation, or tuning. The intonation adjustment for each string is set by adjusting the saddle screw at the end of the bridge. This basically adjusts the length of the string so that the open note on that string will be the same as the note fretted at the twelfth fret (same note, one octave higher). The intonation will not change on its own. The intonation may need to be changed, or re-set, if you change strings, but otherwise it's set. If the intonation is set correctly to begin with, and after some use you check the intonation (open note = twelfth fret note) and find that it is incorrect, you may need new strings.

If you are talking about the actual tuning of the strings, that can and does change, sometimes overnight, just because of temperature or humidity changes that affect the neck, strings, and springs on the guitar. I have found that even the nicest guitar will be affected in this way, even if they are in the case or out of the case, doesn't matter. The strings can still be "in tune with each other", but all will be sharp or flat depending on the the ambient temperature and humidity, and you have to re-tune back to correct pitch. This is normal unless you want to spring for a guitar made out of carbon fiber or fiberglass or some other exotic material which is not affected by humidity or temperature changes.

Hope this helps.

Hi and thanks....yes, I mean the intonation. The intonation DID change over the weeks, and I was trying to figure out whether temperature changes (from leaving my guitar out) could have caused this, but I really think between your answer and the previous poster, it must be a simple matter of needing a string change already. I do play it daily.

I had gotten into the habit of using Elixers for the last year and was used to them lasting forever;) But this was a set of DRs....

Thanks a lot,
Tom

I've wondered about those DR strings but haven't tried any yet,I changed to D'Addarios early this year after playing Fender original 150s for decades.
And since you live South of me and we have soupy humid air,I know y'all are swimming in the humidity...and that messes with alot of things,really,people who don't have to live in it are amazed when they come South.
My amps even sound slightly different at times and I'm not the only one who notices that...

I may be misunderstanding your situation, but to me it sounds like normal Equal Temperament issues.

This is a good description:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Equal-Temperament-Guitar-Tuning

Using two different voicings of the same chord on two different tracks at the same time is almost always going to sound bad because of this very issue.

Nice in theory, but using different voicings on different tracks is done all the time, and sounds just fine when it's in tune;)

Tom

It's not really theory. You can’t play all notes perfectly in tune across the entire fretboard (without compensation).
You can adjust for more accurate open chord voicings or higher register, but it's always a compromise. With cleanish sounds it tends to not be that noticeable, but if you are using a lot of distortion on both parts, the harmonics will really make the issue more noticeable.
You can adjust for these differences on the fly as well with either finger pressure or slight string bending. A lot of people do this without thinking after playing a long time, but it’s much harder to do with chords than single notes.

If you check your intonation at the 12th fret and it’s not accurate, then the above is not your major issue.
I would stay with the same string type however because intonation can vary between different manufacturers even though they are the same gauges (I’m not sure why, but I have found this to be true).

Also, I always modify the springs behind my saddles so that they are firmly pushing the saddles forward (cut some short and stretch some). This will prevent them from flopping around and screwing up your intonation when you change strings.

One other thought that came to mind is how close your pickups are to your strings. When your higher up on the fretboard your strings get generally closer to the pickups. If they are set too close, they can get pulled out of tune by the magnetic pull of the pickups (causing a warble effect).