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Post subject: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:09 am
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Good day guys. This past weekend I played a couple of garage gigs, basically set up in a garage with a band and had a good go at it :)

The temps dropped on both occasions to about 15c causing me to constantly retune my guitar because it kept going sharp on me(after 2 or 3 songs). Does anybody else have the same trouble with their strats? I don't seem to remember having that trouble with previous LP's I've had.

Just wondering...


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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:11 am
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going sharp? That's different. The cold could be affecting the guitar a bit, its best not to expose it to the elements if they vary in temperature or humidity. That goes for any instrument.

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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:26 am
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DetroitBlues wrote:
going sharp? That's different. The cold could be affecting the guitar a bit, its best not to expose it to the elements if they vary in temperature or humidity. That goes for any instrument.


Expansion/contraction of various materials used in a guitar's construction due to extreme swings in ambient temperature is known to cause tuning-stability issues, especially with trem-equipped Strats. The primary reason is the steel springs that hold the bridge in equilibrium against the tension of the tuned strings. When string or spring tension varies as these metals react to heat or cold, the pitch of the strings is altered.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:53 am
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Well it's my #1 guitar so it's going to see some adverse conditions, especially with any outdoor or similar gigs. Maybe it just needs to toughen up a bit first :D


Arjay: Will it help if I put another spring in it? Right now I don't use the trem so it's sitting flat.


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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:48 am
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Blocking the trem altogether(a la the Clapton signature model) might help. But you'd lose any ability to use the trem (if that's a factor to you). Simply installing more springs isn't likely to alter the dynamic.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:33 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Blocking the trem altogether(a la the Clapton signature model) might help. But you'd lose any ability to use the trem (if that's a factor to you). Simply installing more springs isn't likely to alter the dynamic.

Arjay



Yeah didn't think that would work. I'll just block it, no biggie, I rarely use it anyway. I'm usually pretty drunk and hyper by the time that comes out of the case :D

No good ever came from me using a trem :cool:


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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:34 am
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Thanks for the advice guys.


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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 12:30 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
DetroitBlues wrote:
going sharp? That's different. The cold could be affecting the guitar a bit, its best not to expose it to the elements if they vary in temperature or humidity. That goes for any instrument.


Expansion/contraction of various materials used in a guitar's construction due to extreme swings in ambient temperature is known to cause tuning-stability issues, especially with trem-equipped Strats. The primary reason is the steel springs that hold the bridge in equilibrium against the tension of the tuned strings. When string or spring tension varies as these metals react to heat or cold, the pitch of the strings is altered.

Arjay


Hence the reason to keep the sudden variances of temp/humidity to a minimum.

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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:52 pm
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DetroitBlues wrote:
Retroverbial wrote:
DetroitBlues wrote:
going sharp? That's different. The cold could be affecting the guitar a bit, its best not to expose it to the elements if they vary in temperature or humidity. That goes for any instrument.


Expansion/contraction of various materials used in a guitar's construction due to extreme swings in ambient temperature is known to cause tuning-stability issues, especially with trem-equipped Strats. The primary reason is the steel springs that hold the bridge in equilibrium against the tension of the tuned strings. When string or spring tension varies as these metals react to heat or cold, the pitch of the strings is altered.

Arjay


Hence the reason to keep the sudden variances of temp/humidity to a minimum.



Unfortunately, as my #1 guitar, that's not an option.


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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 2:25 pm
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The guitar is sounding sharp because the strings are contracting from the cold.

The key is to let your guitar acclimate (get cold), and then tune it.

Unless you're Ry Cooder (and I'm not saying you aren't), it's unlikely that your playing will warm the strings sufficiently to cause it to go flat (strings expand).

If this does occur, then you have no choice but to tune between songs/sets.

It might also be beneficial to check the neck relief before/after exposure to the cold. You might find that the Truss Rod is reacting to the thermal conditions, in which case, you may want to adjust this to compensate beforehand.

Hope this helps.

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 3:12 pm
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My acoustics will go sharp from sitting there unplayed. I assume it's because as I play them the strings warm up in my hands and if I retune at some point during my play time, which I almost always do because I am kind of anal about tuning, and then put the guitar down with warm strings in a good state of tune they will then cool and contract, thus going sharp. For some reason my electric guitars will go flat rather than sharp after sitting for a while. In a situation of being outdoors or in some other way exposed to fluctuating temperatures I find each of the strings will go out of tune by different amounts and sometimes in different directions, re: sharp or flat.

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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 4:43 pm
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Isn't that what they made in line tuners for? A good polyphonic tuner makes it pretty easy to tune on the fly, even if you have to do it a couple times at a gig. Just a thought!

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Post subject: Re: Strat tuning issue.
Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:00 am
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A good lithium grease lightly in the nut slots makes things better also.

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