Stay in tune

[JonatanOTG]

Hello!

So I picked up my Squier strat the other day and realized that it wasn't in tune.  :sad:  It's not like I've never experienced this earlier, but this got my mind going... If one would build a guitar with the only purpose that it would stay in tune as long as possible, what should be the main priorities regarding the parts of the guitar? I guess a fixed bridge, for example, would be better for this than a Floyd Rose tremolo. Otherwise, does the body shape matter, does the pickups matter etc?

This is just another of those random things I come up with now and then, I hope it's a relevant question! Maybe I should have posted this in the "Questions Too Stupid To Deserve Their Own thread"-thread but I wasn't sure...  :icon_jokercolor:

Thanks!

 

[Magicbisket]

I'm diggin' the idea.

I agree, no tremolo, doesn't mean you couldn't use the locking nut from one though? :toothy10:

Also, locking tuners.

Whatever wood and fretboard combination produced the most resistance to bowing overtime to ensure longevity in the tuning.

Probably a bitchin' truss rod system but I'm really not familiar with different kinds of truss rods so we'll need the others.

Strings are going to need to be pretty stiff, as not to stretch over long periods under constant tension.

WE NEED IDEAS PEOPLE!

-D.T. Latty

 

[DangerousR6]

Actually I have several hardtails, and they go out of tune more often than my floyds. But I'd suspect it's got a lot to do with temp changes, humidity, and possibly even the types of strings... :dontknow:

Also one other thing is cheap tuners, I had a set i had to replace because they would slip, not sure why 'cause everything was tight. But they just wouldn't hold tension..

 

[Magicbisket]

Thank you. We need to find a finish, probably not a standard guitar finish, that is most resistant to humidity and temperature changes.

 

[JCizzle]

You're wasting your time, brother, all guitars go out of tune.

 

[Magicbisket]

Come on, you must believe in it!

Do you believe it?

 

[JCizzle]

No.  :laughing3:

 

[JonatanOTG]

C'mon, believe in it!  :icon_thumright:  :hello2:

Thanks for the input! Yes of course I know all guitars go out of tune, but some stays in tune longer, don't they  :toothy11:

(Oh and just to make myself clear. This is just a random idea of mine, I'm afraid I have no intention in actually building this guitar. At least not in a near future...  :laughing7:  Or perhaps... You'll build the guitar Magicbisket and then give it to me, win-win situation!  :toothy12

 

[swarfrat]

Locking tuners eliminate both a potential slipping point (string over string) and the reserve of string behind the nut which can allow other sources of tension change to get a running start. If you have locking tuners and a properly cut, lubricated nut, neck stability is pretty much the only remaining source of tension change. If the trem isn't floating, it doesn't really matter if the guitar isn't in tune 6 months later when you pull it out of the case. If the trem is floating, It tends to pull all strings sharp or flat a similar amount, so you can usually get it back in tune in a couple iterations.

 

[StogiePatriot]

Personal opinion here (are there any other types?) - there are SO many factors that address string tension that we're into chaos theory level work and not anything that we can feasibly address.  Now, that being said, a solid set of tuners, locking nut and stable tail are the only things we truly have that make a demonstrable difference in my experience.

 

[Ace Flibble]

I actually find locking tuners slip out of tune more often than regular ones. The string doesn't slip, but the actual tuners themselves rarely seem as well-made as a simple, good-quality Kluson or Grover basic design.
That said, the Planet Waves locking/trimming tuners really do not slip in the slightest. Had them on a Warmoth neck for a few years now and even after the guitar's been utterly trash - it started off Alpine White, it's now a patchy brown colour - the tuners still, at least work 100% perfectly. I don't remember the last time I had to tune that guitar, in fact.

Next up would be a Warmoth pro construction neck. I don't like the look, weight, feel or tone of them, but that double truss rod does certainly seem to prevent necks from shifting with the seasons. Though that could just be this country, since the UK hardly sees massive changes in humidity or temperature anyway.

What I'd do for maximum stability would be to somehow fit a roller nut to a tilt back neck. Failing that, use a roller nut with a Floyd-style string retainer bar. Then you want a tune-o-matic and stopbar bridge with Graph Tech String Saver saddles.

Then you want to use titanium-coated strings, or those DM cryogenically treated strings.


... Or you could just use a Floyd Rose Speed Loader system. You're limited to their strings, but they never fall out of tune in the slightest.

 

[Cagey]

Personal opinion here (are there any other types?) - there are SO many factors that address string tension that we're into chaos theory level work and not anything that we can feasibly address.  Now, that being said, a solid set of tuners, locking nut and stable tail are the only things we truly have that make a demonstrable difference in my experience.

Right. Even just touching the strings will change their tension as the temperature warms them up and they relax a bit.

My best results come from locking tuners, a good nut, and either a hardtail or a two-point fulcrum vibrato bridge.

 

[drewfx]

These people claim to have done it for the life of the string:

https://www.evertune.com/what-is-evertune/

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

A Floyd with worn out strings stayed in tune quite nice.

 

[Magicbisket]

I'm curious, has there ever been an Unofficial Warmoth Project?

Where we all pool together ideas and funding to create a guitar?

After that we either gift it to the father/mother of the idea, a random thread participator,(which will be in charge of assembling the build) or perhaps use it for charity, something like and auction?

'Cause if not, there should be. :toothy11:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

We have a waffle every now and then.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I'm curious, has there ever been an Unofficial Warmoth Project?

Where we all pool together ideas and funding to create a guitar?

After that we either gift it to the father/mother of the idea, a random thread participator,(which will be in charge of assembling the build) or perhaps use it for charity, something like and auction?

'Cause if not, there should be. :toothy11:

Members have donated parts for another member to build a bass.

They've done a $100 guitar build contest.

We had a proposed design contest where the winner would get build the winning design on the losers' dime.

I'm of the opinion there's plenty of opportunities to give charitably here and in the real world if one feels so inclined.  This is where I come to dispense with my disposable income on myself.  I gave a complete guitar that needed a little love to another member and just gave bridge and neck SD JB set to a friend for a Kramer rebuild.  Again, I do that own my own and an not coming here to be compelled to adopt a child for the price of a cup of coffee a day.

 

[line6man]

If one would build a guitar with the only purpose that it would stay in tune as long as possible, what should be the main priorities regarding the parts of the guitar?

(IMO) In any practical sense, the only thing that is going to matter is having extremely stable and stiff wood, along with a secure bridge, locking nut or tuners, and no string trees or retainers if the latter.

 

[Magicbisket]

It was simply a question, I meant no implications nor disrespect by it. I've only been a member of this forum for around a year and I hadn't remembered seeing any projects like that. Not meant to imply there were none, I just liked the idea.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I'm sorry too, as I didn't mean to come across that way.

The waffle may get going again.  There's under the radar semantics issues to address when money changes hands between strangers across international and interstate borders.  It makes easy ideas difficult. Trusting strangers with money on the forum has been the easiest part.