Since I've been using my Peterson Stomp Classic tuner, I've been able to tell even very subtle differences. It's really a downside of having a tuner that is so sensitive (0.1 Cents).
Voted 3-6 cents because 1-3 it's just if I pick hard or soft so it is correctly in tune for me...
My Les Paul suffers from the infamous G string always out of tune.
I don’t hear it too much when I play the open D and open G strings together. But when I play the open D string while fingering the G string second fret (a fifth), I can hear the wavering.
So, end up tuning my open G string a little flat to compensate the wavering I hear when playing an open D chord.
I love my Les Paul even though it is always out of tune.
I'm about at 5 cents. I play mostly floyd rose bridges so yes, 1-3 would not count except when I use a light .60 pick for clean especially on the D Chord.
For me too... it's always that G string out of tune that gets noticed first even on strats. My wife thinks it's a product of my wandering eyes when we head to the beach.
But when I play the open D string while fingering the G string second fret (a fifth), I can hear the wavering.
So, end up tuning my open G string a little flat to compensate the wavering I hear when playing an open D chord.
I love my Les Paul even though it is always out of tune.
maybe you can fix it with a rasp to lower down the height of the G string at the Nut.
Something like this. I did it on a couple of mine and it helped to solve the pitch shift on the first 3-4 frets
I also voted 3-6 because it depends on what you play as well in how noticeable it is and of course in relation to other strings.
My Les Paul suffers from the infamous G string always out of tune.
I installed the String-Butler. And since then the problem is gone.
I play mainly Tom Anderson electrics with Buzz Feiten tuning, and use Peterson tuner. tuning and intonation. my ears cry when i hear guitars with bad intonation! but frets and pick can make big differences in intonation, so in some cases you have to make a small compromise and offset a very small amont. Intonation is a very delicate job if you have not done it before.. neckreleafe and hight have to be right before you start
I installed the String-Butler. And since then the problem is gone.
That looks like a smart invention! I have just ordered a Epi ES335 and it may be better for stability all over!
String Butler is great! Just make sure that it works with your tuners. I have recently installed Sperzel tuners to one of my guitars and unfortunately found out that String Butler does not work with Sperzels.
Just got a String Butler a couple of days ago, the V3 stealth. The guitar is a Dean Z Explorer with a massive Dean V headstock. It's definitely improved so far. There was a lot of sideways tension on the middle strings. The G string seemed like it went out of tune every time a note was bent before.
Want to get some new strings and see if it's even better with fresh ones.
3-6. I generally like to be within 1 to 2 cents when I tune; however, really this is kind of silly because:
1) Picking loud will make notes go sharp by 2-4 cents easily.
2) Unless your strings are buzzing over the frets in an open strum, just pressing the note makes the note a little sharp. Pressing it a little harder, even more sharp. I suspect this is good for 2 cents as well
3) Most people don't have their guitar setup well to begin with. The intonation is likely off more than 2-4 cents lower in the neck on the majority of guitars (maybe not we super picky Kemper users ).
4) If you don't have a roller nut (or at least a good bone nut), there is usually a bit of "stick" in the tuning anyway. As soon as you start playing, you will likely move the tuning 1-2 cents.
I didn't realize that my PRS does not benefit from a String Butler. I guess PRS got this part of the design right where others were off from the get go ;).
Most guitarists tune and intonate the guitar and the guitar is 100% ready. Wrong! A good setup is a must and most new guitars come with a too high guitar nut. That means the first few frets will go sharp. The nut needs to be filed down a bit. That way the guitar will be more comfortably to play too. Many guitarists tune lightly and then hammer hard on the strings. You need to tune the guitar how you play. If your a light picker, tune light. If your'e a heavy picker, tune heavy. The same is true too for intonation. There is a reason why so many producers don't allow the guitarists to tune their guitars and do the job for them instead and if it needs to to be intonated, they might do it too. Or hand them one of their own well setup guitars to save time and money. The truth is most guitarsists should spend more time to learn how to setup their guitars properly and tune properly instead of talking about e.g. different pedals.
Wise Man!
Most guitarists tune and intonate the guitar and the guitar is 100% ready. Wrong! A good setup is a must and most new guitars come with a too high guitar nut. That means the first few frets will go sharp. The nut needs to be filed down a bit. That way the guitar will be more comfortably to play too. Many guitarists tune lightly and then hammer hard on the strings. You need to tune the guitar how you play. If your a light picker, tune light. If your'e a heavy picker, tune heavy. The same is true too for intonation. There is a reason why so many producers don't allow the guitarists to tune their guitars and do the job for them instead and if it needs to to be intonated, they might do it too. Or hand them one of their own well setup guitars to save time and money. The truth is most guitarsists should spend more time to learn how to setup their guitars properly and tune properly instead of talking about e.g. different pedals.
Yep. My nut is a little bit high on my main Axe, but after about 5 small sandings to get it lower, I felt it was good enough. Sadly, as a result, if I get even a little strong on fingering a C cord near the nut, you can hear the intonation. Plays very smoothly once you are away.
Now that we are having this conversation, I can see another round of sanding in my future
given how imprecise an instrument guitar tuning wise is, it makes a lot more sense to tune the right way instead of obcessing about a few cents.
IME:
- tune the attack of a string, not the decay - I usually pick a appr. eight note 'tremolo' @120bpm and tune the string
- if it's for a recording, you might want to tune to the tonic, not the open strings, unless these are heavily featured and you need to compromise anyway
- without a proper setup (nut slot depth probably being the most important one in the real world) none of this matters
- a string is not a high precision oscillator that just puts out the same frequency and that's it, it's a really complex system with a number of factors influencing each other which results in a somewhat wavering output pitch-wise anyway.
I guess PRS got this part of the design right where others were off
Telecaster - doing things right since 1950
).
