Guitar goes out of tune

May 3, 2007 4:28 PM

Is it normal for a guitar to go out of tune like this?

I have a Martin guitar that ought to be decent, it cost $900 (supposedly new) reduced from $1500. However ever since I got it, I have been frustrated by how quickly it goes out of tune. The odd thing is that all of the strings go significantly *higher* in pitch over the course of a day or two, rather than generally slipping lower as I have experienced with other guitars.

I would say the magnitude of the pitch shift is about 5 Hz over a few days. It's considerably more than I've seen with other guitars, even cheap ones.

Is this normal, or does it suggest that something is wrong with this instrument?

posted by tabulem to sports, hobbies, & recreation (15 comments total)

are the strings new?

FWIW, the strings on my bass AND my (martin) guitar generally go out of tune sharp. i have no idea why, but i'd love to know.
posted by gnutron at 4:32 PM on May 3, 2007

The strings are not new. I have never changed the strings-- these are the original ones and the problem has always been the same.
posted by tabulem at 4:41 PM on May 3, 2007

Do you find that as you play you make tiny adjustments to the tuning to keep the guitar in tune with itself? If you do, you may be gradually and incrementally raising the pitch of the instrument unintentionally.

You also may have a nut that sticks a bit. When the nut sticks, it makes it so that the string does not increase in pitch as much as it should when you turn the tuning machine. Then, as you play, the string slips in its groove in the nut, releasing the extra tension stored behind the nut, and raising the pitch of the string a bit. One of my acoustic guitars has that problem sometimes, which I solve by grinding some graphite from a pencil's lead into the nut grooves. It's a temporary fix, but lasts a long time.
posted by The World Famous at 4:43 PM on May 3, 2007

This happens to my (old) guitars all the time too, whether they are being played frequently or not. Specific strings tend to go sharp. I don't understand the mechanics of it either. I always attributed it to expansion of the wood in the guitar due to humidity.

This doesn't help answer your question at all, but I found it to be an interesting (although only tangentially related) read.
posted by dan g. at 4:46 PM on May 3, 2007

How do you store it? Do you put it on a guitar stand where it "leans back" against the stand?

That could (very, very) slightly bow the neck forward, and then when you pick it up again, the string is just that tiny bit tighter at the nut or bridge, or both.

I have this issue with my guitars, sharp if I lean it backward and flat if I lean it forward against a stand or other object for a couple days.

They don't go out of tune when I put them in the cases and don't go out of tune when I play, so I don't mind tuning them whenever I pick them up off the stand at home.
posted by chimaera at 4:55 PM on May 3, 2007

I agree with The World Famous - a little pencil lead in the nut grooves, and change your strings. If it still happens, consider a trip to a luthier.
posted by plinth at 4:57 PM on May 3, 2007

That shouldn't happen, definitely. If you spend over about $500 or $600 on a guitar, one of your rewards is not having to tune every five minutes.
posted by ORthey at 5:06 PM on May 3, 2007

echoing others....I have a decent guitar on a stand that makes it lean back and a banjo that leans or lies wherever I feel like putting it. And often the guitar goes out of tune sharp, although being left awhile with a severe weather change can make it go quite flat. The banjo goes every which way. But the banjo holds tuning well when it sleeps in it's hard case, as does a friend's much-less-expensive guitar that she plays rarely and keeps in its case (it can stay in tune for months). Do the pencil thing and stick it in the case.

And change the strings. It's time.
posted by Martin E. at 5:39 PM on May 3, 2007

Wierd, I have a Seagull that does the exact same thing. I was tuning it tonight and thinking I should Ask Mefi why it goes out of tune higher.

FWIW, I hang it on the wall, I use Elixer strings, and it's happened with every set I've used on it.
posted by bondcliff at 5:43 PM on May 3, 2007

Hey...my alvarez goes sharp, too, and like bondcliff, I use Elixer strings.
posted by sexymofo at 6:14 PM on May 3, 2007

Temperature changes can do this - is the guitar in a colder place when you're not playing it? Try rubbing the strings a bit, stretching them, tuning, then playing.
posted by Camel of Space at 6:24 PM on May 3, 2007

Yep, it's the wood breathing and flexing. All other forces involved conduce to flattening through increased slack. You might want to have the neck professionally set up just once to see how it affects things. What gauge strings are you using? If they're really light, the neck could be failing to flex when at pitch because it's set up for higher tension strings (a truss rod setting).
posted by spitbull at 6:49 PM on May 3, 2007

The strings contract with cooling of the air in the room. When they contract, they tighten (duh). The tighter they get, the sharper they get. It's the air conditioner.
posted by wsg at 12:40 AM on May 4, 2007

I agree with everyone here regarding temperature. And change your strings.
posted by cellphone at 6:19 AM on May 4, 2007

Guitars go out of tune!

Yes, some stay in tune better then others, but temperature changes, humidity, the way you play, the age of the strings: all these things contribute to the guitar going out of tune.

If I leave one of my guitars for a day or two, or even a few hours, I would not pick it up expecting it to be perfectly in tune. (Apart from my '64 Strat, which mysteriously stays in tune for years.)

Go to a rock concert, or any show with acoustic or electric guitarists. What do they do between songs? They check their tuning.

As far as strings go, change them often. They lose their brightness and sparkle as you play the guitar - it's quite literally metal fatigue. Oxidation contributes as well, so buy you strings as you need them rather than keeping packets in your case for months. And older strings tend to drift out of tune more easily.

As a gigging musician I change mine every two nights - that's about 90 minutes' continuous playing per night. Some of my colleagues change them every night.

In your case I'd say change the strings NOW! As soon as you hear they're losing that lovely sparkle, change them again! Stretch them well! Keep the tension on the string as you're winding it on so there's no slippage at the winding post. Give 'em a few tugs once they're on! Yep - grab 'em and tug 'em! Hold the string in the right hand, place a finger of your left hand at the first fret, tug a few times. Place a finger at the second fret, tug. Repeat all the way up the neck. Go gentler on the top B and E strings, but the bottom strings can handle a good hard yank.

A new guitar will take a while to settle down, as the wood dries and adapts to its new shape.

It would definitely be worth having it set up by a luthier - not one of the dunderheads at your local rock shop. Get them to give it the once-over and make sure there's nothing wrong. It's money well spent, but in general: guitars go out of tune!
posted by TiredStarling at 2:23 PM on May 5, 2007 [1 favorite]