Tuning problem
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
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ramonesfreak
Tuning problem
hi. ive got a 330-12..a few years old. whether playing as a 12 or 6 string, the thing will not stay in tune more than 5 minutes. if i tune it and put it down, the next day its out of tune...even if i dont play it. ive tried a set of 12 pyramid flatwound 10 gauge strings...same thing. rickenbacker strings and currently, my usual - D'Addario 10 gauge. its otherwise set up fine. the neck doesnt seem to be moving even with just 6 strings. as i said, with all 12 strings on i had the same problem which was one of the motivating factors of trying it as a 6 string. i do not like these schaller tuners but im not convinced they are the problem. any ideas or suggestions? i cant remember what year it is. its montezuma brown so i think its about 3 years old now. thanks
Re: Tuning problem
Welcome!
This thread should probably be in the Vibrola (technical section) but no biggie I am sure.
I would check a few things:
The nut- do strings appear to bind (I bet the Pyramids did unless you widened the nut slots). Make sure that the nut slots are clean and not ******** up. Do strings ping or change pitch suddenly, all at once, when tuning?
The tailpiece- check the tailpiece for cracks or bent string slots (this does happen). These cracks can be fine. Look for a line in the plating.
The bridge saddles- were these modifed? Are they sharp or ********? Do strings break at the bridge frequently?
I bet a good careful setup will work wonders, if the tailpiece is intact. The tuners are probably not at fault- even marginal tuners hold tune pretty well once under tension, and these are not marginal tuners by an stretch.
Nice guitar! Let's see pics!
This thread should probably be in the Vibrola (technical section) but no biggie I am sure.
I would check a few things:
The nut- do strings appear to bind (I bet the Pyramids did unless you widened the nut slots). Make sure that the nut slots are clean and not ******** up. Do strings ping or change pitch suddenly, all at once, when tuning?
The tailpiece- check the tailpiece for cracks or bent string slots (this does happen). These cracks can be fine. Look for a line in the plating.
The bridge saddles- were these modifed? Are they sharp or ********? Do strings break at the bridge frequently?
I bet a good careful setup will work wonders, if the tailpiece is intact. The tuners are probably not at fault- even marginal tuners hold tune pretty well once under tension, and these are not marginal tuners by an stretch.
Nice guitar! Let's see pics!
Re: Tuning problem
A Montezuma Brown 330-12 sounds GORGEOUS.
A few simple nut & bolt things to check in addition to Bob's sage advice: make certain the truss rods aren't too slack. Inheriting the shoddy work of novices and non-Ric luthiers is common. If the Schallers have retaining nuts, check them for tightness.
The only other thing I can think of is, and I hope this is not offensive to you, is the method of fitting / stretching strings you're employing. If you're swinging a Ric, I automatically presume you're at the top of the class mind you, but I've seen plenty of veteran players pop out of tune because their guitars were not strung correctly. After fitting each string, I stretch them by pulling up on them (about an inch) at the 12th fret until they hold pitch. This is guitar 101, so I'm sure you've tried it.
Of course, you could always drop it by a competent luthier for a tune-up. Rickenbackers are not high maintenance guitars, like, for example, a Fender Jazzmaster, but they can be moody if the humidity fluctuates day-to-day.
Let us know how it works out.
A few simple nut & bolt things to check in addition to Bob's sage advice: make certain the truss rods aren't too slack. Inheriting the shoddy work of novices and non-Ric luthiers is common. If the Schallers have retaining nuts, check them for tightness.
The only other thing I can think of is, and I hope this is not offensive to you, is the method of fitting / stretching strings you're employing. If you're swinging a Ric, I automatically presume you're at the top of the class mind you, but I've seen plenty of veteran players pop out of tune because their guitars were not strung correctly. After fitting each string, I stretch them by pulling up on them (about an inch) at the 12th fret until they hold pitch. This is guitar 101, so I'm sure you've tried it.
Of course, you could always drop it by a competent luthier for a tune-up. Rickenbackers are not high maintenance guitars, like, for example, a Fender Jazzmaster, but they can be moody if the humidity fluctuates day-to-day.
Let us know how it works out.
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tennis_nick
- Intermediate Member
- Posts: 1476
- Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:56 am
Re: Tuning problem
the tuners are rarely the problem, your issue mostly lies in the nut and the bridge. if the string is binding (getting pinched or caught) in any of these places, you will get tuning issues. also, the way you wrap your strings around the posts may be causing slipping. that'll pull ya right out of tune! you can also try big bend nut sauce. I use it on my SG and it works great!srandallf wrote:hi. ive got a 330-12..a few years old. whether playing as a 12 or 6 string, the thing will not stay in tune more than 5 minutes. if i tune it and put it down, the next day its out of tune...even if i dont play it. ive tried a set of 12 pyramid flatwound 10 gauge strings...same thing. rickenbacker strings and currently, my usual - D'Addario 10 gauge. its otherwise set up fine. the neck doesnt seem to be moving even with just 6 strings. as i said, with all 12 strings on i had the same problem which was one of the motivating factors of trying it as a 6 string. i do not like these schaller tuners but im not convinced they are the problem. any ideas or suggestions? i cant remember what year it is. its montezuma brown so i think its about 3 years old now. thanks
Where are you from sranddalf? I'm from the east coast of canada, not far from the sea. Humidity fluctuates a lot through the year, even throughout the day. my guitars need to be tuned every once in a while because I tend to find them sharp! tune it, put it away, pick it up in about 6 hours and each string is sharp!
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ramonesfreak
Re: Tuning problem
hey thanks for the replies..i didnt get email notification for some reason. vibrola section? if thats what its called, thats why i couldnt find the technical section! ill check that out.
ive got a pretty good stringing technique after 23 years. i recently put some D'Addario chromes 10's...flatwounds. it think im having better luck with these...and perhaps i could snug down the trus rods a bit. i gotta get a wrench tomorrow to check if they are loose.. i dont see cracks and the nut and bridge are fine. no mods or weirdness. my instincts were telling me something about the guitar was moving....the neck or body just slightly...prehaps from humidity. im in NY. its very dry one day and wet the next. my acoustic...a santa cruz...very nice guitar...gives me hell with humidity. so perhaps thats it.
im playing it as a 6 string at the moment ...as an experiment and fun.
here's a quick pic of her
ive got a pretty good stringing technique after 23 years. i recently put some D'Addario chromes 10's...flatwounds. it think im having better luck with these...and perhaps i could snug down the trus rods a bit. i gotta get a wrench tomorrow to check if they are loose.. i dont see cracks and the nut and bridge are fine. no mods or weirdness. my instincts were telling me something about the guitar was moving....the neck or body just slightly...prehaps from humidity. im in NY. its very dry one day and wet the next. my acoustic...a santa cruz...very nice guitar...gives me hell with humidity. so perhaps thats it.
im playing it as a 6 string at the moment ...as an experiment and fun.
here's a quick pic of her
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