Going out of tune question....birdseye neck

[brentrocks]

Hey guys. I got a question for all of you out there.

On my EVH, everytime I play it, and then I come back to play it the next time, it is always tuned down. It is like a little gremlins come into my guitar room, turn all of the fine tuners down 1-2 turns. I re-tune it play it, come back the next time, same thing!!??

I put a new set of strings on it and stretched them really good, it seemed to help a little, but not completely. Now the gremlins are only tuning it down about 1 trun!

Is it because of the birdseye maple neck, do they flex more than a solid maple neck???

The floyd is not floating, it is right down on the body!

I am concerned that i have neck problems!

Thanks for the feedback in advance!!!

 

[Raz]

Did you read my post on tuning with Floyds...you need to tune from the Hi-E to the Low -E and you need to always tune from flat, never go past pitch, if you do, start over. Unlock the strings. Set your fine tuners somewhere in the middle, I prefer a little higher then mid. Turn your all of your tuners down atleast 1/2 step (a whole is better). Now start at the Hi- E and turn from flat to pitch, stopping just shy of pitch. Now proceed to repeat on all of the strings...when you go back, your Hi-E should be even flatter, just go through again, this time hit the pitch mark. Everything should be bang on after the second time. Lock then check with the fine tuners. If when you go back to the Hi E after the first stage and it is sharp, then your bridge isn't sitting right, but I doubt that will happen.

 

[SteveLINY]

You should remove the trem and see if the knife edges are worn at all. That is about the only thing that will cause that with a locking nut on the neck.

 

[jongitarz]

OR it could be that the blocks that hold the strings in the bridge have been over tightened during the lifetime of the guitar creating a groove in the blocks and distorting the block itself making it impossible to move the blocks. OR the nut could have been over tightened, causing small grooves on the surface of the nut.

2 more reasons I do not like the Floyd

 

[kbaim]

2 more reasons I do not like the Floyd

I thought DARK SIDE OF THE MOON was pretty good


KEI...I mean, Sterling

 

[brentrocks]

what and where are the knife edges??

 

[Raz]

Those are the contact points between the bridge and the two support studs...if they are dull, then each time you use and tune the guitar, it may not be sitting in the same spot...

 

[brentrocks]

thanks all!!!

 

[Jimi D]

If this detuning is happening because your neck is moving (and it is the time of year for necks to shift if you live north and near water!) you should notice the relief getting gradually greater over time as the neck bends a little more each day - tightening the truss rod slightly (righty tighty!) will reduce the relief and give the neck the counter force it needs against the string tension. If your guitar is relatively new (to you), or if it only displays these properties during certain times of the year, it could need a simple tweak of the truss rod.

 

[OrangeChannel]

OR it could be that the blocks that hold the strings in the bridge have been over tightened during the lifetime of the guitar creating a groove in the blocks and distorting the block itself making it impossible to move the blocks. OR the nut could have been over tightened, causing small grooves on the surface of the nut.

2 more reasons I do not like the Floyd

Amen to not liking the Floyd.

 

[brentrocks]

thanks jimi....i live in MI and it has been getting cold and dry here. plus the guitar was shipped ups 2 weeks ago from penn.(cold truck)...then it was in the shop for a week. then came back home to my place.

so maybe it needs to chill and get used to my guitar room climate, get friendly with my LPs!!

thanks

 

[brentrocks]

oh, and by the way, dark side of the moon is a GREAT album!!!!

 

[OrangeChannel]

I just got my Silo in and they drop shopped it on my rents patio (which is where all my shipments go) and it was nasty out here. Live 40 degrees with heavy rains...(patio's covered). Took about 25 minutes or so for it to acclimate to my warm apartment. There was condensation on the bridge! I set it up on Friday nigh and it plays like a million bucks now.

 

[brentrocks]

i keep a dehumidifier in my basement, (my guitar room is in one of the rooms of the basement). it runs almost non-stop in the summer, but maybe i should kick it down a notch. maybe i should not run it as much now that it is getting colder again.

My LPs do seem to be as sensative to weather as the EVH. Who knows???

 

[JDouglee]

Sometimes wood moves...it happens. I have a couple guitars that seem to tune themselves down after not being played. Others (incl Floyd guitars) that hold tune even after sitting for a month or two. Go figure.

 

[spkirby]

Brentrocks, I wouldnt worry too much, my 2yr old Axis (with floyd) is doing the same right now and its since I turned on the heating in the house.

Over summer when the in-house temperature was more constant I could play for a couple of weeks before the need for tuning arose.

Bring on spring!!

SteveK

 

[Jimi D]

I find that my EBMM guitars are far more sensitive to climate changes than any guitar I've owned with a conventionally finished (poly or nitro) neck - they absolutely require truss rod tweaking two or three times a year to keep them in perfect trim in my environment. The first symptom of a swelling or drying neck that I notice is always a detuning (flat in the fall, sharp in the spring) especially on my floyd guitars, which are otherwise very, very stable. If I ignore the symptom and keep re-tuning until the issue goes away (which it eventually does) I usually find that my relief has gotten too great (poor action in the middle of the neck) or too slight (buzzing here and there in the middle of the neck), so I always just grab a hex key and tweak the truss rod.

 

[Raz]

I find that my EBMM guitars are far more sensitive to climate changes than any guitar I've owned with a conventionally finished (poly or nitro) neck - they absolutely require truss rod tweaking two or three times a year to keep them in perfect trim in my environment. The first symptom of a swelling or drying neck that I notice is always a detuning (flat in the fall, sharp in the spring) especially on my floyd guitars, which are otherwise very, very stable. If I ignore the symptom and keep re-tuning until the issue goes away (which it eventually does) I usually find that my relief has gotten too great (poor action in the middle of the neck) or too slight (buzzing here and there in the middle of the neck), so I always just grab a hex key and tweak the truss rod.

You gotta love EBMM design for accessing the truss adjustment...heck I adjust mine for the fun of it...I like to play!

 

[PRSPlayer]

I've seen this sort of problem before!
brentrocks, I'm so so sorry, but your guitar is toast.
It's totally ruined and cannot be fixed.

Now will you sell it to me?

 

[brentrocks]

Hey PRS....for $2800 it's yours!!! autograph and all!!! I'll even throw in a couple sets of strings!!! i'm diggin on that pink one!!.....well, let me think about it

and thanks to everybody for their help on my tuning issue!!!