Tuning issues!!

Patrick Janka · Posted 1 Dec 2011 10:56 pm

I'm having a hell of a time with tuning my steel. It's never fully right. Some chords sound good, others sound bad. Then I retune the pedals/levers, and now the opposite is true. I guess that's the nature of the beast...however, here's one issue I really don't know how to resolve...I tune the pedal, play a chord, sounds good. I tune a knee lever, play a chord, sounds good. Now I play a chord using both the pedal and knee lever at the same time...sounds like crap. This is ESPECIALLY true when both the pedal and knee lever are operating the SAME string. For example, I play strings 7,6,5,4,3 with pedals A&B down. Sounds good. Now I play those strings with knee lever G pressed up. Sounds good. Now I play with pedals A&B down and G up. Sounds bad. Ugh. Slanting the bar doesn't help in that situation because I need the bar behind the fret on one string, but in front of the fret on another. Any solutions?

Steve Hitsman · From: Waterloo, IL

I assume you know to adjust the set screw in the end of the changer when tuning splits (assuming you have tuneable splits)?

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

There are many possibilities for not tuning exactly. Even Bruce Bouton in his video discusses you will never get everything in exact tuning.

The mechanics of a specific guitar. How much detuning (commonly called "cabinet drop") the specific guitar has, the string gauges used, etc.

Finally, how you tune the guitar and this is open to everyone's interpretation of how to tune.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Sounds like a split tuning issue like Steve said. Easy fix. Post details of your set up and type of guitar.
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Bob

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Since you didn't post your tuning, I have to assume the "G" lever is lowering string 5 to Bb. Most use the "G" lever designation for the lever that raises 1 & 7 to a G. Anyway, most of the time, when you raise and lower a string at the same time, you are "splitting" the change. Example, raise B to C# and the lower B to Bb and you think you will get a C. Well, close, but no cigar. The C will be out of tune in most cases (if you get a perfectly tuned split without a split tuner, you are extremely lucky). If your guitar does not have a split tuner for the 5th string, you can possibly add one. It would be real helpful if you let us know the brand, your complete tuning.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 55 years and still counting.

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

You may be cursed with being born with perfect pitch ear. I would find out. If so you will have to learn to live with nothing sounding in perfect tune which it isn't. Tracy

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I'd been playing slide for 27 years before I got a steel, including some fairly involved forays into Indian music (what I could find, in those dark Paleolithic pre-internet-overload days). But when I got the steel, I spent serious time working or playing really-really-really in tune, against drones, using the drones as the 3rd, 6th etc. It ruined my ability to listen to all kinds of things for a while, like "Sketches of Spain" w/Miles' experiments in (ahem) "microtonalism" and particularly, sloppy howling blues. Oh, just go BACK to the crossroads, already. And stay there....

Some things just won't work. I play a C6th 5+5 tuning where any string can be the root, and b0b here posted up some meantone tuning scheme that sounded hideous on my steel, it was 19 cents off, 11 cents, 14 cents.... mean tones indeed. It's easy to froth into a state of trying to find all the things that don't work, instead of playing some music that you like.
~~~~~ Vibrato ~~~~~~ Laughing

Johan Jansen · From: Europe

time for fresh strings?

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