The Steel Guitar Forum

Do to unavoidable circumstances I made it to the gig right at starting time last night. I had just enough time to uncover it and turn everything on and start. I figured we'll see just how good it stays in tune now since It stays at this club and I'd played it the night before. We played about an hour and a half before the break and I never touched a single key. On the break I checked it with the tuner and I had more strings out on the back neck than the front. The front was near perfect from the night before and the back neck wasn't bad enough for anyone to notice. It's an Emmons p/p. How does your guitar hold its tune under these circumstances and what kind is it?

Frank, I play a Carter S10. In situations like you mentioned, where I would leave the steel and return to it the next night, it is almost always in proper tune, and may not even need an adjustment the entire evening! One of the main reasons when it wouldn't work this way is if there is a heater or air conditioner in use that's very close to it, or for some other reason, a major change in temperature. -- Marc

My old "warhorse" (a '73 MSA Classic) really amazes me. I have left it in an unheated garage in the winter for months at a time. And then when I throw it in the car and drive 100 miles, and set it up, it needs only the slightest touch-up. It's been in the case for a couple of weeks now (in the basement) and I wouldn't have the slightest problem just setting up and starting to play..."tweeking" as I found it necessary. I think the plywood body is the main reason for it's "above average" stability.

Hey Frank, I think you know my guitar I played an outdoor gig last night and it stayed in tune. I only had to touch up a couple of strings here and there between sets. When I say touch up, I mean like, no more that 2 cents. I figured that was probably due to new strings that weren't completely stretched in. For those of you who don't know my guitar. It's a push pull also

While it only happened at one location where I was playing regularly, my out of tuneness, was attributed to a couple of teenage kids along with the owners son, who came down and helped themselves to the instruments that were just sitting there unattended and without a police guard to watch them. Once their activities were determined and confirmed, the guitar remained in tune with little or no difficulty.

When I put on new strings, it takes an hour or two for them to settle in. Then the guitar stays in tune unless a big temperature change knocks the whole thing out.

For examply, I keep my house at about 75ºF inside most of the time. If I take the steel outside on a 90ºF day, it will be flat. I let the guitar settle for a while, play a little and then tune up. It stays.

I rarely have to tune more than once for an indoor gig. Outdoors, I have to retune whenever the temperature changes by about 5ºF. I tend to check it at the end of each set, if I have any doubts.

The Williams is less sensitive to temperature changes than the Sierra, which has an aluminum body.

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Please,

I mean absolutely NO disrespect in this post. I hear everything you are saying. And I believe you.

But at the ISGC, I have witnessed the following scenario hundreds of times over the last 30 yrs.

A player, (many are the greatest on earth), will, before their set, spend much time tuning up. They will then walk their axe onto the stage and spend another amount of time (and in some case a long time) tuning up again.

Draw your own conclusions.

God bless you all,

carl

Both of my GFI's seen to stay in tune very well. I leave Temecula, drive 50 miles to Blackie Taylor Music in Riverside for my lesson and it is still in tolerable tune. At a gig, in doors, after the first song or 2, I'll check and tweek a little if needed. Darn GFI, KEYLESS I forgot to mention, seem to just stay in tune well, minus a little tweeking. I think maybe the keyless has something to do with it. Just my experiance.

Carl,
I've seen the same thing but I don't think that means much more than they just want to be sure it's in tune. There's a lot of lights on the ISGC stage and therefore there's a temperature change. I would say at least a five degree change. That's been my experience playing big stages with a big lighting system. Also they tune and then move it so it could slip in the move too. Hope to see you there this year.

I tune my guitars before each set.To 440 of course,because that`s the only way to tune it properly.
Damir
(he he he)get ready now

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http://hometown.aol.com/damirzanne/damirzanne1.html

Have a 78 Emmons D-10 and New Carter D-10. I put the Carter in the back of the SUV and take it around without breaking it down. (Just very short distances of course). Stays in tune...absolutely no problems. I check the tuning and since it is ok, I tell everyone it was tuned when it left the factory and I don't have to worry with it!

Cool Gary, wish I could do that, not break it down I mean.

I think the tuning keys and case design have a lot to do with detuning also. Dekley was one of the first manufacturers to use Sperzel tuners. I tighten up the adjustment screws enough that they turn hard, and they never slip. My 20+ year old Dekley is in a 20+ year old Thomas case that suspends the peghead, changer, and strings off the bottom. Nothing rubs so there is nothing to move.

I very seldom have to touch a tuning key ever. When I first set up it may be out of tune a little from a temperature change, but I don't tune until the end of the first set, and by then it's almost always in tune.

After sitting in my garage for almost a year, I dug out my old Dekley, set it up, and it was still in tune!

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@attbi.com
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden Ext. E9/U-13 8&8=-

I, too, play a 20-plus year old Dekley (built by forum member Jim Smith from the post above). I will never want, or need, another PSG unless I accidentally dropped it off a cliff. And even then, it would probably still be in tune. Thanks, Jim (and Dekley), for an incredible instrument!! ~ Travis

They all stay in tune pretty good. Fessy, Sierra, and Sho Bud.

I broke the 10th string yesterday though. First time I ever did that. It doesn't snap and whack you like the #3 or scare you like the # 5. It just sort of goes "foomp" and unravels a little bit.

Did it ever occur to anyone that it's the strings going out of tune and not the guitar? Think about it.

When I can play 5 or 6 gigs and never touch a tuning key or tuning nut, that tells me that the strings aren't going out of tune!

Jim, I'm talking about the times you do have to tune, not the times you don't.

In that case, you are correct of course. Once in a while I have to touch up a string and once in a while a tuning nut. I attribute that to the strings aging, as evidenced by the fact that I usually have to adjust some of the tuning nuts when I change strings.

My point is that if the guitar is solid and the case prevents the tuning keys, strings, and changers from touching the inside of the case, there should be very little tuning required from gig to gig.

If a pedal steel requires constant touch ups or is out of tune when you take it out of the case, after it adjusts to room temperature, something is wrong with one or the other.