INDICATION OF PROBLEMS WITH THE TUNING HEADS Was playing the 12 string last night- and thought of you guys! or can I soak the old ones in WD40 to clean them (they are not dirty or rusted though) I did lubercate them with a little graphite.
I have heard the only exact fit ones are the PING tuners. I stretch the strings out, and change them about every 6 months but the problem of tuning happens no matter how old the strings are.ĭo you have suggestions for tuners? ones that fit exactly, or do I need to re-drill. Question: how do I know if the tuners are worn- they are the stock 1974 tuners- is there a way to tell? I do notice the strings do not change pitch corresponding to the subtle tuner movements, (especially on the low A and E pairs) and I know the stings are not hanging up at the nut. I agree though with everyone though, and it confirms my thoughts: 12 strings are hard to tune, but sound great! and worth the extra effort. Thanks for the 2Cents! Though no one has ever advised me to solve a problem by getting drunk! at least since high school!! There will still be times when you'll want to pitch the damn thing out the window, but hang in there! Your ear for pitch and string relationships becomes more acute. Like anything else, including tuning, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Perspiration and dirt can also affect pitch, so you may have to change your strings more often if you sweat a lot, or if you play in dirt. Why? Because the longer you play one set of strings, the more those strings become "dented" by the frets, which will throw the pitch off. Even though old strings may be in tune played open, without fretting them, they'll begin to sound out-of-tune when you play chords. I change mine at least every three weeks, more often if I'm touring and playing every night. As "littlesongs" sez, change your strings fairly often - depending on how much you play.
If your guitar didn't come with decent quality tuners, replace 'em! Grover 14:1s are great, and 18:1s are even better -finer gear ratio permits for finer tuning. I also like to play with modest lighting - if the lights are too hot, that'll affect your guitar and require more fiddling with tuners. (I play strictly acoustically, no pick ups, and I use a clip-on tuner that attaches to the headstock, like John, above.) I tune once before I go on stage, and again sometime during the set. (I also like to flatter myself that I'm not completely reliant on a tuner to get my guitar in tune!) In a live setting, however, I use a tuner. (Capos can pull strings sharp, and they often pull the heavier gauge strings sharper than the lighter gauge.)Īt this point I can tune pretty quickly by ear, and for playing at home, that's what I do. I also use partial capos that I make myself. I use D'Addario Medium / Heavy (EJ37) strings, tuned way down to B-flat. I play only in open tunings, which I alter throughout a set. You know the old joke - 12 string players spend half their time tuning their guitars and the other half playing out-of-tune guitars.Īs others have noted, there are more tuners to tune, yes there's more pull on the neck, certainly not enough booze, OK - all contribute to the difficulty.īut I think another big part of it is that 12-strings, with all those octaves and unisons, are VERY unforgiving if they're even a little out-of-tune - it's simply easier to hear when a 12-string is off, versus a six-string - at least in my experience. ġ) lighter strings at a lower tension tend to go out of tune more than heavier strings at the same tension 2) each string that is tuned effects the other strings because the tension on the neck changes (this is very pronounced when tuning a banjo) 3) it's harder to get the strings in tune with each other because there are more of them! My ideas why the 12 string is harder to tune and stay in tune than a 6 string.
I like the guitar a lot and feel it tunes as good as any other 12 string and better than some I have played- i like the sound and would play it more, but the tuning is a pain!! The guitar does tune well and holds it's tune (least as good as I hold mine but still is a pain getting it into tune, and having it stay there for a set w/o constant retuning. I get the same tuning results regardless of the strings I use. I also put chapstick in the nut to help the strings lubrication better. To give some background: I have a 74 f-112 I use John Pierce 10-47 12 string strings and keep the guitar tuned to e flat. Like to hear all your thoughts, tips, and ideas- I know there are some 12 string fans here!
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