Locking tuners on an SG?

[diablo175]

Not a situation I'd ever have thought I'd be in but I've noticed the recently acquired SG goes outta tune more often than my Floyd-ed axes. I find myself stumped as to how to address it. There are the usual remedies: nut maintenance or replacement (cue sophomoric testicle jokes...NOW) stretch strings, check TOM bridge, etc  Am I missing anything?

Locking tuners come to mind. Aesthetics are a consideration.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?

[Dave Scepter]

Have you tried wrapping the strings around the tuning peg in a different way to "lock" the strings down?

[woodpile]

Imo, Locking tuners don't do a whole lot towards tuning stability. They eliminate loose wrap issues but that's about it far as I can tell. They do make string changes a lot quicker/easier.

Have you tried winding the high G,B,& E strings from the bottom up on the post? That changes the tension/break angle over the nut a little and might help. Works great on my Yamaha Studio Lord LP.

[crunchee]

Have you checked for what I call 'neck flex'?  Is the position that you're holding the guitar when tuning, the same position that you hold the guitar for playing, and/or when playing/standing vs. playing/sitting?  The way I held the guitar between those tasks was/is different, with apparently different stresses being placed by me (via my hands) on the neck when doing those tasks, and it used to drive me crazy when I'd have to retune when playing a double-cutaway guitar, and/or those guitars with a shallower/shorter neck-set (including Hamers).  I've only had that issue with mahogany-necked guitars (maple-necked Fenders seem to do OK, I usually play Tele-types there), plus I found that doing Townsend-style neck/string bends with those mahogany-necked shallow/short neck-set guitars was way too easy for my liking, there seemed to be too much 'flex' and not enough stiffness.  My current Gibson-scale guitars are single-cut with the neck joining to the body at between the 14th and 15th fret (they're not LPs or even Gibsons BTW), and I don't have that issue with them.  I may be wrong or just imagining things, but let your ears be your guide when checking that out.

[diablo175]

10 hours ago, crunchee said:

Have you checked for what I call 'neck flex'?  Is the position that you're holding the guitar when tuning, the same position that you hold the guitar for playing, and/or when playing/standing vs. playing/sitting?  The way I held the guitar between those tasks was/is different, with apparently different stresses being placed by me (via my hands) on the neck when doing those tasks, and it used to drive me crazy when I'd have to retune when playing a double-cutaway guitar, and/or those guitars with a shallower/shorter neck-set (including Hamers).  I've only had that issue with mahogany-necked guitars (maple-necked Fenders seem to do OK, I usually play Tele-types there), plus I found that doing Townsend-style neck/string bends with those mahogany-necked shallow/short neck-set guitars was way too easy for my liking, there seemed to be too much 'flex' and not enough stiffness.  My current Gibson-scale guitars are single-cut with the neck joining to the body at between the 14th and 15th fret (they're not LPs or even Gibsons BTW), and I don't have that issue with them.  I may be wrong or just imagining things, but let your ears be your guide when checking that out.

Guitar gets tuned in the exact same position it's played in- standing, hanging via strap, at approx. same angle to body.

I don't recall having this tuning issue with my SG Diablo- the one with a factory Floyd. Hence my alighting upon the possibility of locking tuners solving the issue.

[cynic]

Tuning issues are a thing of the past for me since using the “Martin method” of wrapping the strings on the post and a String Stretcha to way mo betta stretch my strings. 

[cmatthes]

Are ALL of the strings going out of tune, or just primarily the D and G string?

 

[scottcald]

On 12/30/2021 at 8:08 AM, diablo175 said:

Guitar gets tuned in the exact same position it's played in- standing, hanging via strap, at approx. same angle to body.

I don't recall having this tuning issue with my SG Diablo- the one with a factory Floyd. Hence my alighting upon the possibility of locking tuners solving the issue.

I'd look at the nut first.  

[DaveH]

22 hours ago, cmatthes said:

Are ALL of the strings going out of tune, or just primarily the D and G string?

 

 

[diablo175]

On 12/30/2021 at 9:43 PM, cmatthes said:

Are ALL of the strings going out of tune, or just primarily the D and G string?

 

All are going slightly out of tune, fairly uniformly.

[Dave Scepter]

1 hour ago, diablo175 said:

All are going slightly out of tune, fairly uniformly.

New "Gibson" flexy mahogany neck

[diablo175]

1 minute ago, Dave Scepter said:

New "Gibson" flexy mahogany neck

I kinda suspected something like that, given the uniformity.

[Dave Scepter]

2 minutes ago, diablo175 said:

I kinda suspected something like that, given the uniformity.

It's easy to check... if all the strings are stretched properly,  pull on the headstock "not too hard" & compare to another guitar... 

[tbonesullivan]

What kind of SG is it? Does it have the long or the short neck joint, and is it a beefy neck or a slim taper?

I really haven't had much trouble with my SGs over the years, as long as they had a beefy neck. I have only owned 5 though (2 currently).

I will also say that the above video is pretty much how I wrap my strings, but I put a little more winds on the peg for a good nut break angle.

[bubs_42]

10 hours ago, Dave Scepter said:

New Gibson " Flexy" (Patend Pending) mahogany neck

Fix it for you. 

[diablo175]

2 hours ago, tbonesullivan said:

What kind of SG is it? Does it have the long or the short neck joint, and is it a beefy neck or a slim taper?

It's the kind with strings on it.

 

Looks to be a 2013 SG Future Tribute although previous owner(s) added the pickguard, chrome p'up covers and new tuners to mine.

http://legacy.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/SG-Future-Tribute.aspx

 

 

[crunchee]

Like I mentioned before: 'Townshend-style neck/string bends'.   And also why I don't have set-neck mahogany guitars that have lots of neck clear of the body anymore.

[scottcald]

On 1/1/2022 at 8:40 AM, diablo175 said:

I kinda suspected something like that, given the uniformity.

See, you don't need the Floyd!  

The SG I had was a 2013 and it did the neck bend thing.  Wasn't major, it stayed in tune sitting, but if you stood up and moved around a bunch it would go out.  Not sure what Angus does to keep them in tune other than have a full time guy on them.  

[RobB]

Detune the strings and check to see the tuner nuts are properly tightened. I’ve had the same problem on a couple of guitars and this fixed them, across the board. If the shaft is floating around (even a little) the string doesn’t have a reference point to return to. 
 

I they are vintage-type, push-in Kluson bushings, examine them to sure they’re snug.