Have a question about a guitar I own.


Seems all strings tune up and when I press 12th fret they are intune but when I press any other fret (I haven't tried 13+) the notes are 20cents off. Is this normal?


Say fret 3 6th string should be G well it is but G 20 cents sharp and they are all like that and being I am new to all of this myself I don't know if that is normal.


Any help is appreciated.

 

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Not normal, it's a sign that the neck or truss rod (thing inside the neck which keeps the neck from warping) has been bent, warped, etc.


It can happen to a guitar even when it's seemingly being taken care of.


A guitar should always be put back into it's case after use. The case should also have silicate gel inside to ensure that the moisture is absorbed. Also leaving a guitar in a room which is drafty or that changes temperatures often is TERRIBLE for the guitar. Even if the temperature doesn't change radically, if you leave it there for a looooong time (i.e. several seasons) the natural change in temperature will warp it too.


You can get it fixed pretty easily, but it's gonna cost you.

 

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Ahh well no biggy as it has had 2 hours maybe 3 of being out of the case in 2 years and I always put it back in the case though.


Frankly with as much trouble as I have had with this Fender I think playing the guitar is simply not worth it. When I was a kid I had an acoustic that would not stay in tune and I chunk that thing as far as I could and this guitar is not too far from me doing that to it as well.


Thanks for the info though.

 

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The first question I have is which model Fender do you have? If it is a Telecaster with three saddles on the bridge (vintage style), the B string will always sound slightly out of tune due to the limitations of having just three saddles to adjust - there is a compromise between the B and high E. Country players favor this setup as they like the "twang" that they get. I have a 52 reissue Telecaster with that setup and it's just the way they are; it's also my favorite guitar.


If it is a six saddle bridge (like modern style Telecasters and most all other Fender guitars have), you might want to check the intonation. Setting intonation If your guitar is equipped with a floating tremolo like what most Strats come equipped with, this is something you need to pay particular attention to. Floating trems are kind of hassle when it comes to tuning and setting intonation so a bit of patience is required. Floyd Rose Original Tremolo - Intonating Your Bridge (you can probably ignore the parts about locking nuts unless you have some sort of "super Strat" with a Floyd Rose style trem). You might also take it to a pro (which is a good idea for any new guitar purchase anyway) and have them do a full setup for you to save yourself the aggravation unless you're experienced with doing setups. Here is an excellent book by Dan Erlewine.


You might simply be pressing down too hard on the strings when fretting. You want to press down enough to fret the note but, if you press down too hard, this causes the string to bend down over the fret causing the note to stretch and go sharp. Fender guitars, depending on which model you have, often have high, thin frets (typical of the vintage reissues; my Tele and 57 reissue Stratocaster both have these) where it seems to be more "tempting" to press down harder. My Les Paul Custom has relatively wider, shorter frets and I tend to not press down as hard on that guitar. Whatever type of frets are on your guitar, try playing more lightly; it's difficult a difficult habit to break at first which I had developed over years but I was able to condition myself to not fret so heavily. Playing lightly will also help you to develop more speed in your fretting hand.


Pressing down harder can help when bending strings and, in that situation, you're bending the string up, going through out-of-tune to in-tune when you reach the correct pitch. You just develop a feel for how high to bend the string after a while. Using vibrato (using your hands as opposed to an arm, but the principle is the same) when bending the string causes a wavering in-tune, out-of-tune, in-tune, etc effect.

 

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She is intonated as that was the first thing I ever learned to do but this guitar just refuses to stay in tune with the low E being the worst one.


It is a Squier (with dual humbuckers as I love humbuckers) Stratocaster so I know it is not an 800+ dollar guitar but sheesh the issues I am having with it.


As far as pushing the strings in yes I know about that and the reason you can do the individual note vibrato if you wanted but something is just not right about this thing.


If I go to 5 springs in the floating bridge vs the 3 it has now (was 2 when I bought it) will that help it stay in tune better?


I already had one shop set it up for free (where I bought it) so it might just be me expecting a string to be exact E and exact F exact G and stay that way for at least a few minutes. I really don't know but this is enough to stop before I begin and admit defeat.

 

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It sounds more like you're having an issue with either the way you're picking and the tremolo or the strings causing the guitar to go out of tune. The Squiers don't have the best hardware, but they should still stay in tune. Here are some tips:


Stringing your guitar


After restringing your guitar, you should stretch the strings some to help them settle in. If the last time the guitar was strung was by a technician, that person may or may not have stretched the strings or might have done just a quick job of it so you might want to try this first. At the 12th fret, pull up on each string individually by grasping it with your fingers and pulling it away from the fret board. After you stretch one string, tune it back up to pitch before continuing to the next. I always start with the high strings as they are easier to break and you might be a little too rough with them if you start with the low strings which are more difficult to stretch.


Assuming that the tuners on your guitar have a hole through the side where you slip the string through (vintage style Fender tuners are a little different), I like to use an x pattern for securing the strings on the peg head. Also, you want to use loop the string around the peg head only two or three times; any more than that is not needed and can cause the string to have the opposite effect and slip and stretch.


Tremolo bridges


Tremolos bridges are basically pivoting fulcrums. With a floating setup (where you can pull up on the bar to raise the pitch as well as push down to lower it; typical setup), the center point is balanced between the tension of the strings and the springs in the back of the guitar. When you push down on the bar or the string tension is decreased and the spring tension increased, this causes the bridge to pivot forward toward the strings. The important note is about string tension: if you pick particularly heavy (as I tend to do), you can cause the string to pull the tremolo bridge forward making the strings go flat for a moment or two until the string goes back towards normal tension. There are several solutions:


- Play more lightly.


- Increase the tension on the springs by adding more of them. This will make the tremolo stiffer and more difficult to use but will provide more resistance to accomodate heavy picking. Adding more springs will cause the bridge to go back toward the body; if you want the bridge to be floating as well as it get it back closer to where it's properly intonated, you'll need to loosen the screws that fasten the spring claw to the body of the guitar. You'll most likely also need to adjust your intonation afterwards using the screws on the string saddles.


- Set your tremolo to be non-floating where you can press only down to lower the pitch. This is what I decided to do as I don't use tremolos that much to begin with and, personally, I find floating tremolos to be a pain because of the way I pick and just for ease of tuning. Besides, I bend up using my fretting fingers. YMMV depending on your style. You tighten the spring claw screws to bring the bridge back so that it's against the top of the guitar; you'll need to find a spot where your picking and strumming isn't causing the bridge to dip forward yet the bar isn't too stiff for your taste. You'll definitely need retune all of the strings and adjust intonation afterwards. A side benefit of this method is that you'll get a little more sustain out of your guitar as there is more mass from the bridge making contact with the body; it's not a huge difference, but it is noticable.


Those last two suggestions are a bit time consuming and can be frustrating to deal with and might best be accomplished by a technician unless you're willing to do a little trial-by-fire and still take a chance on having to take the guitar in to a technician if it becomes a nightmare. Setting up guitars isn't rocket science (they're actually pretty simple contraptions) but, personally, there are some adjustments I'm willing to make and some I'd just rather pay someone else to deal with (necks on vintage style Fender guitars immediately comes to mind). It's good to learn how to maintain your instruments but, if it starts taking away from the time you have to play and your enjoyment or just becomes totally frustrating, then it's time to talk to a tech. That Dan Erlewine book is excellent but, even with good instructions, there are some things I just won't touch; you'll need to decide for yourself what you're willing to take on.

 

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Well, I am on my way to the tech now (different store than where I bought it) and see what they say but after spending 10 or so hours with this guitar tweaking I think I strum hard (I always have on string instruments) and I can see the bridge go forward a little. The bridge is the type where you push down on the tremolo bar to force the bridge to come up (it is not a double floating type bridge). 2 springs was a nightmare and the tech was shocked to see 2 so he moved them out of the v shape and put an extra on to form |.|.| which helped but I wonder if that is enough springs for how I play, etc...?

 

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I don't know who could play with just two springs; that's very little resistance. I have my guitar set up with three springs and I still tightened the claw screws a little more to provide even a little more resistance. It took a little while and some fine tuning to find a point that worked out well as a compromise. Even after all that, I still took it to a tech afterwards as the neck didn't have enough bow in it when I was done and I don't do vintage style Fender necks without a truss rod adjustment nut at the head stock. I'm happy with it now and hopefully it will be a while before I have to have that guitar serviced again.


Tremolos (floating in particular) are, IMO, the biggest pain to deal with on an guitar out of all the other possible adjustment one can make and I would take it to a tech too at this point before you make yourself crazy with the thing.

 

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It is in the techs hands now. Said he should be done with it after lunch (why I went in so early). He said he is just doing a standard setup and the cost is 35 plus strings but he said my strings were fine so no strings are needed (shouldn't be they have almost no use on them).


I hope the action and all is fine as I like a little higher on the strings but no biggy if not. He did pick it up and said the neck had a slight bow in it (was talking to another employee) and wth he can tell this by picking up the guitar and laying 3 fingers on it. Amazed.


One thing they all said is the 6 saddle set up is a real <bleep> and I concur. PITA for sure.

 

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That's about the going rate for a setup and, IMO, money well spent.


I don't know how he can tell the neck has a "slight" bow in it just by picking it up and laying his fingers on it unless he was refering to a twist which is another story. There are ways to "sight" a neck although I've heard conflicting opinions on whether it's best to sight from the bridge or headstock. Either way, it's normal for a guitar to have a slight upwards bow in the neck as it's needed so the strings don't fret out when they vibrate (strings vibrate in a long arc and, therefore, a slight bow is needed in the mid point of the neck which is the widest point of the string arc).

 

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