Trouble tuning accoustic guitar when very close to note

...Individual stings sound real good. But when I play a chord I can hear that the chord is not perfectly "sweet", so I know my tuning is off somewhere...

No idea whether or not this may be the case but it may not be your tuner. Many people starting out play "hard" - that is they use a lot more pressure on the strings than needed or, especially on some chords like the open position G, they pull on the strings hard. Actually to the point of bending the string slightly, which puts the note or notes of a chord out of tune. Imagine playing a G chord but the first string that you hit (the low E) is being fingered in a way that your note is somewhere closer to G sharp than to G.

The main reason I bring this up is that in your other thread you mentioned getting string between the finger and nail and (again I must stress that this is guesswork based on what you've detailed) that's usually a sign off fingers that are pulling down toward the floor. All this may not be what's going on, but it's easy enough to check if you've a friend who plays guitar or if you don't mind having a teacher or even someone at a music shop take a look at you play for a minute or two. And if you're at the music store and it's not your fingers, then they might be able to fix things for you.

Hope this helps. Keep us updated on how things are going.

Peace

You can buy a Korg GA-30, it can tune electric and acoustic guitars, and only costs about $20.

What model is the tuner for your electric?

They usually have a mic built in so you can tune acoustics as well.

I'm guessing that since this is your first string change, you haven't been playing all that long. And those Gibson nickel reissues were developed as electric guitar strings - they'll work on an acoustic, but they bring up a couple of issues. Here are my guesses for what's going on:

1. You're bending the strings as you fret. This is a common problem for beginners, and the light electric strings will just make it a little worse. That means any time you fret a note, it'll be a little sharp. The cure: pay attention to how your fingers move the strings (which will help your technique anyway!)

2. If you're starting out, your instrument may not be properly set up. If the action is high, fretting the strings makes them sharp - you're increasing the tension as you move to the fretboard. The cure: a new nut, properly cut for the height of your frets. $10-20 at a luthier, most likely.

3. If you're just starting out, you may have a cheapo instrument, and the intonation may be off. Electric guitars have adjustable saddles to give what's called "compensation" to the strings, which makes some correction for tuning across the entire length of the fretboard. Cure: if your bridge saddle is straight all the way across, it should probably be replaced. (In extreme cheapo cases, the frets are not properly spaced to begin with... cure: replace the guitar - it'll never be in tune)

4. Your ear may not be developed enough to match the pitch of a single string, but you can hear the interference during a chord. Short term cure: electronic tuner. Long-term cure: ear training exercises.

5. Your strings may be too light for the guitar's set-up. This isn't the most likely cause, but if you're just starting out you're probably playing mostly open chords - and the effect will be the biggest there... this is actually similar in cause and effect to #2. Cure: truss rod adjustment (take it to a luthier; it'll run $20-80 - but at the high end it'll also include checking out #2 & #3). Alternate cure: heavier strings. Most acoustics are set up to use .011 or .012 for the high E, and .053-.058 or so for the low E.

...Individual stings sound real good. But when I play a chord I can hear that the chord is not perfectly "sweet", so I know my tuning is off somewhere...

The main reason I bring this up is that in your other thread you mentioned getting string between the finger and nail

I read that post too, it was in the beginners forum titled "Ouch", but it wasn't me. A pretty good place to look in the course of deduction regarding this conundrum. On my stand shelf I keep a number of things, like; picks, ink pens and pencils, glasses, and NAIL CLIPPERS! Because my nails are always getting in the way when pressing down, or buzzing against an adjacent string.

On a separate note, one of the greatest low-cost inventions of all time is the "Manhasset Standmate Accessory Shelf". I bought two, one for me, and one for my teachers stand! It can be seen here:

http://www.interstatemusic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10051&productId=40089230&langId=-1

What model is the tuner for your electric?

They usually have a mic built in so you can tune acoustics as well.

SEE, now this is why I hang out here!! I googled "Sabine STX-1500" and BANG I'm looking at a .PDF of the owners manual. Yes, there is a microphone. Additional cost to me: $0. (hanging out @ GN: priceless)

When I get home from work tonight I will give that a try!

Then I will probably find out that what the others are saying is right on; individual strings tune out ok, its the pressing light strings on my guitar that stretches them out of tune. We'll see . . .

F/B

Even using the tuner you may find that tuning every string perfectly in the open position won't give you the sweet chord you want. After tuning open, I suggest you recheck tuning on the frets you're using (I recommend the 3rd fret) and then tune for a happy compromise if necessary.

And THEN check the chord. You still may need a tweak or two.

Tuning is kind of fiddly. (not to cast doubt on fiddlers.....)

Yeah, sorry about mixing the threads up! That's what I get for reading all these posts with only a few hours sleep! :wink:

Sounds like you're getting a handle on things, though, and that's what counts.

Peace

Just a note, Brand new strings need to be strecthed out. So you have to expect that they will not stay in tune for long when you first put them on. That is, unless you stretch them out a bit.

I don't think this is what you are experiencing but it is important to note.

Damp all of the other strings with your palm while tuning. They will start to ring harmonics and throw off the tuner.

Well, I am at work now - so I will have to wait until tonight to investigate all your good ideas!

Just a couple of notes.

1. Per all the online guides for installing strings - I did stretch the strings up one inch and retune several times. I fully expect to need to stretch a bit more over the next few days until they get "set" or relaxed to their maximum length.

2. I was fully satisfied with the sound of my previous strings played open, played in open chords, and played with barre chords. The problem with those strings were that they were the original hard bronze strings and they made my fingers hurt after 45 minutes of play. See more about this issue here: http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=40182

3. The ideas about the strings stretching during chord fingering sounds likely to me. Not AS much about me pressing hard and pushing/pulling laterally, but rather the combination of lighter strings on a guitar setup for heavier, higher action, maybe bigger frets too(?), and maybe me, but I can usually hear it when it is ME that presses the chord sharp.

Tonight I think my course of action will be to tune with the electronic tuner first. Try some chords out and see how they sound. Then I think I will try 5th fretting the strings after the initial tuning and see what the tuning meter says. If all else fails - I will pop by my music store and let someone else strum a few chords and maybe try some different strings.

BTW Nick, that sounds like good advice regarding muting during tuning!

As Paul Harvey says, "And now, the rest of the story."

At this point my threads/issues merge, see "Electric Strings on Accoustic" at:
http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=40182

F/B in beautiful Wentzville, MO