I use a keyboard or electric tuner to tune the open strings. Then I fret at 5th string & compare to next string, and the strings are way out of tune. It's not my ears - the electric tuner also shows the string is in tune when played open and out of tune when fretted. This happens on THREE DIFFERENT guitars.
What causes this? Are my strings old? All 3 guitars were strung by professionals so they are not strung improperly.
Please advise!
Could be that the strings are old, or it could be that the bridges or bridge pieces are off a little bit.
If you have the strings changed by the shop, have them also check the intonation while they're at it.
If your strings are older than 2 months or so you probably need to change them...
-Metaellihead
It's the nature of the beast
If you tune the 5th fret of the E so it reads A on your tuner it will be out of tune when open. It shouldn't be by much, but it will be.
Old strings, nut cut too high, pressing too hard, not fretting behind the fret, high action, bad relief will all contribute to this.
If you've had the guitar a while, go get a setup done.
just curious - why does this happen on 3 different guitars?
There's also the thing with tempered tuning.
Also curious - 3 different guitars: are they 3 acoustic guitars or 2 acoustic and 1 electric, 3 electric? Are they three of the same type of acoustic, same brand?
Just trying to tune it in so to speak.
If they're all acoustics, well acoustics sometimes have less adjustments that can be made to the bridges/saddles, and they could all 3 be off. Electrics normally have adjustable bridges/saddles so techs are more likely to adjust them becasue it requires only a tuner and screwdriver, whereas acoustics require files and etc.
But if the thing plays in tune, then don't worry about it. Like Nick said, it's the nature of the beast. Even on a guitar with perfect intonation notes up and down the string won't perfectly match the tuner because they aren't supposed to. That's tempered tuning and has been the norm since....Bach's day.
Just tune the open strings to the tuner, make sure the fretted 12th fret note matches the open note, and go from there. Don't worry about the other notes matching because, well, it's an 'averaged perfection' at best.
Take care.
Another thing could be that you are fretting to hard. That will cause it to go sharp. If I fret a string in the middle between two frets and push it down till the string hits the fretboard it will go about 30 cents sharp. If you have bigger frets it will go even sharper.
Make sure you are fretting the string right behind the fret and only using enough pressure to make it sound and that you are pushing straight down, because if you move the string away from it's center it will also go sharp.
Tuners are usually calibrated for equal temperment so that shouldn't be the problem, when my guitar is properly intonated, no fretted note is off by more than about +/- 5 cents
Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it you play the guitar on the MTV
This might sound stupid, but check the batteries. My korg tuner goes way off when the batteries are low.
"The answer is practice.
Now, what's the question?"
Words by David Mead.
New batteries and new strings and... this may sound very simplisitc, but why not just use the tuner to tune all the strings on all of your guitars?
E doesn't = MC2, E = Fb
Music "Theory"? "It's not just a theory, it's the way it is!"
Jonny T.
