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Topic: Fixing detuning issues |
Justin Jardine
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 6 Jun 2018 12:27 am |
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Hi everyone,
My 4th string stays a bit flat when I lower it and release the lever, and it can be corrected by raising it and releasing the lever again. It always did this to an extent, but I recently did some adjustments on which holes in the fingers my rods are attached at, specifically because I was having trouble getting my raised/lowered E knee levers to hit the same note, and now it seems to be much worse.
I did some reading up on physical detuning, which, if I'm not mistaken, seems to have to do with the guitar's body, but since the problem got worse after tinkering around under the hood, I'm hoping it's some (repairable) mechanical issue.
Any ideas? |
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David Nugent
From:
Gum Spring, Va.
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Posted 6 Jun 2018 3:05 am
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| It may be possible that the finger is not fully returning to its original position when the lever is released. You might try pressing the lever with your hand while observing the finger action to determine if this is the issue. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 6 Jun 2018 4:23 am
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Deleted. It was too early in the morning when I posted and misspoke.
Last edited by Jack Stoner on 6 Jun 2018 2:25 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 6 Jun 2018 7:12 am Re: Fixing detuning issues
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| Justin Jardine wrote: |
Hi everyone,
My 4th string stays a bit flat when I lower it and release the lever, and it can be corrected by raising it and releasing the lever again. |
How flat? Small inconsistencies (which can be seen on a tuner but not easily heard) should be ignored. Oil the nut rollers and make sure the guitar isn't over-tuned. Then, make sure that the string is pulling in a straight line from the nut to the tuning peg. Any sideways pull will make the problem worse. |
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Jim Palenscar
From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
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Posted 6 Jun 2018 7:22 am
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Jack Stoner wrote "A string that returns flat on a lower is called "Hysteresis". Practically every steel has this to some extent. "
It is my experience that hysteresis is the tendency for a lowered string to return sharp. If it is returning flat I'd check for binding, tension on the lower return spring, and make sure the there is free play on that pedal/lever and that the rollers are free as Donny says. |
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Justin Jardine
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 6 Jun 2018 8:04 am
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The finger was indeed not returning, and it was certainly noticeable. Fortunately, I adjusted the return spring tension (didn't know that was a thing), fixed it in about four seconds, and learned something! Thanks for the help. |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 6 Jun 2018 9:36 am
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My general procedure for adjusting return springs is:
-- loosen springs on all strings that have lowers on them.
-- activate the lowering lever and s..l..o..w..ly release it and watch the finger. If it does not 100% consistently return to its stop (in line with the other fingers) I tighten the spring a little and repeat the release test. Once it reliably returns, I tighten it just little more. The amount of added resistance on the lever is not nearly equal to the amount of added problems you get with borderline string return problems.
-- tighten the springs on any string that does not have a lower. |
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Jim Palenscar
From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2018 6:48 am
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| As Jon says- then raise all the strings and insure that the lowering scissor is staying back. |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 7 Jun 2018 7:29 am
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| Jim Palenscar wrote: |
| .........then raise all the strings and insure that the lowering scissor is staying back. |
Yes! |
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