Having troubles tuning....

[BrUcY]

I recent aquired a Charvel Jackson guitar. I played acoustic pretty much all my life so this is the first time ive actually ever restrung an electric. The problem im having is the top two strings will not tune. Im using a tuner, and have tuned many guitars with it before. I took a picture of the bridge and the neck, any idea what the problem could be?

[VitaminG]

Re: Having troubles tuning....

What do you mean by not being able to tune it? Are you getting a reading at all from the top two strings?

Have you relatively tuned the top two strings to the bottom four, just to get the tuning into same the ballpark? If you have, and still can't tune up with the tuner, have you tried using a different pickup? Maybe the pickup you are playing through has a couple of faulty pole pieces.

[shredhed]

Re: Having troubles tuning....

I've had that prob in the past, tho it's usually on the high strings. Try using the front pup. Also check the pup height.

?????

bob

[DonP]

Re: Having troubles tuning....

What type of tuner? Is the battery strong in it? Are you using a patch cord plugged into the tuner or are you trying to use the tuner's microphone? Is the volume turned up on the guitar if you are using a cord?

[MountainDog]

Re: Having troubles tuning....

The fact there are three knobs on the guitar means it probably has the active circuitry in it, so take off the rear control cavity cover and see if it has a battery in there and put in a new fresh battery (a dead or nearly dead battery inside the guitar would have an effect on the signal being sent to the tuner, and since the two thin strings have less signal strength, this could explain your problem).

Also, I note the Kahler bridge is missing the 6 fine tuner screw/knob thingies (not that that has any effect on using the headstock tuner to get the guitar into tune).

Also, the behind the nut stringlock looks like it is missing the clamp screws, which means it might also be missing the little plates inside that lock the strings. Again, missing the screw and plate would not affect tuning as long as the string passes cleanly thru the passage in the stringlock without binding on anything.

[BrUcY]

Re: Having troubles tuning....

Using the tuners mic, it cant even get close to tune, it will keep saying that the note is to low, when i know its way to high, i try going the other way and i get the same thing still.

[skorb]

Re: Having troubles tuning....

if I recall, you got that guitar after it had sat in a basement for a long time. likely it is way out of intonation (i.e., it won't tune correctly, as you are experiencing) and needs a professional setup job by a luthier.

here is what I would do if I came into a old neglected guitar like that.

1. take off old strings and clean all parts, body and neck as best you can with a dry rag.

2. clean the fretboard and frets with lemon oil and then give the board another good rag wipe with more lemon oil. let it sit for a few hours and come back and reapply more lemon oil to the board. then wipe off the excess.

3. then I'd take it to a good luthier for a setup/restring. can you string up an electric on your own, of course, we all can, but doing a proper setup/intonation is another matter. unless you know exactly what you're doing and have a strobe machine, leave this to the pro.

4. also have the luthier check all the wiring and pots and clean/replace them as necessary. they get lots of dirt in them sitting around and can sound crackly and staticky (is that a word? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] )

when you get it back it will be all set to go, and you'll have it in top playing shape.

[MountainDog]

Re: Having troubles tuning....

[ QUOTE ]
Using the tuners mic, it cant even get close to tune

[/ QUOTE ]

By saying this are you telling us that you are trying to tune an electric guitar using the built-in mic in the tuner? You need to get a guitar cord and plug into the guitar and the tuner to get good accurate readings on an electric.

I'm sitting here with my guitar tuned to A440 pitch with a Peterson Strobostomp. My E and B strings are perfectly in tune (using cord from guitar to tuner). I just grabbed my Korg DT-7 tuner that has a built in mic, and have it 6inches from the guitar. When plucked, my E and B make the Korg's tuner lights blink around, BUT it will NOT lock on and show any notes...the lights blink like the strings are too low. So this basically shows you can't reliably tune an electric using built-in mic in a tuner.

So please 1) double check if there is a battery inside the guitar rear control cavity (and if so, put in a new one) and 2) use a cord from guitar to tuner.