Guitar Won't Stay In Tune

ElJeffe

So I have a cheap, shitty electric guitar. Some time ago, a bought a capo. Problem is, using the capo totally fucks up the guitar's tuning. I tune the guitar, stick the capo on, and when I take it off, it's out of tune. Or, often, as soon as I stick it on the guitar becomes out of tune, and I have to retune it with the capo on, which is substantially more difficult.

Is this normal behavior? Are capos expected to screw up the tuning? If not, is it my guitar or the capo that's the culprit? Or could it be the strings? I've had the guitar two years and have not had to replace any strings - should they be replaced, maybe?

tl;dr: I do not like having to tune my guitar every damned time I wave a capo near it. Please help.

MoSiAc

If your strings are two years old. They should be replaced.

Wetsun

Strings should probably be replaced every 2-3 months, assuming you play pretty casually (if you play a lot, their lifetime can get much shorter). Washing/drying you hands well before playing tends to make them last a bit longer. Sweat/oil can get them in pretty nasty shape fairly quickly.

ElJeffe

Oh, wow, that's a lot less than two years.

Okay, thanks.

(I play maybe 30 minutes a day, so pretty casual.)

Jebus314

Also, you sometimes have to replace springs too. Some guitars have a panel on the back with springs on the inside. Guitars with a floating bridge definitely have this. Mine doesn't have a floating bridge, but it still has the springs. I don't know why. Anyways if there is a panel on the back, take it off and see if there are some springs.

Chanus

First: Yeah, replace your strings.

Second:

Do you have this kind:

Or this kind:

?


The former sucks, the latter is the better kind.

When you place the capo on the neck, you'll probably be bending the strings slightly. I find squeezing the trigger a couple times will allow the strings to set where they are supposed to be.

Third:

It's possible your neck is warped. Taking your guitar to a shop for a "tune-up" (usually about $50) could help... or you may need to get the neck re-planed and re-fretted, which would probably cost what the guitar is worth.

Drswords

I have to replace strings every like... 4 months. 2 years is kinda pushing it if you play regularly enough.

New strings is indeed the path you want to take. If you continue to have problems i would take your guitar in to have it looked at.

mooshoepork

Two years?

I change mine once a month usually

useless4

My bass is going on eight years with the same strings. it's a little thuddy sounding.

Darkwyndre

Wow ... I play every day and I use D'Addario EXP strings. They are coated and resist the corrosion from the shit on your fingers (oils, dirt, dead skin cells, etc...). I replace my strings about every six weeks. I used to replace strings about every two weeks before I started using these ones.

For an electric guitar, you would want these ones, especially if you are new enough to guitar playing that you haven't changed your strings ever. The super light's let you use less pressure on the string, and with electric guitar, that's what you want.

With two year old strings, I'm surprised you can even get it to stay in tune long enough to finish tuning it. Also, I would actually suggest a different capo than the one recommended above. I would get a Shubb Deluxe S Series. It's extremely well made, allows you to adjust the pressure exerted on the strings, doesn't get in the way, and most importantly if used correctly won't raise the pitch of your strings at all.

Hope this helps mate.

LewieP's Mummy

OK, you've all beated me on the string changing, but yes, change them. Also, remember new strings will go out of tune every time you play at first, but that should just be the first week or so.

ascannerlightly

useless4 wrote: »

My bass is going on eight years with the same strings. it's a little thuddy sounding.

thinking about how full of dead skin your strings are makes me want to throw up.

Space Pickle

You don't need to change strings after a certain amount of time, you need to change them after a certain amount of playing. They're probably long dead at this point however.

What kind of capo and what make/model of guitar do you have?

Nappuccino

If your guitar strings are rusting or if they have indentations caused by contact with the frets, change them now. You'll notice a huge improvement in tone.

That probably wont fix your capo problem though. That is probably caused by the cheap tuning pegs they put on cheap guitars. They don't hold the tuning well in the first place. Does your gutar have a whammy bar? If so, this could also be a cause of your tuning problems.

Red Rover

It might be worth changing your strings but that's probably not what's throwing it out of tune. I have strings that are over 2 years old on my acoustic guitar and it stays perfectly in tune and I play it regularly. Sure they sound thuddy but they stay tuned... capo and all. I'm guessing it's either the tuners or the bridge (or both).

Somebody mentioned the whammy bar (or tremolo system). They tend to suck and really knock you out of tune on cheaper models.

Red Rover

ascannerlightly wrote: »

useless4 wrote: »

My bass is going on eight years with the same strings. it's a little thuddy sounding.

thinking about how full of dead skin your strings are makes me want to throw up.

Boo hoo... the flats on my bass are only 3 years old but I don't intend on ever changing them. They sound awesome.

joshofalltrades

I've noticed that lighter gauge strings tend to go way more out of tune with a capo applied than higher gauges

I play with .011's on my electric and Martin Lights on my acoustic and capos never seem to mess with them too much

Sir Carcass

Bass strings need to be changed far less often than guitar. Plus, they're like $50 a pack for a decent set.

I agree that it's probably not the strings causing the problem, though they do need to be changed. Do you have a tremelo (whammy bar)? If so, stop using it.

garroad_ran

#1 - Anyone saying that the strings are probably not causing a tuning problem is being a silly goose. I'd say it's entirely pointless to give any more advice until you've got a new set of strings on there. Not only will old strings have a harder time holding their pitch, but they don't intonate the same way as a fresh batch, meaning that as you play on higher and higher frets, your pitch is going to get progressively worse.

#2 - There are a lot of basic setup issues with your guitar that could cause the tuning to go wonky when you put on or take off a capo. One such issue is the nut. If you are using a gauge of string that is not fitted properly to the nut, there will be friction at the nut, which can cause your strings to not return to pitch when you take the capo off. You can improve tuning stability by putting some graphite in the nut.

#3 - Another issue, as has been pointed out, is the bridge. If you have a floating bridge (like, with springs), that's liable to cause problems unless it's properly set up. It's a complicated matter though, and on cheap electric guitars it's just as likely to be impossible to have your trem return to pitch after any sort of tension change. Best bet is to lock it down if you can live without using your trem.

#4 - The capo itself could be the problem. You don't want a capo that's going to put a tremendous amount of pressure on the strings. If the tension on the capo is really high, then you'll want to do something about loosening it so that it doesn't completely mash the strings into your fretboard.

#5 - Tuning machines have also been mentioned. They're likely to be crap on a generic cheap electric guitar. You might be able to improve their performance by tightening them with a screwdriver, so they're harder to turn. Unfortunately, some models don't have a screw that you can adjust. If you're into improving your guitar though, tuners are a good place to start. You can get a set of fenders for $40 and they do a really good job.

#6 - Related to the tuners, how you string up your guitar is a big factor in how well it stays in tune. I learned how to restring my strat from an article written by Richard Kinman (kinman.com) which apparently is part of a member's only section nowadays. It takes me about 30 minutes to change a set of strings, but I can take my guitar with a floating bridge on any gig and it will rarely go out of tune. And I use my whammy bar a LOT. It's a great procedure to follow. PM me if anyone's seriously interested in learning how to string up a strat.

Anyway, like most people have said, everything else is pretty much a moot point until you've changed those strings.

Khavall

useless4 wrote: »

My bass is going on eight years with the same strings. it's a little thuddy sounding.

Yeah, but Bass strings last forever just fine. And are stupidly expensive.

Guitar strings go out like it's their job though, and need to be replaced fairly often. Also since it's like $5 for a set it's not really a burden.

However, when you change the strings, be careful how you wind them, like Garroad just said. What you want to do is wind them in a way that as you tighten the string, it's putting pressure the opposite way on the loose end, so that it doesn't slip.

Also, as a warning, when you replace the strings, for the first few days you'll probably have a lot of tuning problems still, because the strings will be stretching out and adjusting... it'll get better pretty fast though. If I have a big performance I'll usually change about a week before the show so that I don't have to constantly retune. I'd wait about a week after changing them to see if it's fixed before assuming that the new strings still going out of tune is a problem with something else.

Also, yeah, if you have a whammy bar on a cheap-o guitar then tuning's going to be a bitch forever.

ElJeffe

A) I do have a whammy bar, but I think I've used it maybe twice.

The capo is the latter of the types mentioned by Chanus (the one that doesn't look like a scrunchie). I forget the brand, but it looks like something that is pretty well put-together. It doesn't have adjustable tension, but it also doesn't appear to be pressing the fuck out of the strings.

So for now, I will change the strings. If the problem persists after a one-week warm-up period, I'll revisit this thread.

Thanks, guys!

garroad_ran

The problem isn't necessarily with whammy bar usage (although that will definitely make the guitar go out of tune faster), but how the bridge reacts to changes in tension on the strings.

Especially since you don't use the bar much, it might be a really good idea to put a wooden block in the trem cavity to lock the bridge in place.