The ESP Guitar Company

Try a good set of locking tuners my friend

do you stretch your strings when you put a new set on your guitar?

Look up how to properly string tuning peg in google. The string should choke itself off at the peg hole or like mentioned above - get good locking tuners like Schallers and read up on how to use them.

Also, +1 on stretching new strings.

i stretch the hell out of my strings,i have a cheap made in china M 200 UC
and i can hammer hard on my trem and my guitar stays in tune

Alright let just get this straight - I've been playing for almost 5 years now. I've been through quite a few guitars and I know how to properly restring and all that jazz.

I really never had a guitar that STAYED in tune (besides my vintage Kramer with an OFR. ) It seems like whatever guitar I own it doesn't stay in tune that well. How do big bands do it, example = Killswitch Engage. They use pinch harmonics like crazy live (seen them 3 times) and they don't go out of tune. Seriously, this is bothering me, HOW TO THEY GET THEIR GUITARS TO STAY IN TUNE SO WELL!?
I have a Pre-lawsuit explorer with a gotoh bridge, earvana nut, and sperzel tuners and it does not stay in tune at all. Also have an EC-500 that stays it tune pretty well, but I really want it to be better.

Is there a solution to this? Thanks in advanced

when i saw killswitch engage, after almost every song the guitarists went off stage, and tuned up. also, many people in big bands use more then 1 guitar

/\/\/\ YES-they also have techs that tune their guitars as well as have tuners on stage 'just in case'.

Here's some copy/pasta of mine on how to properly stretch your strings,... just in case you think you're doing right and really aren't. Don't be proud... it happens to everyone at 1 time or another-there is always a better way to do something. I learned this from a guy who was personal friends with Prince's guitar tech. It completely stopped me from breaking the skinny little E strings when I was restringing and stretching, and it was better than the advice I got from a string company-off the back of the box when I first started playing. Company was SIT strings, btw... I actually broke more strings with their method.

It also may be that your guitar is simply not intonated properly... I'll include the long version for you to go over so you can retrace your steps and correct them before it's too late & you snap your guitars neck! :| :D :lol

Here it is:

Use this technique to stretch them out without breaking them.

Start with NEW strings and install them all with at least 3-4 windings on the Wound strings & 5-6 windings on the Plain strings.

Any MORE than this is redundant & any less will encourage string breakage & other tuning problems(unless your axe has a floyd, but it's still in good practive & makes things look 'neat & precise').

If you are starting with the 6th-wound string....
After you have the string on and wound like normal(the string should wind DOWN the post-NOT UP), tune it up.

Next, grab the string near the bridge pup area, & with your thumb, push towards the bottom or treble side of the guitar-while pulling gently with your index, middle, and ring fingers-towards the top, or bass side of the guitar.

Keep the string parallel to the body, no need to pull the string away from the body.

Next, keep doing this same action described above in a gentle motion, while gradually moving up the string(about 2 frets at a time) towards the headstock until you get near the end of the string.
Now tune up again.
Continue doing this until the string is staying close to "in tune" after you have stretched it.
Now move onto the next string and do the same on and on until done.

Now you can begin calibrating it.

Adjust the string height to desired height or 'stock height' but as every guitar has different standard heights this will vary some. Not to much a problem as there are some general rules of thumb that you can apply here.
1. I like to start at 1.5mm on the treble side & 2mm on the bass side. This is the measurement between the bottom of the string and the top of the 12th fret.
2. another good measurement is to check the string height with a 6 inch ruler at the 17th fret.
For Strings 1-4: 5/64"(2mm) +/- 1/64"(.4mm)
For Strings 5-6: 3/32"(2.4mm) +/- 1/64"(.4mm)

These (#2) dimensions are the factory recommended settings(from the Fender Manual) & the optimum height adjusment varies from player to player due to differences in technique, playing style, string gauges, etc.

Also, they are speaking wisely about tuning the 12th fret harmonic, the middle point of the string, and then fretting the 12th fret harmonic and adjusting the intonation from this point.
1. If the fretted note is SHARP, then adjust your saddle towards the BRIDGE.
2. If the fretted note is FLAT, then adjust your saddle towards the NUT.
Here is the rule for this-->Sharp? Bridge. Flat? Nut.

I try to think of it like this to help me to remember the formula.
What looks SHARP? A suspension BRIDGE.
And What looks FLAT? A crushed NUT.
See the parallels??
Now do this for every string and adjust accordingly.

Remeber though, and this is for TUNE-omatic- bridge users only, for more accurate intonation, you may have to reverse 1 or more of the saddles so that the angle is like this ( / ) or like this ( \ ) depending upon the starting angle of the saddle.

Also remember that due to some variances in build tolerances, some guitars will NOT intonate "perfectly". This is a bit of a problem. But let's try to work around it, should you encounter it, before taking it back and demanding another new guitar that you will have to start the entire process on again.

Last tip: 'Slightly Sharp' is better than 'Slightly Flat' as the flat note will be more noticeable than the sharper note.

This should be enough for "String Stretching & Intonation 101" right now.
Good luck. ;)

maybe you need to intonate your guitar ;)?

every notice that guitarists change guitars like every freakin song... guess what happens to the that guitar that just got passed to a tech!

i have 4 vipers and a gibson explorer custom and a george lynch baritone..all of them are completely done by my guitar tech....i find that the nuts from esp need to be opened a little and are a little high...si i have them taken down...i use tone pros bridges and schaller locking tuners...also try a graphite nut....its amazing...no problems here

My guitar usually doesn't start going out of tune during a show until the last song or so.

Alright let just get this straight - I've been playing for almost 5 years now. I've been through quite a few guitars and I know how to properly restring and all that jazz.

I really never had a guitar that STAYED in tune (besides my vintage Kramer with an OFR. ) It seems like whatever guitar I own it doesn't stay in tune that well. How do big bands do it, example = Killswitch Engage. They use pinch harmonics like crazy live (seen them 3 times) and they don't go out of tune. Seriously, this is bothering me, HOW TO THEY GET THEIR GUITARS TO STAY IN TUNE SO WELL!?
I have a Pre-lawsuit explorer with a gotoh bridge, earvana nut, and sperzel tuners and it does not stay in tune at all. Also have an EC-500 that stays it tune pretty well, but I really want it to be better.

Is there a solution to this? Thanks in advanced

Lol, I could use my Eclipse a whole rehearsal night without retuning once and it would be fine.

Most tuning problems are not because of the tuner. The most common cause for tuning problems is the nut. What string gauge do you have on there and what do you tune to?

I take it for granted that you stretch the strings properly after putting on a new set.

My EC-1000 usually needs tuning once a day, and that's taking into account all the fucking dumb stuff I do because I am stupid and bored.

get a proper setup and stop playing your guitar like it owes you money.

My PRS is the first guitar I've owned that has a graphite nut. I'm pretty sure that is a large part of why it stays in tune so damn well, even using the trem (I've now blocked off the trem anyway)

As for the question asked, well... the pros play very expensive guitars and even if they're not that expensive, you can bet they're set up by some guy who after setting up your guitar, vows that he will never set up an instrument of death ever again

How do guitarists in big bands stay in tune?
They don't