A question re: tuning....

[Mikegarveyblues]

do older guitars intonate and /or tune better that new ones?

NO!

Infact, an older guitar is liable to have issues such as a worn nut or saddles or frets if it isn't maintained. That'd lead to intonation issues.

Keep your old / new guitar well maintained and setup with fresh strings you won't have any real issues.

 

[captdg]

Thanks..

So much for the urban legend that a 20 plus year guitar sounds better than a new one. I am learning a lot here.

 

[Herr Squid]

I have read about this before, partly because I was intonating a guitar (a PRS) and it was driving me crazy. I could get it to intonate on all strings and on most frets, but the D major chord (the basic one, played with open D string, G string fretted at 2nd fret, B string at 3rd fret and E string at 2nd) still gave me trouble.

This tuning method: My favourite method can help a lot with sour D chords and other problems. I use a variation of it when I don't have a good tuner handy. It does a good job of getting all the standard chords more or less in tune. That web page also talks about why the "fancy" 5th- and 7th-harmonic tuning method doesn't really work.

 

[Boogie]

If you play hard enough to make the guitar sound out of tune, you might consider heavier gauge strings.

A sure sign you're doing something right. Beat 'em like they owe you money. :rock:

 

[garrett]

I prefer having the open G and B a tad flat since they intonate sharp in the lower frets. I noticed this when recording because it became painfully obvious that the chords were out of tune and that drives me up a wall.

 

[Harker1440]

I tune to what my tuner tells me to

 

[Serious Poo]

I set intonation with a somewhat heavy touch, tune to concert pitch for the top 5 strings and tune the low E string just slightly flat. I use 9-46's on my humbucker guitars and 10-46's on my soapbar guitars.

 

[Albrecht Smuten]

Beat 'em like they owe you money. :rock:

Haha

 

[Tim Chipman]

I prefer having the open G and B a tad flat since they intonate sharp in the lower frets. I noticed this when recording because it became painfully obvious that the chords were out of tune and that drives me up a wall.

I've had to do that for some guitars as well. Especially Gibson scale (24 3/4) I finally put a Warmoth neck on a Deluxe Strat with an Earvana nut..........that little gem absolutely cures the problem. I'm new here and just purchased my first PRS.......it's a DGT Goldtop. Nice guitar but right out of the box it had this same problem. I'm putting fresh strings and doing an intonation and hope that cures it. I've just read here than PRS's have a compensated nut (Buzz Feiten style) I'm hoping this is true!
Tim Chipman

 

[Uncle Bob]

Does this apply to the SE line also?
I also tune standard, using a TC Electronics Polytune.

I have an SE C24 (and an SE P20E), tune both to concert pitch, and have no issues with either. Both are on standard issue strings too, which are 9s on the C24 and 12s on the P20E iirc.

I agree with whomever said that perhaps a heavier string might help?