Brand new core Modern Eagle will not hold tuning...

[Darnit]

You folks are all very awesome and I appreciate all of the great advice!

I spoke with the dealer and they are sending me next door to a very reputable repair tech to take a look. I am fortunate to live in a city with tons of great techs.

If they can't solve with minimal
invasiveness, or if their work doesn't fix it, I can still return... which is a breath of fresh air.

Won't get a chance to get it in until next week, so we'll try some different strings and a whole bunch o' whammy until then.

 

[bodia]

You folks are all very awesome and I appreciate all of the great advice!

I spoke with the dealer and they are sending me next door to a very reputable repair tech to take a look. I am fortunate to live in a city with tons of great techs.

If they can't solve with minimal
invasiveness, or if their work doesn't fix it, I can still return... which is a breath of fresh air.

Won't get a chance to get it in until next week, so we'll try some different strings and a whole bunch o' whammy until then.

Best of luck!

 

[Mike Duncan]

Tremolo screws....

 

[Glide-bpm]

Hi folks. Just received delivery on friday of a core Modern Eagle V. This thing took 7 months to arrive on backorder. My excitement quickly turned to heartbreak.

Problem: Will not hold tune whatsoever. Within 30 seconds of playing anything beyond soft finger picking, tuning slips in multiple directions on various strings. The trem is completely unusable. forget bending. Strings are stretched, tuned up to pitch(standard 10-46)

I have no such problems with my wood library 24-08( although that one arrived brand new with bad solder joints on the toggle) I can wail on that one's trem all day long with no slippage.

Any advice is greatly appreciated! I'd hate to have to bring this back, but that's where I'm headed if I can't solve this quickly.

Thanks!

If it's like about every guitar I've purchased with these newer tuners with the two oddball sized allen head screws, this is what I've had to do with
that tuning stability.

Every one of them has been set where the tuners are overly easy to turn. I have two sets containing that oddball allen wrench.
I've loosened all the string tension on each string and back off on the two allen head set screws. I then tighten the collar by twisting
it snugg, tightening those new set screws on the collar, then tuning the string back up. Has fixed it for me every single time.

Evidently the tuners tend to be so loose that they actually detune. We're talking 4 guitars now with the same exact problem!

Once I finish all 6 tuners, it's a different instrument tuning stability wise. I hate really loose tuning gears to start with anyway!

 

[Glide-bpm]

You folks are all very awesome and I appreciate all of the great advice!

I spoke with the dealer and they are sending me next door to a very reputable repair tech to take a look. I am fortunate to live in a city with tons of great techs.

If they can't solve with minimal
invasiveness, or if their work doesn't fix it, I can still return... which is a breath of fresh air.

Won't get a chance to get it in until next week, so we'll try some different strings and a whole bunch o' whammy until then.

Make sure and tell the techs at the shop about my post up there. You can get that crazy sized little allen wrench on Amazon.

 

[Darnit]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

After bringing the guitar to Glasers in Nashville, Bogner had it right all along and the nut was replaced with a synthetic one. Screws, slots, and otherwise were all examined.

Tuning is now rock solid as I expected, but I do not feel like I have a "new" guitar anymore, which is a little bit of a bummer.

This all leads me to ask the question of why they are choosing bone nuts for these instruments. I'm sure we can only speculate, but even most of the wood library and a few private stocks I've seen all have the bone nut.

 

[Bogner]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

After bringing the guitar to Glasers in Nashville, Bogner had it right all along and the nut was replaced with a synthetic one. Screws, slots, and otherwise were all examined.

Tuning is now rock solid as I expected, but I do not feel like I have a "new" guitar anymore, which is a little bit of a bummer.

This all leads me to ask the question of why they are choosing bone nuts for these instruments. I'm sure we can only speculate, but even most of the wood library and a few private stocks I've seen all have the bone nut.

Happy To Help And Glad You Finally Got It Sorted.

Regarding The Bone Nuts, I Wish They Would Abandon Them Altogether And Go Back To The Bullet Proof Originals.

 

[László]

This all leads me to ask the question of why they are choosing bone nuts for these instruments. I'm sure we can only speculate, but even most of the wood library and a few private stocks I've seen all have the bone nut.

I have bone nuts on three, and have had the composite material nuts on many, many other PRS', including two PS models that are still here. The three that have the bone nuts are PS and WL models.

I find the bone nuts sound subtly different. There seems to be slightly more solidity in the bottom end, and the pick attack is a little snappier. It's noticeable, though not a huge deal, and shows up mostly with cleaner tones.

However...

Everyone's got their likes and dislikes, pros and cons, so I'm not saying bone is somehow 'better'; it's simply different. I can readily understand why PRS is using it on several models, and why David Grissom chose it for his DGT model. I can also understand why some folks prefer the composite material.

I prefer the bone nuts, but horses for courses...

 

[Stephen J.]

I am glad you got it stabilized. There isn’t a lot of joy playing a guitar that will not stay in tune.

Since you started with the bone nut and switched to the synthetic nut, do you notice any tonal differences?

 

[Bogner]

Saying A Bone Nut, Sonically, Is This Way And An Original Synthetic Nut Is, Sonically, That Way Is A Futile Exercise Unless The Same Guitar Is Intelligently Measured With All Things Being Equal In Those Measurements Sonically With Both Nut Materials. I Say Recorded As Our Ears Often Lie To Us (Good Or Bad) All The Time On Subtle Things.

IMO, Whatever Sonic Subtleties There May Be In Any Direction On Any Nut Material In Question Can Easily Be Adjusted For In The Various Settings A Player Can Tweak (Guitar, Amp, EQ, Pedals, Etc.) The Point I Am Always Harping On Is Tuning Stability And Predictability. The Synthetic Nut Is Rock Solid And Works. Bone Nuts Are Not Nearly As Predictable And Vary Because They Are Bone And Bones Vary. Bone Nuts Tend To Be Drier And The Synthetic Nuts Are Self Lubricated. That Is A Good Thing, Especially For Trem Equipped Guitars And Their Tuning Stability. People Can Argue Against That Point All They Want To But Eventually That Chicken Comes Home To Roost Every Time. What Time? Sometime... The Synthetic Nuts Have NEVER Been A Problem On Any Of My Trem Or Fixed Bridge Guitars. The Bone Nuts...A Whole Different Story For Me And My Long Time PRS Experience/History.

 

[László]

Saying A Bone Nut, Sonically, Is This Way And An Original Synthetic Nut Is, Sonically, That Way Is A Futile Exercise Unless The Same Guitar Is Intelligently Measured With All Things Being Equal In Those Measurements Sonically With Both Nut Materials.

I won't go into a long-winded reply about the science of this stuff. I've played lots of guitars with both types of nuts going back to 1967. 57 years of playing. 33 years of studio work. I know what I'm hearing.

Ya don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

 

[Bogner]

I won't go into a long-winded reply about the science of this stuff. I've played lots of guitars with both types of nuts going back to 1967. 57 years of playing. 33 years of studio work. I know what I'm hearing.

Ya don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

We All Are Aware Of Your Credentials Les And Nobody Is Disounting What You Are Hearing. My Point Is That Unless The Same Guitar Has The Two Various Nuts In A Controlled Environment For Comparison We Really Don't Know What Or If There Are Differences.

My Bigger Point Is That I Have Had Far More Trouble With Bone Nuts And No Trouble With The Synthetic Nuts. I Don't Give A Hoot About How It May Sound If It Doesn't Work For Me...Especially On Trem Guitars. I Can Adjust My Rig For Low End, Mid Range, High End And Compensate For Whatever Minute Difference There May Be (If Any) For Said Nut Material.

Predictability And Consistency Is Important To Me And I Just Don't Get That With Bone Nuts And Especially Bone Nuts And Trems.

 

[László]

My Point Is That Unless The Same Guitar Has The Two Various Nuts In A Controlled Environment For Comparison We Really Don't Know What Or If There Are Differences.

Do you need to install single coil pickups and then humbuckers into the same guitar to know that single coil pickups sound different from humbuckers? I'm guessing the answer is no.

While the difference is far more subtle between nut materials, I don't need to install bone nuts and then composite nuts into the same guitar to know they sound different. My experience tells me they do, and that's enough for me to trust my ears.

Can I prove it to someone else with charts and graphs without making a more scientific comparison?

Nope.

But then, I don't have to.

Deciding to trust my ears is a personal decision that affects no one else.

 

[Bogner]

Do you need to install single coil pickups and then humbuckers into the same guitar to know that single coil pickups sound different from humbuckers? I'm guessing the answer is no.

While the difference is far more subtle between nut materials, I don't need to install bone nuts and then composite nuts into the same guitar to know they sound different. My experience tells me they do, and that's enough for me to trust my ears.

Can I prove it to someone else with charts and graphs without making a more scientific comparison?

Nope.

But then, I don't have to.

Deciding to trust my ears is a personal decision that affects no one else.

Sounds Like Somebody Needs A Hug.

Your Over The Top Ridiculous Analogies Crack Me Up Les. I Have Made Several Points And You Somehow Seem To Have Missed Them. I Trust My Ears As Well Along With The Other Points I Made In This Thread.

Which Bluebird Special Are You Hitting Today? I Will See You There!

 

[László]

Your Over The Top Ridiculous Analogies Crack Me Up Les. I Have Made Several Points And You Somehow Seem To Have Missed Them. I Trust My Ears As Well Along With The Other Points I Made In This Thread.

Actually, there's no point in ad hominem attacks on someone you disagree with. Doesn't change a thing.

I didn't miss your points, I disagree with them. I hear what I hear, you don't. That's fine with me.

This stuff isn't life and death. Have a nice weekend.

 

[Bogner]

Actually, there's no point in ad hominem attacks on someone you disagree with. Doesn't change a thing.

I didn't miss your points, I disagree with them. I hear what I hear, you don't. That's fine with me.

This stuff isn't life and death. Have a nice weekend.

Don't Get Bent Out Of Shape...LOL. Nobody Is Attacking Anybody So Lighten Up. We All Hear What We Hear And Have Our Thoughts And Experiences...So Be It.

Why So Mad Bro...Can We Hug It Out?

 

[Aether]

I went through similar issues with mine. After a bit of filing and graphite from a mechanical pencil in the slots, it cleared it up nicely.

That being said, if it was not resolved, I certainly would have switched to the synthetic lubed nut.

My decider here is that no matter how different you perceive the tone to be better or worse with a nut made from one material or other, unless the music you play never involves using the fretboard (or your frets are bone too!), the nut is only going to impact a fraction of the notes you are playing. Unstable tuning has a significantly greater impact. I’d prefer to be in tune vice having notes played on an open string sound better/different than the fretted notes.

 

[Black Plaid]

... which way the wind blows.

It doesn't really matter .. to. meeeeeeee.

 

[Myroneagle5]

To the original poster. I just picked up a brand new Modern Eagle V and have exactly the same issue. I took the guitar to a local luthier who works on all the big boy guitars here in Los Angeles and he focused on the bone nut and made the slots a little more loose. Small improvement but still my strings go out of tune...Mostly going sharp and binding at the nut. Extremely frustrating. This even happens when playing with the Tremolo bar off of the guitar. The bending of the strings is catching at the nut and staying sharp.

After reading everyones great comments ... I am getting a magnifying glass and looking for issues inside the nut. My preference is not a black synthetic nut ... but I may not have a choice here. Very frustrating.

Thanks for listening. I wonder if there are others our there experiencing this?

 

[Glide-bpm]

I agree on the nuts, but I just lube the heck outta the bone ones.

Howevery, EVERY guitar I've purchased new or used with the newest Phase III's with the tension collar and the
two little abnormally odball Allen wrench size has tuning problems until I do one thing... get out my trusty little
odball Allen wrenches.

Every tuner has been just about flopping in the wind. No matter what lube, I've had to detension the strings and
tighten all 6 collars on each guitar and then tighten those two little set screws per collar VERY gentlly and carefully.
Trust me, I would use every lube, check the nut slots, etc... it always comes back to these collars being to lose for my
tuning comfort, as well as proving to be a weak link in the whole chain. Do I still have to lube the nuts for a gig?
Of course... I do it just for safety. However, each guitar with this problem (about 10 of them, some gone, some still
here) has even gotten reliable WITHOUT lube on the nut when I'm jamming for hours at the house.

I have never liked a guitar with extremely loose tension on the tuning keys. In this case it has been proven to be
a problem that I've fixed the same way all 10 guitars worth.

But yeah... If I listen closely, I can tell a little difference between bone and synthetic nuts, but I also just tweak
the tones or just ignore it for being a very slight unique difference and appreciate it for what it is.