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

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... I've 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.
Thanks for the reply and great input. Just to make sure we are on the same page ... My issue is with the strings going sharp only. Mostly the lower 4 strings with the D and A being the worst. I will hear the 'PING' at the nut occasionally when the string tension is adjusted to retune. Is this similar to the tension collar issues you described?

Thanks again for the input....
 
Thanks for the reply and great input. Just to make sure we are on the same page ... My issue is with the strings going sharp only. Mostly the lower 4 strings with the D and A being the worst. I will hear the 'PING' at the nut occasionally when the string tension is adjusted to retune. Is this similar to the tension collar issues you described?

Thanks again for the input....
Mine were all over the place, but predominantly flat with a lot of tremolo work. I think they were slightly whiplashing about both ways, though.
I've always had trouble with tuning pegs that spin too freely, but some of these set screw collar ones now have just been way too loose!
 
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I’ve had issues right out of the box with all bone nut equipped PRS guitars I’ve ever bought. Zero issues with the standard nut, which is an awesome nut by the way. The tonal difference is subtle at most and the cons with a bone nut outweighs the pros massively.

What I’ve had to do to the bone nuts to make them work is to carefully sand the slots with fine sandpaper and then use Nut Sauce to prevent the strings from binding. But paying 5+ k for a guitar that isn’t perfect right out of the box isn’t a great feeling and it doesn’t make PRS look good.
 
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?
They Make An Off White Synthetic Nut As Well Although It Has A Slight Touch Of Very Light Gray To It
 
But why should you worry about all this as if it were some kind of miracle? It's natural to feel anticipation and excitement before buying a new part, but you need to set aside your emotions and look at it rationally. You're not the first and won't be the last; perhaps there was a mistake with the shipment. Contact the seller and explain the problem:confused:
 
I had the same problem last year
Hi and thanks for your input. Just curious if you had the same issue, what was your solution? The bone (stock) nut has already been widened and lubed twice now. The stings still catch and go sharp. Next solution is to go with a synthetic nut and pray and do some voodoo **** ...
 
Hi and thanks for your input. Just curious if you had the same issue, what was your solution? The bone (stock) nut has already been widened and lubed twice now. The stings still catch and go sharp. Next solution is to go with a synthetic nut and pray and do some voodoo **** ...
The Synthetic Nut Solves All The Problems.
 
Hi and thanks for your input. Just curious if you had the same issue, what was your solution? The bone (stock) nut has already been widened and lubed twice now. The stings still catch and go sharp. Next solution is to go with a synthetic nut and pray and do some voodoo **** ...
Try sanding the front and back edges of the nut slot floor ever so slightly with fine sandpaper. Don’t take a lot of material off, just try to give them a small radius and make the edges smooth. And you can probably widen the slots a little bit more. If you’re planning on replacing the nut anyway you have nothing to lose.

The guitars I still own with bone nuts (both trem equipped) are rock solid tuning wise now, after a bit of tinkering and some lube. So it’s not like it can’t be done.
 
Try sanding the front and back edges of the nut slot floor ever so slightly with fine sandpaper. Don’t take a lot of material off, just try to give them a small radius and make the edges smooth. And you can probably widen the slots a little bit more. If you’re planning on replacing the nut anyway you have nothing to lose.

The guitars I still own with bone nuts (both trem equipped) are rock solid tuning wise now, after a bit of tinkering and some lube. So it’s not like it can’t be done.
Hi, I tried all this with no lasting success. The guitar is now in the spa getting a facial and new synthetic nut. Thanks everyone for the input.
 
follow up ... guitar back with a new synthetic nut. Much better but not perfect. Maybe 76.3 % better ?
Give it some time, it may settle. If not, try sanding the sides (walls?) of the fret slots slightly with fine sandpaper, careful not to sand the floor of the slots.
 
After trying nut lube, if the tuners are real loose, obtain one of those oddball size Allen wrenches for the collar set screws.

Loosen all tension on each string. Loosen both set screws carefully. Get a wrench that fits the flat spot on the collar and turn the tuner to tighten it until it's fairly snug. Re-tighten your two Allen head screws. Re-tension that string. Do this for all 6 strings.

Every guitar I've owned with these newest phase III tuners has had really loose tension on the tuners and was the only way I could finally get solid tuning stability. Even with a tremolo stabilizer, it always went back to those loose ass tuners!
 
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