CE 24 won’t stay in tune

[carolina6strings]

I’ve got a CE24 I’ve had for about 5 years. It’s got 58/15lt pickups and it sounds amazing but every time I pull it out to play I get frustrated and put it back in the case.
It won’t stay in tune for me unless I play super light. I’m heavy handed and that’s a habit I can’t seem to break.
I also tuned the low E to D earlier today and the whole guitar went way out of tune.
I love the tone and feel of the guitar but it’s just not working for me. Anybody got any suggestions on what I could try to fix the issue?
I've lubed the nut and saddles. And I don’t use the tremolo so if blocking it would help I’d definitely do that. Thanks in advance

 

[Mentalo87]

Could be a multitude of things, but let’s start with the easy ones:

Does it return to pitch after using the tremolo one way or the other?

Are the locking screws on the tuners properly tightened?

FYI: You can’t just change the tuning with a floating term, the string tension in relation to the tension of tremolo-springs is off. In this case blocking the term would be the easiest way.

 

[carolina6strings]

Could be a multitude of things, but let’s start with the easy ones:

Does it return to pitch after using the tremolo one way or the other?

Are the locking screws on the tuners properly tightened?

FYI: You can’t just change the tuning with a floating term, the string tension in relation to the tension of tremolo-springs is off. In this case blocking the term would be the easiest way.

The locking screws on the tuners are properly tightened, that’s the first thing I checked after it snapped out of tune today.
I’ll have to check the tremolo tomorrow, I’m not sure on that one.
Sounds like blocking the tremolo’s the way to go tho. Thanks for the advice!

 

[gush]

Definitely can't change from standard tuning to drop tuning with floating trem.

The "D-tuna" is why it can be done with Floyd's that have this feature.

 

[show_a_little_faith]

Agree with others that blocking or decking the trem will help. Floating trems are a balance between string tension (tuning) and the Springs on the back. Changing any string's tension will affect that balance and usually require adjustments to the other strings. Certainly when dropping an E to D, but often even if one string just moderately flat or sharp. Fix that one, then the others need tweaking. Repeat until everything's in balance again.

You also said you lubed the nut, but there could still be an issue with binding if there are slots that are cut too tight. Ideally, a set of matching gauge nut files is the remedy, but they aren't cheap. An alternate approach is to use the string itself as a file. Basically, when changing the strings, use each of the old ones like dental floss, pulling it back and forth through it's respective slot. I find it can definitely help with small adjustments, at least for the wound strings. The plain ones don't have much "teeth" to them, but can't hurt to give it a go if those are where you're getting binding.

And whether using files or old strings, just be careful to be pulling across the slot when you do it, and not putting downward pressure on it - you want to slightly widen it, but making it deeper will affect the action and could lead to buzzing issues from being too low

 

[TheCraftsman]

Sounds like nut ot Trem either floated incorrectly or not level, I learned the hard way with my first floating trem when tweaking the truss rod , intonation, string changes / string gauge changes etc it all had to require a double check / slight adjustment of the trem to make sure it was level.

 

[Simon Says]

Didn't read the other answers but other than the proper setup of the trem (the blade sitting right in the screw grooves) I would make sure the pickups are not to close to the strings and the neck is aligned well. One thing I always did with every bolt-on guitar I ever had was to:
1. Lose all 4 screws by half the rotation
2. Tune up guitar 2-4 steps
3. Wiggle the neck making sure it's aligned well.
4. Crew in the 4 bolds tight
5. Tune to pitch.

Make sure you stretch the strings every change, too.

Let me know if anything from above helped

 

[carolina6strings]

I blocked the tremolo and things seem to be far better! It’s much more stable. Thanks everybody for all the support! This thing might actually become my number one now!

 

[Simon Says]

I blocked the tremolo and things seem to be far better! It’s much more stable. Thanks everybody for all the support! This thing might actually become my number one now!

See if the trem base blade is not chewed up the next string change. I would take it out, and reset if I was you. PRS trees are really stable, I'm sure it's a setup issue

 

[Mentalo87]

Good job. Don’t try to mess with the height of the tremolo baseplate itself (e.g. decking it to the body) this will cause more setup issues than you might be willing to solve.

 

[Mike J.]

I have an SE 24 Standard. The main reason I bought it was because the Wide/Thin neck carve fit me like a glove. I mean, custom made!

I also thought it would be fun to experiment with the bar but everytime I used it the guitar went out of tune. Took the guitar to two diffeernt techs who couldn't seem to sort it out. The big culprit is the D string. Even using the bar for the slightest "shimmer" effect the D string goes a cent and a half sharp. Got locking tuners and that still didn't help. Finally gave up on the bar and wound up blocking the trem in both directions. Even using graphite or lubricant doesn't help.

Some here and online have said "you've got to really work the bar in big time." Well, who am I to aurgue if I never tried it, so I did. Worked and worked that bar like you wouldn't believe on and off for about two weeks. Didn't make one bit of difference.

So while the locking tuners and blocking the bridge did help, it didn't cure all.

I've noticed that even with the locking tuners and blocked bridge, this guitars tuning stability (more than any other I own) is very erratic with temperature changes. I play at church and with the summer AC going or with the winter furnace, this guitar takes forever for the tuning to finally settle in. Even though the intonation is spot on, I have to keep the B string tuned 1/2 cent flat or certain intervals sound out of tune.

I also have an Epiphone SG Pro that I'll also use and it's tuning is very stable.

So the SE is my "problem child" for sure but it plays and sounds great. Just wish this darn kid would treat me a bit better!

 

[carolina6strings]

Agree with others that blocking or decking the trem will help. Floating trems are a balance between string tension (tuning) and the Springs on the back. Changing any string's tension will affect that balance and usually require adjustments to the other strings. Certainly when dropping an E to D, but often even if one string just moderately flat or sharp. Fix that one, then the others need tweaking. Repeat until everything's in balance again.

You also said you lubed the nut, but there could still be an issue with binding if there are slots that are cut too tight. Ideally, a set of matching gauge nut files is the remedy, but they aren't cheap. An alternate approach is to use the string itself as a file. Basically, when changing the strings, use each of the old ones like dental floss, pulling it back and forth through it's respective slot. I find it can definitely help with small adjustments, at least for the wound strings. The plain ones don't have much "teeth" to them, but can't hurt to give it a go if those are where you're getting binding.

And whether using files or old strings, just be careful to be pulling across the slot when you do it, and not putting downward pressure on it - you want to slightly widen it, but making it deeper will affect the action and could lead to buzzing issues from being too low

On a completely unrelated note, I’ve got a 57RI Les Paul goldtop that I had given up on ever staying in tune. It sounds amazing but the G always went out when I was playing.
The dental floss trick with the wound string freaking worked!!! I’ve avoided taking it to a tech for years because I haven’t had great experiences in my local area. And I was scared to try and file it. So thank you very much for that peace of advice!

 

[show_a_little_faith]

On a completely unrelated note, I’ve got a 57RI Les Paul goldtop that I had given up on ever staying in tune. It sounds amazing but the G always went out when I was playing.
The dental floss trick with the wound string freaking worked!!! I’ve avoided taking it to a tech for years because I haven’t had great experiences in my local area. And I was scared to try and file it. So thank you very much for that peace of advice!

Hey, that's great to hear - glad it helped!!