It it possible for a tuning issue to be "unfixable"?

[Tim Chipman]

BTW I've already made a tentative appointment for this procedure at The Lutherie Shop in Des Moines. My American Deluxe Strat has an Earvana nut and has for 18 years. I sold the Fender neck it came with and had Warmouth build a Strat neck out of Paduch wood with a 24 3/4 scale (which adds problems all their own) It's in tune everywhere on the neck. This guitar however is more expensive (PRS DGT). Once it's set up I won't have to do anything else. If the Buzz F. works as advertised I might just go that way with the Strat as well. I did block the floating trem on the DGT. I've been playing for 50 + years and didn't know what a pain that kind of bridge can be! I sat the whole bridge right down on the body and fashioned a mahogany block to fit snuggly in the cavity.

 

[Draconomics]

While it's definitely good advice I always find this concept fascinating on $3-12k Core/PS guitars (both are equally bad in that regard, BTW).
I fail to see what can't be 'worked in' at the factory with proper filing, fine sandpaper, and time. The latter is likely the problem in a production environment, but given the price range I still don't expect having to do this myself.

Pretty much agree. There's always little things that just need to be worn in, and maybe getting the setup to where you want it, but the major things like the frets being leveled, truss rod not having paint/clear coat caked on the nut, having proper neck angles, lining up the bridge correctly...that should NEVER be an issue on a guitar that costs that much.



BTW, never messed around with he Buzz Feiten tuning system. I like it in concept and looks like it should work very well, just never saw a need for installing one. Generally once I deal with any nut issues, tuning problems have never been a big problem on most any guitar I've messed with. On a related note, PRS trems are quite stable and if setup well they hold tune nicely. They are probably my favorite trem system.

 

[Tim Chipman]

PRS has a great rep for having stable tuning. Mine was not from the beginning. It was also breaking brand new strings. (thumb screw issues) Once I blocked the trem and with PRS's help I set it up according to specs the tuning improved. It still goes out very easily. Again mostly the top three strings, but sometimes it's the D! Sometimes I just get frustrated and put it down. I wouldn't be frustrated if I hadn't paid $3980 for what was touted as the best production guitar. We'll see what my luthier says. I have friends with DGT's and they're stable as all get out. One other annoying thing is the volume pot for the bridge pickup. If you breath on it, it will move down and you lose all your tone. Just the slightest move from 10 down to 7 or 8 and you're in fizzy land. And if it goes out of tune at the same time you really feel like a fool for shelling out that kind of money.

 

[Draconomics]

PRS has a great rep for having stable tuning. Mine was not from the beginning. It was also breaking brand new strings. (thumb screw issues) Once I blocked the trem and with PRS's help I set it up according to specs the tuning improved. It still goes out very easily. Again mostly the top three strings, but sometimes it's the D! Sometimes I just get frustrated and put it down. I wouldn't be frustrated if I hadn't paid $3980 for what was touted as the best production guitar. We'll see what my luthier says. I have friends with DGT's and they're stable as all get out. One other annoying thing is the volume pot for the bridge pickup. If you breath on it, it will move down and you lose all your tone. Just the slightest move from 10 down to 7 or 8 and you're in fizzy land. And if it goes out of tune at the same time you really feel like a fool for shelling out that kind of money.

Thats interesting. I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, some of the bridge fulcrum screws are gooned. Its gotta be catching somewhere. I'm gonna bet either on that or the nut is being grabby. I was having similar issues on my 35th SE, but a nut swap fixed it. I'm not 100% certain, but I think stock nuts on DGTs are that sytnthetic bronze material. I...I don't like it very much. The pot...grounding issue maybe? Fizzy Land is not a happy place.

Anywho, you are absolutely right. Once you plop down near $4000 for a guitar, it better play like melted butter right out of the gate. I guess this is one of the reasons I'm really apprehensive to make that kind of financial investment. I'm kinda of the mindset that I'd rather buy used and do the workshop magic needed to bring her up to speed.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Sometimes people who don't know PRSs - occasionally even a clueless luthier - will mess with the six bridge screws when trying to adjust the action.
The bridge screws should never ever be touched. They need to be perfectly even or there can be problems without any obvious cause.

 

[Draconomics]

Sometimes people who don't know PRSs - occasionally even a clueless luthier - will mess with the six bridge screws when trying to adjust the action.
The bridge screws should never ever be touched. They need to be perfectly even or there can be problems without any obvious cause.

Yeah....dont mess with them unless for sure you know what you're doing and you have the right tools to ensure they are level.

 

[Mozzi]

Unless the guitar hasn't been 'built' correctly so that the frets aren't positioned perfectly, the bridge in the wrong place, then it shouldn't be a problem to tune.

The most common cause of tuning instability is the nut and too much 'friction' causing the string to get stuck and not return perfectly to pitch. That could be down to the nut not being slotted properly for the size and angle of the string. With PRS, you do get straighter string pull, but the back edge of the nut, if not cut properly, can create more friction - a bit of filing on the back edge to round it over and angled down to the tuners will cure that. Going up a string gauge or two also can create more friction through the slot cut for a smaller gauge - more 'pinch' on the string.

I doubt its the tuners, but you could tighten the screws a bit to see if they are a bit loose and have a bit too much play. PRS are very specific about their Bridge set-up - particularly the 6 screws - which all need to be exactly the same height. A Lot of 6pt systems used to have the middle 4 screws half a turn higher and if your 'tech' doesn't know that, it could be affecting performance/tuning too...