My 408 stays in tune great

[CoreyT]

I have noticed something about my new 408.
When I get my guitars out for the weekend, I always have to retune the Gibson SG.
They are either a little flat, or a little sharp, all of them, so they all go either flat or sharp.
This is probably due to the temperature in my place after I get them out of their cases.

The temps in my home as of late will range form 70° in the morning to 80° in the afternoon.
I always check the tuning on my guitars when packing them away in their cases Sunday before bed along with wiping them down and using the String Cleaner device on them.

When I take my 408 out of the case, it is in perfect tune, and when using the tremolo this weekend alot, and when packing it away, I checked the tuning and it was spot on using my TC Electronics Polytuner.
What is it about the 408?
The truss rod, or the neck is not as sensitive to temperature changes as much as the SG?

Anyways, I like the fact I do not have to mess around with the tuning as much with the 408.
The SG does not have the stock tuners, it has the same ones I have on my SEs, the Autotrim tuners from Planet Waves.

 

[bretwomack]

Call me crazy, but that's just a Maryland-Made PRS for ya.

(I'm not crazy )

 

[CoreyT]

I know, it is such a high quality guitar and a joy to play.
No neck dive either like the SG.

 

[jazzrat]

Not sure what it is but there is some mojo that PRS applies to their necks.
I've found the same thing in addition when you do need to make adjustments which is rare, the truss rod is butter smooth
and the neck responds beautifully, none of that creaking and groaning like my other guitars.
My suspicion is that they are, first using the best of the best quality wood, and then making sure it is as stable as possible
before it is used.

 

[CoreyT]

I remember hearing Paul say in a video that the necks rarely need adjustment.

 

[jazzrat]

the necks rarely need adjustment

That has certainly been my happy experience.

 

[László]

What I love is how they stay in tune during a long session. I'm not constantly having to tune and re-tune.

 

[CoreyT]

When I made my new recording this weekend, I pushed the tremolo bar way down and pulled up some too.
Perfect tuning afterwards.

 

[MOBirds]

After hearing my local dealer explain the problem to another customer to his tuning/buzzing issues with his LP, I really think that the PRS headstock design helps a great deal as well. The Gibson/Epiphone headstocks have very straight aligned tuners, so the G & D strings have that awful sharp slant outward. This causes wear on the nut slots over time for those strings, producing buzzing. I would think that it may have an effect on tuning stability as well.

 

[phillybri]

It's not just the 408. I had a gig last week and played "Eruption" and dipped the whammy bar all the way down to the wood and lo and behold it came back 100% in tune. Just a wonderfully designed tremolo!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

It's not just the 408. I had a gig last week and played "Eruption" and dipped the whammy bar all the way down to the wood and lo and behold it came back 100% in tune. Just a wonderfully designed tremolo!

+100
I am always confused when people talk about having trouble with the PRS trem and needing to go Floyd, I can bottom out dive bombs and come right back in tune.

 

[Skeeter]

Well 1) Love 'em, but SG's are kinda notorious for being hard to keep in tune (YMMV).

And 2) (most importantly) It's a PRS - of course it stays in tune! There's a reason most people call the PRS trem the best in the business. For me it's almost impractical to gig any other guitar (unless it has locking tuners), not that I'm doing push-ups on the whammy, but my LP, strat and others just drive me crazy - be it big bends or having to pull back up on the whammy to "re-set" strings . Granted a better nut and set-up helps a lot - but you never have to worry about that with most PRSi straight out of the box - and you can get through a whole set or session with very little adjustment.

 

[UnderPRSt]

I believe PRS necks are quartersawn. I know the maple neck on my 305 is, but I'm not 100% on other models. Pretty sure, though. If anyone else can confirm this, then that's why.

And yes, my 305 (my first and only PRS... for now...) stays in tune better than any other guitar I've ever owned.

 

[Paul L]

Great looking guitars! I love SGs too.

 

[CoreyT]

When I was at the Meet & Greet with Paul a few weeks back, Ralph the local rep for our area explained to be what quartersawn was, as I had heard the term, but did not know what it was.
We got to hold a blank too and strike it, and it was quite musical.

I think all PRS are quartersawn, not sure about Gibson.
The reason my SG is going out of tune though is not a tuner or nut issue, as I can put it away perfectly tuned Sunday, then take it out Friday when I get home, and it is ether flat or sharp.
So I think the neck is moving with the temps.
The humidity is always around 48 to 50% in my place.
So the necks of the PRS must not move then with mild temperature extremes, so they stay in tune.

I like my SG a lot as it is a very iconic instrument used by a lot of my guitar heros.
But, it is 24.75" scale compared to the 408s 25", but if you look in the pic above, the SGs neck is longer.
How is that???

With the SGs neck being longer, it is harder to fret chords and barre chords on the first three frets, I have to stretch my hand down further.
On my 408 and my SEs, the neck is shorter, even my 24 fret SE Custom 24.
With the necks being shorter on them, my hand does not cramp when using the first three frets, and the PRSs are just easier to play.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Of course, a trade could be in the works,...find a dealer with a Mira and swap the SG...you won't be sorry...

 

[Hopeful Sinner]

Neck length certainly comes into play with scale but so does distance from the bridge to the nut unless I am way off base here...?

 

[alantig]

The stability of PRS tuning amazes me at times. I rarely think about it anymore because I've gotten used to it. When my 408 arrived, shipped from Memphis, it was so close to dead-on in tune that I think I could have played out with it if I was in a band.

And of all my PRSi, the only one that's ever needed a neck adjustment was my AV. I had to have the store adjust it when I was test driving it, Had a few issues with it over the next few months. Pulled it out again one day - and it was perfect. Hasn't moved since then.

 

[_pete_]

PRS gets almost all the moisture out of the wood during the manufacturing process. It makes for an extremely stable neck.
Gibson does not dry their wood to the degree PRS does so their necks tend to flex more with changes in temp and humidity.
The SG headstock design and neck joint don't help a lot either.

Almost every guitar I've ever owned (except USA PRS) have needed periodic truss adjustments when the weather changes. Not so with my PRS's. I rarely, if ever, have to tweak the truss rod.
My 2 CE's never go out of tune and I use the bar hard on both of them. I love those guitars.

 

[CoreyT]

OK, I forgot about the point of using the drier wood, that can explain a lot too.
My three SEs need tuning often too, but not as much as the Gibson.
I am sure the SEs are not using as dry a wood as the core ones, so that can explain too why they need tuning too when the temps change.

But yes, I am very delighted how my 408 stays in tune, even with some tremolo action.