My Gibson is just sucking!

[Lola]

So I am starting to have trouble with my “95” SG. I am in a Black Sabbath cover band now and so much of our songs are in Eb tuning. This guitar is dedicated to that tuning and only that tuning. When we were practicing yesterday I had to stop and tune my guitar like every 5 minutes. I just ended up putting it back in it’s case and took out my PRS. I had a tech look at it two years ago. It was good until a couple of weeks ago. Is this a regular thing for SG’s or what else could it be. The nut? It’s in a very stable temperature controlled room. The humidity is on the high side but it is what it is. I need to get this fixed asap.

Any thoughts?

 

[Lewguitar]

Lola, tying your strings with the Luthiers Knot is how I do it.

This is basically how I do it but I run the string through 1 1/2" then bend it. Not 2".

Wind the string carefully around the post so that the string winds towards the bottom (not the top) of the tuner post.

That increases the angle of the string behind the nut and helps seat the string and keep it in the nut.

 

[Lola]

Lola, tying your strings with the Luthiers Knot is how I do it.

This is basically how I do it but I run the string through 1 1/2" then bend it. Not 2".

Wind the string carefully around the post so that the string winds towards the bottom (not the top) of the tuner post.

That increases the angle of the string behind the nut and helps seat the string and keep it in the nut.

I don’t have any new strings. Thank you for the advice but I think I will just take it in to the tech this time, see what he says(he is my trusted go to luthier) and buy some new strings while I am at it. I will definitely try this out because it could because this could be the solution. I have gift cards for this place so I am going to use them.

 

[andy474x]

Gibson headstock angle at hard at work!

Although, any guitar will fluctuate tuning when you get it in a room with a few people and it starts to heat up. Very old strings will also add to the problem.

 

[Lola]

Gibson headstock angle at hard at work!

Although, any guitar will fluctuate tuning when you get it in a room with a few people and it starts to heat up. Very old strings will also add to the problem.

It’s been a while since this guitar has had some new strings now that I think about it! Probably 6 months or more. I get lazy sometimes.

 

[MarcWink]

Any guitar can run into tuning stability issues. New strings can often remedy the issue, but if it's been a while, a good setup would certainly get it sorted out.

 

[Lewguitar]

I don’t have any new strings. Thank you for the advice but I think I will just take it in to the tech this time, see what he says(he is my trusted go to luthier) and buy some new strings while I am at it. I will definitely try this out because it could because this could be the solution. I have gift cards for this place so I am going to use them.

Good!

Using the Luthier's Knot with your next string change is the next best thing to having Locking Tuners.

If you don't have a string winder maybe get one.

 

[Lola]

Good!

Using the Luthier's Knot with your next string change is the next best thing to having Locking Tuners.

If you don't have a string winder maybe get one.

Really? I always preferred to hand wind my strings. It’s very cathartic to do a meticulous clean job all in one go.

 

[Lewguitar]

Really? I always preferred to hand wind my strings. It’s very cathartic to do a meticulous clean job all in one go.

I'm all for doing a meticulous clean job. If that works for you go for it.

 

[Lola]

I thought about this and I am going to get the tech to a all over setup. It’s only a gift card. This baby deserves it. It has brought me a ton of happiness and joy over the years!

 

[hwy1378]

So I am starting to have trouble with my “95” SG. I am in a Black Sabbath cover band now and so much of our songs are in Eb tuning. This guitar is dedicated to that tuning and only that tuning. When we were practicing yesterday I had to stop and tune my guitar like every 5 minutes. I just ended up putting it back in it’s case and took out my PRS. I had a tech look at it two years ago. It was good until a couple of weeks ago. Is this a regular thing for SG’s or what else could it be. The nut? It’s in a very stable temperature controlled room. The humidity is on the high side but it is what it is. I need to get this fixed asap.

Any thoughts?

I never have any

So I am starting to have trouble with my “95” SG. I am in a Black Sabbath cover band now and so much of our songs are in Eb tuning. This guitar is dedicated to that tuning and only that tuning. When we were practicing yesterday I had to stop and tune my guitar like every 5 minutes. I just ended up putting it back in it’s case and took out my PRS. I had a tech look at it two years ago. It was good until a couple of weeks ago. Is this a regular thing for SG’s or what else could it be. The nut? It’s in a very stable temperature controlled room. The humidity is on the high side but it is what it is. I need to get this fixed asap.

Any thoughts?

never played a SG but would love to own one one day. I never have issues with my PRS core594/my PRS hollow body, my core custom 24 or my custom 24 se. That knot will help and new strings. I use the Ernie Ball colbolt 09-42 love them.

 

[Lola]

I never have any

never played a SG but would love to own one one day. I never have issues with my PRS core594/my PRS hollow body, my core custom 24 or my custom 24 se. That knot will help and new strings. I use the Ernie Ball colbolt 09-42 love them.

I do love my SG but it’s just no match in comparison to my Parker Nite fly. My preferred guitar to play out of my very small collection. I am home when I play this particular guitar. I hate to say this but I even like it better then my PRS. It’s just such a feather weight and allows me to get as physically wound up as I want to be when playing a rocking song!

 

[Lewguitar]

I do love my SG but it’s just no match in comparison to my Parker Nite fly. My preferred guitar to play out of my very small collection. I am home when I play this particular guitar. I hate to say this but I even like it better then my PRS. It’s just such a feather weight and allows me to get as physically wound up as I want to be when playing a rocking song!

And with a SG you don't need a whammy bar.

You just bend the whole guitar!

That's also why they go out of tune so easily.

Thin, flexible guitars.

But they sound good. Clapton's best tones came from a SG. Derek Trucks and Duane Allman's too.

You really should get some new strings and try the Luthiers Knot.

 

[loocnmad]

If the strings have been on there a long time changing them and lubing the nut could help. SG's seem like fickle beasts to me. I have friends that swear by them but I've always had the typical neck dive/tuning issues they're known for.

Mine had the same tuning after every song issue until I brought it to a great local luthier who fixed the nut. It's not perfect but tuning ever 3-4 songs is a big improvement.

 

[Texsunburst59]

In my opinion, SG’s do suck very hard.

I really tried to like them, and have actually owned 3 models.

They’re all gone now and I’ll never own another one.

I realized they’re just not for me.

YMMV.

 

[DISTORT6]

Core Mira > ANY SG.

 

[Lola]

This guitar is definitely not thin, it’s neck heavy, it keeps on going out of tune. It’s got a beautiful tone though! I am really pissed about the tuning.

I am taking it in to get a complete setup from top to bottom, new strings. The whole enchilada.

I will definitely have a conversation with tech about it’s problems and maybe preventative maintenance if there is such a thing. My guitars are always meticulously cared for. They’re my babies!

Last time I took in for a setup the tech said there was no need to replace the nut. Maybe things have changed. It’s been through a lot with me in the last two years. Also all the songs I am currently playing are mostly in Eb.

 

[Geo408]

New SG’s pretty much suck. The wood isn’t properly seasoned, and Gibson’s pushing so much “product”, that all the important detail stuff, ( like a properly cut nut, bridge saddles, fret height, and tuners that actually work.) is non-existent. Having said that, I have a 64’ SG that I’ve had for just about 40 years..and it’s solid as a rock! The neck is stable, and besides two refrets it’s all original. Old wood, Kalamazoo craftsmanship, and routine maintenance ensures that this one will seriously outlive me. its The only Gibson I own.
If you’re lucky enough to find a good one, hang onto it and play the hell out of it. I’ve played a few 80’s vintage ones that are really solid, so the old adage is true: Old wood, is good wood! Happy hunting!

 

[Draconomics]

From my experience, SG's can be finicky s.o.b.'s. I hate the ones with the Vibrola system, and never seem to get them to intonate right. @Lola, does yours have a trem system?

Other than that, intonation issues on stoptail guitars generally involve either bad saddle adjustments and/or the nut is cut too high making you put extra tension on the strings as you fret them, making everything sharp. When strings constantly go out of tune, tuners are generally not the culprit. Its almost always either they havent stretched or the post wrapping isnt good, and they slip. I will always recommend locking tuners, no matter what. Takes so much guesswork out of the tuning keys.

 

[Wyzard]

SGs can certainly be troublesome instruments, but I certainly prefer them to LPs. I have a couple - a '61 and a Custom Shop - and they give me the somewhat thinner sounds I like working with, getting much closer to my favourite S-types than LPs can generally manage.

SGs can balance poorly, but I have a grippy strap and wear mine pretty low, which seems to deal with the worst of it. They both hold their tune and intonate well: the oldie because the nut was properly cut at the factory back then, and the much later Custom Shop because .....well, we tore the neck to bits, then rebuilt it as it should have been in the first place.

My main complaint about them is their relative fragility, as they're a bit of a structural design disaster. One drop while playing, and either of them would probably be toast: most especially the oldie, with its thin neck/body joint, barely remaining top over the control cavity routing, and skinny neck/headstock transition.