Tuning Questions

[Wicksie01]

Hi all,
Hope this is the right place to ask.
I have just bought the Zac Myers SE after deciding to pick up the guitar again. Bought new and set up in the shop, I have a tuning questions which I'm not sure is a problem or not.
I use a clip on Fender tuner which works well with my acoustic.
I've tuned the SE, but when I fret down, the pitch is out by quite a few steps. Doesn't sound / register close to what it should be. I'm not pressing too hard either.

Is it normal to have have the fretted note off pitch?


TIA, so excited to be here.

 

[theDeepender]

Hi all,
Hope this is the right place to ask.
I have just bought the Zac Myers SE after deciding to pick up the guitar again. Bought new and set up in the shop, I have a tuning questions which I'm not sure is a problem or not.
I use a clip on Fender tuner which works well with my acoustic.
I've tuned the SE, but when I fret down, the pitch is out by quite a few steps. Doesn't sound / register close to what it should be. I'm not pressing too hard either.

Is it normal to have have the fretted note off pitch?


TIA, so excited to be here.

Sounds like you need the intonation adjusted.
Other possibilities include strings that are too light for a string grip, strings too far from the fretboard, nut slots too high.

 

[Gurdybloke]

Hi Wicksie, I'd agree it sounds as though the intonation is out and needs adjusting.

 

[Gurdybloke]

PS Welcome to the Forum by the way! There's a thread for new members if you want to introduce yourself (we're a nice bunch here), as well as some very knowledgeable people!

 

[aphantomvaper]

Welcome! Concurring with the previous suggestions. Easiest is to change strings, and if not better I'd move to setting intonation.

You have a tuner and can use that to detect the intonation. Tune to standard tuning and on the open high E check the tune and then press the 12th fret and pluck, look at the tuner. If its not in tune still then the guitar intonation is off.

The PTC page has some great setup videos or just YouTube it.

 

[Gurdybloke]

Yes sorry I forgot to mention the PTC pages - they're very useful!

 

[Wicksie01]

Thanks all, very much appreciate the responses. The 12th fret low E is off by a long way. I'll take it back to the shop.
Will also check out the PTC pages.
Thanks again!

 

[Moondog Wily]

Thanks all, very much appreciate the responses. The 12th fret low E is off by a long way. I'll take it back to the shop.
Will also check out the PTC pages.
Thanks again!

Good choice on taking it to the dealer! As a brand new guitar, they are certainly responsible for setting intonation properly in their "setup"! BTW, beware of certain tuners. I have a very nice Peterson strobe clip on tuner, and it does NOT agree with my Fractal Audio Axe FXIII built in tuners. Not 100% sure which is correct (I lean towards the Axe FXIII being correct largely due to the price of that unit), and until I get an oscilloscope I will not be certain, but just saying, they are not all accurate. If you can hear the out of tune notes when fretted up there though, that is a good indication your F tuner is functioning properly. Welcome to the forum and best of luck with getting that all worked out.

 

[Wicksie01]

I took it to my local guitar shop who said it's is not their responsibility to set up the guitar and it would be $100. According to them it's pretty standard to pay for a set up on all levels of new guitars.
I got a bit disappointed and told them as much.
They said they'd do a quick set up for me, which ended up being a bit more involved as they had to shave down the nut a fair bit. Am yet to check it but had a good chat with the tech who showed me the action guage and the pitch on his strobe tuner. I also bought a pedal tuner, so will see that that goes.

A previous shop I looked at this guitar in, said they do the set up included, so I'm a bit confused. Apparently this one said it's not viable to set up the 100's of guitars that come through the shop, which is a fair point.

I'm off to learn how to intonate my guitar now then.

Thanks for the advice. Looking forward to an on pitch fretboard!

 

[Moondog Wily]

I took it to my local guitar shop who said it's is not their responsibility to set up the guitar and it would be $100. According to them it's pretty standard to pay for a set up on all levels of new guitars.
I got a bit disappointed and told them as much.
They said they'd do a quick set up for me, which ended up being a bit more involved as they had to shave down the nut a fair bit. Am yet to check it but had a good chat with the tech who showed me the action guage and the pitch on his strobe tuner. I also bought a pedal tuner, so will see that that goes.

A previous shop I looked at this guitar in, said they do the set up included, so I'm a bit confused. Apparently this one said it's not viable to set up the 100's of guitars that come through the shop, which is a fair point.

I'm off to learn how to intonate my guitar now then.

Thanks for the advice. Looking forward to an on pitch fretboard!

Don't know I would be buying from that shop again! I know many shops talk about doing the setup when you buy a guitar from them, but I personally feel it should be done on all guitars from an authorized dealer. I mean "here's your new saw, but you will need to sharpen the blade yourself, we just sell too many to do that for you"!!!! Bright side is, you will get some experience and then when something goes wrong or you get another, you will be able to resolve it on your own!

 

[alantig]

Yeah, what MW said. My local pusher sells a lot of guitars, and they always do a setup before I walk out the door. Even if it means a wait for the guitar, I can't remember the last time I saw someone walk out with a guitar off the wall that didn't get set up. And at another local store, I tried a PRS that was pretty much unplayable - they did a setup while I went to grab something to eat.

I'm a fan of learning to do your own setups, for sure, but that doesn't absolve the dealer of what should be their responsibility. What that dealer is saying is "we have your money, what more do you want?"

 

[Wicksie01]

Thanks folks, that’s precisely what I was thinking.
I understood her saying it’s not viable to set up every guitar but from a product perspective it doesn’t make sense to sell something that’s not usable.
Agree that’s it’s good to learn how to do this, and I have an appetite for it, but I’m sure there’s many people who just want to pick it up and play.
I just wanted to get an understanding of this was standard or not.
They were super nice and helpful in the end but were trying to convince me this is normal.

 

[theDeepender]

I took it to my local guitar shop who said it's is not their responsibility to set up the guitar and it would be $100. According to them it's pretty standard to pay for a set up on all levels of new guitars.
I got a bit disappointed and told them as much.
They said they'd do a quick set up for me, which ended up being a bit more involved as they had to shave down the nut a fair bit. Am yet to check it but had a good chat with the tech who showed me the action guage and the pitch on his strobe tuner. I also bought a pedal tuner, so will see that that goes.

A previous shop I looked at this guitar in, said they do the set up included, so I'm a bit confused. Apparently this one said it's not viable to set up the 100's of guitars that come through the shop, which is a fair point.

I'm off to learn how to intonate my guitar now then.

Thanks for the advice. Looking forward to an on pitch fretboard!

No way I’d go back there.

 

[theDeepender]

Yeah, what MW said. My local pusher sells a lot of guitars, and they always do a setup before I walk out the door. Even if it means a wait for the guitar, I can't remember the last time I saw someone walk out with a guitar off the wall that didn't get set up. And at another local store, I tried a PRS that was pretty much unplayable - they did a setup while I went to grab something to eat.

I'm a fan of learning to do your own setups, for sure, but that doesn't absolve the dealer of what should be their responsibility. What that dealer is saying is "we have your money, what more do you want?"

I have always had to fine tune the shop setup.
I guess everyone has their own preferences when it comes to setup.

What surprises me is how many people I personally know who play poorly setup instruments and just don’t know any better. I’ve offered to set them up for them and even show them how. I guess I just don’t look trustworthy.

 

[alantig]

Thanks folks, that’s precisely what I was thinking.
I understood her saying it’s not viable to set up every guitar but from a product perspective it doesn’t make sense to sell something that’s not usable.
Agree that’s it’s good to learn how to do this, and I have an appetite for it, but I’m sure there’s many people who just want to pick it up and play.
I just wanted to get an understanding of this was standard or not.
They were super nice and helpful in the end but were trying to convince me this is normal.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying you should learn so you can set up new guitars. It's a good skill to have for all of your guitars. Plus, you know your preferences better than anyone, so once you can make the tweaks, you can get any guitar right where you want it.

But the shop absolutely should set it up, whether it's to factory specs, their own standard setup, or to your satisfaction. My local has always set up the guitars before you walk out, but these last 4-5 years, my sales guy almost always hands me the guitar and asks me if I want it tweaked. There have even been a couple times I've said it felt pretty good, he noodled a bit, then said, "Nah - I can do better." And he did!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Yeah, I’m disappointed to hear this story.

 

[JasonE]

It is all about customer service. I have a small shop that sells high end stuff near me. I have purchased a few guitars from them. They have always adjusted the setup to my liking before they let me leave with the guitar. They have me play it and tell them what I do and don't like about it and they adjust it to get it where I like it. This is something that all shops used to do before these big box stores popped up. It is a dying thing in the customer service arena these days.

 

[theDeepender]

It is all about customer service. I have a small shop that sells high end stuff near me. I have purchased a few guitars from them. They have always adjusted the setup to my liking before they let me leave with the guitar. They have me play it and tell them what I do and don't like about it and they adjust it to get it where I like it. This is something that all shops used to do before these big box stores popped up. It is a dying thing in the customer service arena these days.

Ain’t that the truth.

 

[Rick31759C]

PRS, unlike most manufacturers are meticulous in setting up their guitars before they leave the factory. The shop where you bought it shouldn't have had to do anything to it other than tune the guitar. Perhaps they messed up the factory setup, as I'd be surprised if it was bad from the factory. Regardless, as other have said, setting up a guitar is skill you should learn. It's actually quite easy with a few very basic tools (i.e tuner, feeler gauges, screw driver, and the tools that came with the guitar). There are a lot of videos on YouTube that explain the process. I was nervous the first time I tried it, but found out it was a lot easier than I thought. Good luck and I'm sure there are a lot of people on here who we be willing to give you a few tips.

 

[show_a_little_faith]

Echoing other folks - I wouldn't look to buy from that shop again. If you're spending this kind of money (yes, even "just" for SE's), then the shop should be happy to make sure it's in peak shape. Depending on how long it's been since it left the factory, climate, etc. quite possible it needs some tweaking and adjustments, plus your own preference on action.
Every one of my PRS's - SE, S2 and Core - were all tweaked, gladly, by the shops I bought them from.