Zach Myers tune stability

[Jasinto]

Hey guys, I just bought a Zach Myers SE and I'm already frustrated with it.. It is constantly needing tuned, and yes I've read about the nut issue.

But the guitar seems to be VERY sensitive to how it is held.. for example, if I tune the guitar standing up, it goes slightly out of tune if I sit down and rest it on my leg. If I hold the neck, low E goes a little flat. If I hold a chord, and lift my strum hand/arm off the guitar, the tune changes.

Did I get a bum guitar or is this just a "quirk"?

EDIT: Fixed! Summary, replaced strings with "10's" and changed the setup a bit to match, and it now plays much better.

 

[Jasinto]

Also, to clarify, I have not messed with the nut at all.

 

[Johnny Rigs]

I never noticed this kind of behavior with my ZM. Although I did change out the tuners to Mann Made modified locking tuners. For convenience, though.

 

[n24re]

I am wondering if the bridge is not fully seated into the studs. I have seen this when I have played with used guitars in the shops. Someone tried to "adjust" the bridge and it ends up setting way back on the studs so that very little contact is made. Then under tension and regular playing things will move.

My advice is to loosen the strings....then check and see if the bridge is rock solid

 

[Jasinto]

I am wondering if the bridge is not fully seated into the studs. I have seen this when I have played with used guitars in the shops. Someone tried to "adjust" the bridge and it ends up setting way back on the studs so that very little contact is made. Then under tension and regular playing things will move.

My advice is to loosen the strings....then check and see if the bridge is rock solid

The bridge sits completely seated against the adjuster screws; it sits at a slight angle since there needs to be an amount of clearance there. But with the strings loose, I am noticing a lot of play in the adjuster threads.. I'll see if I can make a video..

 

[Jasinto]

 

[BlueWhale]

With the strings tensioned, that bridge play is negated. Sounds more like a weak or unstable neck joint.

 

[andy474x]

With the stings tensioned, that bridge play is negated. Sounds more like a weak or unstable neck joint.

I agree. Which is something I’ve never experienced with a PRS, but have with other brands. Make sure you pay attention to how much pressure you’re applying to the neck when you’re tuning, and then playing.

 

[dogrocketp]

See if the tuners are loose. That'll do everything you described. Let us know if this fixed it.

 

[BlueWhale]

^^^ Good call

 

[Jasinto]

Thanks for the input! My first thought was also the neck joint, but there's no obvious signs of movement; no cracks in the finish, no strange noises. The tuners seem solid, but I've read a lot of ZM owners change them.

I took the guitar to a friend that has played a lot longer than me, and has a PRS Standard 22. He doesn't think there's 'necessarily' anything wrong with the guitar, and he brought up some good points.. While he said the guitar is "a bit flexy", I did start on bass guitar, then learned 6 string on a Schecter C1 with heavier strings (and longer scale), so I play a with a stronger hand than needed which makes any tone issues worse. He also thinks I hold too much weight in my fret hand.

All good info, but he did notice that the guitar is very sensitive to how it is held and played. I think I'll try a set of new 9.5 or 10 strings, relax my hand/posture, and see what happens.. In my mind, the heavier strings would only make a loose neck joint/hardware issue more noticeable, or prove that my ham-fisted ways are the biggest problem. I also don't want to spend too much money on the guitar if I ultimately won't enjoy it, so I'll start with the cheap/easy stuff. It is hard to overlook something if you're super focused on it..

 

[bodia]

A core nut would be a cheap, and great upgrade. The nuts on the SE is the weak link. You mentioned tuners; I'm a big fan of locking tuners on all of my guitars. Mostly, because I am lazy. But, they do great enhance tuning stability. If you didn't want pop for a new set, you could send yours to John Mann. He'll modify them to be locking. They would end up looking like this.

https://store.guitarvaultusa.com/MannMade_USA_SE_Locking_Vintage_Tuner_Set_p/7025.htm

 

[Antmax]

Nuts are a bit naff on SE's. Mine had really deep grooves and the stings would catch a little when you loosened them and pulled them up. I replaced the nut with a graphtech initially. Be aware that they put a TON of glue on the ZM nut. It was a real pain to get off a lot of people have had bits of wood from the bottom of the shelf stick to the bottom of the nut and come off with it because they use so much glue.

I later got a ToneNinja nut out of curiosity because they do an SE nut. It was the best fitting prefab nut I have tried so far. The Graphtech is about 1mm thinner than stock, tone ninja was just right and needed the least tampering from stock.

The other thing to watch out for is that some people had issues with the tuners and the high e not staying in tune with 9's. One youtuber swapped to 10's and the problem went away. It might have just been a bum string or badly wound on the pegs.

First thing to check is the nut slots though. Mine pinched the strings and I wasn't too fond of the SE nut in my 2016 SE. It was almost hollow inside.

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

What string gauge are you using?

 

[Jasinto]

I'm seeing this with the nut.. I just changed strings and on removal of the old strings, the D and G were stuck in the nut.. I installed a set of D'Addario EXL110's (from .009's), massaged the nut a bit (giggity), made a couple adjustments and she's been playing great for an hour or so!

Antmax, I think I've come to the same conclusion.. I'm not sure if its the way the strings were wound in the tuners, the strings themselves were faulty, or the guitar just wanted some attention, but the new strings and trimmed nut made a big difference. Surprisingly, I did have to make a truss rod adjustment, but I wonder if the higher tension helped stabilize the neck a bit; because even my complaint of being in tune while sitting and being out of tune standing has gone away.

She's still bendy and full of character, but stays in tune! I'll look into replacing the nut and getting a proper setup done once I wear out this set of strings. I might look into those locking tuners as well!

Thank you guys so much for the information and ideas!

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

I'm seeing this with the nut.. I just changed strings and on removal of the old strings, the D and G were stuck in the nut.. I installed a set of D'Addario EXL110's (from .009's), massaged the nut a bit (giggity), made a couple adjustments and she's been playing great for an hour or so!

Antmax, I think I've come to the same conclusion.. I'm not sure if its the way the strings were wound in the tuners, the strings themselves were faulty, or the guitar just wanted some attention, but the new strings and trimmed nut made a big difference. Surprisingly, I did have to make a truss rod adjustment, but I wonder if the higher tension helped stabilize the neck a bit; because even my complaint of being in tune while sitting and being out of tune standing has gone away.

She's still bendy and full of character, but stays in tune! I'll look into replacing the nut and getting a proper setup done once I wear out this set of strings. I might look into those locking tuners as well!

Thank you guys so much for the information and ideas!

Usually, the tuning stability issues start when switching from the stock 9's, to 10's or higher - most SE nuts are cut for the 9's that they ship with, and the larger gauges tend to bind.

Anyway, glad you got this sorted out. It's almost a rite of passage with SE's, but once you get over it, the magic of those guitars starts to happen.