H555 Issue!

[GeorgeMcC]

Hi Guys,

 

I was wondering if anyone could help me out.

 

I have a H 555 which I play out with the band every once in a while. I notice that it is really difficult to keep in tune for the first 45mins to an hour playing and then settles down. Either that or I just get used to it being slightly off tune.

 

Also it always goes sharp which is a bit strange.

 

Can anyone suggest a remedy for this?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

George

[tulk1]

I've noticed of late that all of my stringed instruments go out sharp. I've often wondered if it isn't the more modern metals and methods making them do that. I rarely have a string go flat anymore, unless something or someone has messed with the tuners. No clue tho', why yours is like sharp and then settles down. Not much help, I guess.

[smurph1]

My Old Epi acoustic does that all the time.. It's weird but it seems to do it more when I'm playing indoors with the AC on..Less when it's out in the elements.. Doesn't make a lick of sense but there it is..

[Gitfiddler]

George~ Welcome to the HOC!

 

Try making sure your strings are properly seated in the tailpiece and that the winds on each tuner is tight. Also, consider another brand of strings or increase the gauge by one.

 

Tough to tell without seeing your 555, but these are issues I noticed on other guitars.

 

Good luck.

[Keith7940236]

It is also possible that the way you are playing the guitar could affect the neck bow. If you have a tendency to pull back on the neck while you play, you would be tightening the strings, thereby raising the pitch.

[Number8]

My Old Epi acoustic does that all the time.. It's weird but it seems to do it more when I'm playing indoors with the AC on..Less when it's out in the elements.. Doesn't make a lick of sense but there it is..

 

Last night I had just sat down with my Prospect and I felt a little warm. I went to thermostat and it was 78 in the house; I set the AC to 73 and went back to play. The vent had started blowing by the time I went back to sit down and play. Within 5 minutes (tops), it was out of tune.

[mars_hall]

I believe a lot of it has to do with the temperature of the room in which it last was tuned. My cave is warmer than the rest of the house in the summer and cooler in the winter. This means I will do a little adjustment when I go in there if I leave the door closed.

[Guest HRB853370]

I've noticed of late that all of my stringed instruments go out sharp. I've often wondered if it isn't the more modern metals and methods making them do that. I rarely have a string go flat anymore, unless something or someone has messed with the tuners. No clue tho', why yours is like sharp and then settles down. Not much help, I guess.

Yep, sharp is correct!

[GuitArtMan]

I personally think body heat has something to do with it. I can pickup a guitar, tune it, play it for a while and it will go sharp. My thinking is my body heat transfers to the guitar which in turn goes out of tune.

[rockabilly69]

Guitar gets cold, they go sharp, they get hot, they go flat. I play a lot of outdoor gigs and I find this happens with all guitars!

[TalismanRich]

I think it could be a case of both temperature and humidity causing the wood to move slightly. I've also had the same thing happen. We've had really humid weather, with a lot of rain lately and then it got warm and I turned on the AC. My 525 is in the basement which doesn't change temperature much, but the humidity will vary. Both it and my 535 were sharp. My Taylor will also move around with changes in temp and humidity.

 

I've also noticed that my maple necked guitars don't seem to be as much affected by this. Must be the difference in the wood structure.

[Number8]

It makes perfect sense that this problem would arise at this time of year in northern climates. Speaking for myself, up until late April my guitars sat at a consistent 72 degrees with the humidity set at a consistent level as well. Now that Spring has sprung there's much more variation going on (windows open, warm fronts, storms, etc...)

[chico]

question: is your guitar going out of tune, as in just ONE of the strings? Or is it going out of pitch?

 

As pointed out, out of pitch would imply that the strings are still "in tune" relative to each other, and happens to me in my studio when temperatures vary, especially in the winter. Then I retune to 440K and notice that it will have to be done again as the room temp goes up, say 10 degrees..

 

On the other hand, I've had guitars that have A string (as in ONE string) go out of tune relative to the other five, and I suspect that would be because of the way it's strung, or the nut, or bridge.

[tbonesullivan]

I'm gonna chalk this up to temperature, and maybe even moisture changes. Depends on how "open" the finish is. Strings go sharp when they get colder. I forget whether being colder makes the neck move forward or backward.

[pressure]

Every guitar I have that is made out of wood changes tune regularly.
The only guitar I have ever had that didn't go out of tune was a Steinberger GR4 (carbon fiber neck), once that guitar was tuned it stayed tuned.

I sold that Steinberger in 2006 and it is probably still in tune!

[mark555]

I'm not technical, but welcome to the HOC...

[soybean]

No one has mentioned Big Bends Nut Sauce. I use it on all my guitars whenever changing strings. Really helps keep things in tune.

[tulk1]

No one has mentioned Big Bends Nut Sauce. I use it on all my guitars whenever changing strings. Really helps keep things in tune.

Here's a bit o'trivia. The original formula was developed in part by a Heritage employee! Guesses as to whom it is? I'll dig a beer out of the bottom of the cooler for the first correct answer, assuming you're at PSP. Otherwise, I'll just say you were correct.

[212Mavguy]

If one doesn't want the kind of OP issues to occur, then avoid sudden temp changes at the beginning of a gig. My 555 does the same thing. Buddy of mine told me he takes his guitars out of the case in to the stand 2 hours before at a gig and lets them drift to match room temp. Then tuning is more consistent through the night. But I have noticed that as the stage gets hotter, new temp related tuning issues can occur. One of my Heritage Guitars, a 516/Bigsby, changes and goes out of string to string tune if I'm playing in the sun and a cool breeze starts to blow across it. but hopefully in most playing out situations my hands are skilled, busy and expressive enough to effect more need for tuning than changes in playing environment temp...

 

Hope this helps.

[drfie]

I'm guessing the smart money would be on Ren Wall who has a spare room in his house full of patent files. But I'm also guessing that would be too obvious. I'm going with Pete Moreno. Years ago I read a testimonial he gave about the Nut Sauce, so I'm going to say he had a hand in the recipe.

[FredZepp]

Here's a bit o'trivia. The original formula was developed in part by a Heritage employee! Guesses as to whom it is? I'll dig a beer out of the bottom of the cooler for the first correct answer, assuming you're at PSP. Otherwise, I'll just say you were correct.

Hmmm... was it Arnie?

 

 

 

And to add a comment to the original poster.. I'd check for strings binding at the nut with the issue that you're having and double check intonation just for kicks.

 

 

 

[Guest HRB853370]

No one has mentioned Big Bends Nut Sauce. I use it on all my guitars whenever changing strings. Really helps keep things in tune.

What what if the "nut" is not the problem? Then you have wasted good sauce!

[big bob]

Here's a bit o'trivia. The original formula was developed in part by a Heritage employee! Guesses as to whom it is? I'll dig a beer out of the bottom of the cooler for the first correct answer, assuming you're at PSP.

 

 

Rendall Wall...

[smurph1]

I think it could be a case of both temperature and humidity causing the wood to move slightly. I've also had the same thing happen. We've had really humid weather, with a lot of rain lately and then it got warm and I turned on the AC. My 525 is in the basement which doesn't change temperature much, but the humidity will vary. Both it and my 535 were sharp. My Taylor will also move around with changes in temp and humidity.

 

I've also noticed that my maple necked guitars don't seem to be as much affected by this. Must be the difference in the wood structure.

I've had the same experience..my maple necked Strat seems to come out of the case right in tune quite often..

[tbonesullivan]

Well... the stuff is made up in Plainwell MI, 20 minutes from K'zoo. Heck maybe we should stop by during PSP.

 

As for who helped with it.. no idea. I would think though that both Ren Wall and Pete Moreno are good solid guesses. Though, for all we know, could be someone else, as they all live in that area.