Lemonade Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Does anyone else play one of these, and does anyone else think it's a piece of shit?I bought one last year, mostly due to the fact that I was so broke i had to sell all my equipment and needed to start again from scratch with something cheap but decent.The problem I have with it (apart from awful neck pickup) is the tuning - the fucker just refuses to stay in tune. You can tune it starting from the bottom string, by the time you get to the low E, the three bottom strings are out again. It'll take about 3 or 4 runs through all the strings to get them all in tune, but then as soon as you bend one of the strings the whole lot goes out again. If you tune it at night and put it down, by the morning it will be detuned to as much as tone out. If you tune down to drop D, the whole guitar goes out of tune. It's not much good for band practice, and obviously isn't going to cut it at gig level.Anyone else experience this, or suggest some way of remedying it? (Other than the obvious, buy a better guitar). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatboy Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 what happened? has the guitar always went out of tune? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimyReizeger Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Gio, the cheapest of the cheap, absolute rock-bottom model right? What did you expect? This thing is literally balsa wood glued together by a chimpanzee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted August 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 I know it's the absolute cheapest thing on the market, but still even then I would expect it to do the basics, ie stay in tune! It was OK for about 6 months but it's gone all to buggery recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Gold Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Have you restrung it recently? If not, try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted August 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Yeah I did that a couple weeks ago, didn't help, I think it's the tuning mechanism being really loose which is the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domino Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Machine heads might be the problem or even nut ... although it's not a expensive it should still stay in tune for longer than 1 minute...Try locking the tremolo, or just add few extra springs. When you bend a string it shifts down the tremolo little bit so that could cause getting it out of tune and by locking it you could probably avoid that happening.If I'm not right , please correct me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sloth Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 I own one of these. Mine is not too bad for tuning BUT The one I have has a non-locking floating bridge which are not good if you want to go to drop-D. As you adjust the tuning of one string it changes the tension of the string and therefor the balance in tension between the springs in the trem and the strings which throws out the tuning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatboy Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 i have a strat with a twin pivot non locking floating trem similar to the ibanez one, and it seems to stay in tune fine, drop d and standard, but it does throw them off, but u just gotta go over the strings a couple more times, but once its settled its fine.maybe try using heaver gauge strings, or invest in some locking tuners. or simply block the trem from upward movement by sliding a small block of wood snuggly between were u put you strings in at the back and the guitar bodyrub a pencil in the nut slots aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted August 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 I might get some locking tuners, that would fix it nice I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimyReizeger Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 I know it's the absolute cheapest thing on the market, but still even then I would expect it to do the basics.Herein lies the problem..In my experience, anything under 200 first-hand is made for people who have never touched a guitar before - full stop - and don't appreciate what a guitar is required to do (i.e stay in tune). You'd probably be better off not trusting major, budget guitar manufacturers to deliver quality in the future: their profits rest on the naivety of the un-informed. It's a shame you've wasted 150 or so, but just be glad you didn't fall for the 'RG' range... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Ryan, your other guitars haven't had tremelo systems have they? Your initial post was the same reaction my brother had when he tried to tune my old squier strat after being used to his tele. Because the trem block "floats" so that the pitch can be raised and lowered then as you go down the strings and tune them the block is pulled up with the increased tension, so you have to re-tune the strings you've already done. It also means if you drop the bottom string down to D you have to slightly adjust the rest of the strings to make up for the change in tension. Possible solutions are to block it off or add more springs in the back to keep the tension a bit more stable.The fact that it's going out of tune after the first night could be because you're not stretching the strings or bedding them in after the initial tuning so as they relax after their initial shock of coming out of the packet, onto the guitar and then being tuned to concert pitch they'll go out of tune again. Or maybe you're storing it next to a radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted August 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Ryan, your other guitars haven't had tremelo systems have they? Your initial post was the same reaction my brother had when he tried to tune my old squier strat after being used to his tele. Because the trem block "floats" so that the pitch can be raised and lowered then as you go down the strings and tune them the block is pulled up with the increased tension, so you have to re-tune the strings you've already done. It also means if you drop the bottom string down to D you have to slightly adjust the rest of the strings to make up for the change in tension. Possible solutions are to block it off or add more springs in the back to keep the tension a bit more stable.The fact that it's going out of tune after the first night could be because you're not stretching the strings or bedding them in after the initial tuning so as they relax after their initial shock of coming out of the packet, onto the guitar and then being tuned to concert pitch they'll go out of tune again. Or maybe you're storing it next to a radiator.In truth Chris, it's just a cheap piece of shit. I'm earning more money now so hopefully I'll get something better soon. I flogged all my decent gear, including that sweet Washburn I used to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 In truth Chris, it's just a cheap piece of shit. Yeah, but even my aforementioned Squier Strat (130 or thereabouts when it was new 13 years ago) managed to stay in tune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdg111 Posted August 30, 2007 Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 My son's got one of these (he's only eight) but I don't use it 'cos I'm left handed. I'm away to check it now. We got it second hand with a Roland mini cube, bag etc for about 170 - so can't complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Well I fitted some locking tuners (and a new humbucker in the middle slot) and it still won't stay in tune, so now I'm laying the blame at the door of the floating tremolo system - which means I get to use - to give it it's technical name -a block of wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatboy Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 sometimes dude its just plain sod's law to get a guitar that wont stay in tune, if i was you I'd 1. remove strings, and springs2. with the bridge still in place, screw down the two pivot point pins so that the bridge just sits above or slightly touching the body of the guitar.3. replace the springs, re-string guitar. give them a good stretch, check the bridge, if it is tiled up-add more springs 4. you will have raise the action of each saddle as lowing the bridge will lower the actionhope this will help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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