Guide to getting and playing better gigs

Tuning

Properly stretched strings:
Basically this means that when putting on a new set of strings, you need to pull on the strings to stretch them. You cannot simply tune the new set up to pitch and expect it to hold--you have to pull on the string and then keep retuning until it no longer goes flat after you pull. I prefer to use an electronic tuner for this because more often than not I find myself doing the stretching in a very noisy environment, such as a club or during soundcheck when the drummer is whacking the hell out of his snare drum.

A well-cut nut:
This means a nut that is just perfect for the string gauge that you use. If it's too tight, when you use the tuner, the string will get pinched in the nut, and then when you bend or play, this pinching will give, causing the string to go flat. (A gap that's too wide can result in string rattle)

Vintage trems:
These are notorious for causing tuning problems. The spring tension must match the string gauge in order to return to pitch and the string must be free to move back and forth without resistance. If you use this type of trem a lot, be prepared for a lot of re-tuning! Vintage trems definately benefit from professional attention. A loose trem arm can be cured by wrapping P.T.F.E. tape round the screw thread.

Floyd Rose type trem:
Somebody's probably tried to explain that you should cut off the ball at the end of the string and lock the end in the tremolo system. Instead of cutting off the ball, simply leave it on and turn the string the other way around. Stick the string through the whole and attach the other end to your Floyd rose system. Hold the string straight and cut it off so the string is almost straight. Now lock it on your tremolo. This technique should make it easier to setup the strings on your Floyd Rose or similar tremolo system. Because the string is already fixed at both ends, the string won't slip when you to tune it up. It's much easier for people who don't have much experience because once you start using the technique you won't make the mistake of loops which might make your guitar go out of tune if you don't have a nut-lock.

When a string breaks it usually breaks very close to the tremolo system. When you're playing live you probably don't want to put on a new string because this takes up quite some time and tuning with a new string can be a problem. Leaving this extra piece of string makes it very easy to unlock the locking mechanism and get the broken string attached to the tremolo system again. In many situations this is a very nice trick to get you up and running again in under a minute. Usually the guitar stays in tune this way, unlike putting on a new string.
tune

Stable tuners:
Most tuners, even really cheap ones, don't usually slip. However, the worm-drive on the cheaper ones can wear quite quickly so if this is a problem then a new (better) set is really the only option.

Proper tuning technique:
When you tune, always tune UP to the note and not DOWN to it. For example:

Suppose you are trying to tune the fifth string to A. Currently the string is flat. In order to tune properly you need to turn the tuning gear until you hit A. If you go SHARP, the WRONG thing to do is to turn the gear down until you hit A. The reason this is incorrect is because there is still a minute amount of slack in the tuner, no matter how good the tuner is, there is ALWAYS some slack.

For those of you who would doubt this, try overshooting your target note and then tuning DOWN toward the note. Once you hit the note, take your finger and give the string a big yank. Now check your tuning again--I GUARANTEE it's going to be flat, if only a few cents or so.

If you go too far sharp, the PROPER way to tune is to turn the gear so that the resulting note is DELIBERATELY flat. In other words, going back to our example, if you overshoot your A note, then turn the tuner so you are FLATTER than A. Now give the string a tug as you would do when you are stretching. The slack in the tuner will give. Now tune towards the A, being careful not to overshoot. If you overshoot, repeat the process. The key is to tune in the SHARP direction only!

If you fail to observe any of these points above, you're going to be in a mess, because stable tuning requires all of the above elements to be in place. Likely you're going to find that your tuning problem is the result of a combination of the above factors. After following all of the above guidelines, I usually find that even the worst and cheapest guitars stay in tune just fine.

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