tuning problem

[aljaxon]

ive got an  eko accoustic guitar and had tuning problems from day 1. i thought it was forever going out of tune. i set it bang on and then a frew strums later its gone. sounds crap to me.

i think ive identified the problem.

if i tune the G string accurately,  when i play the second fret the A is ever so slightly sharp. im not bending the string or pushing it to a side.

is there anything i can do? apart from smash it up and set it on fire.   could my nut be too high? im sure i checked string action with a gauge?   ive yet to see what other anomalies there are but im sure its out of tune in other areas.    ive always noticed when i put a capo on it sounds terrible. and even when i press the strings down first near the hole and thern put the capo  on its still  terrible. whereas other guitars cheaper ones sound fine.

Edited Sunday at 21:59 by aljaxon

[Dad3353]

Here's a simple check that you can do to see if the issue is intonation. Gently pluck an open string. Then play, in the same way, the same string at the octave, 12th, fret. They should sound the same note, but an octave apart. Now sound a harmonic at the 12th fret (gently play the string whilst barely touching the centre of the string above the 12th fret...). That harmonic and the fretted octave should sound exactly the same. If the fretted note is 'sharp' or 'flat', it means that the bridge is not in the right spot. If it's moveable, adjust it until the harmonic and the fretted octave are the same. If it's a fixed bridge and there's a difference, take it to a good luthier for rectification.

Hope this helps. 

[aljaxon]

11 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

Here's a simple check that you can do to see if the issue is intonation. Gently pluck an open string. Then play, in the same way, the same string at the octave, 12th, fret. They should sound the same note, but an octave apart. Now sound a harmonic at the 12th fret (gently play the string whilst barely touching the centre of the string above the 12th fret...). That harmonic and the fretted octave should sound exactly the same. If the fretted note is 'sharp' or 'flat', it means that the bridge is not in the right spot. If it's moveable, adjust it until the harmonic and the fretted octave are the same. If it's a fixed bridge and there's a difference, take it to a good luthier for rectification.

Hope this helps. 

thanks. the note on 12th fret is halfway between g and g#. 2/4 markings on my pano tuner app.  the harmonic is 1/4 sharp.   so its quite a bit out. the shop who sold me it told me its the nut. but the string height seems within tolerance to me.  the thin E string is perfect. the other strings are all out but not much. could it just be the strings?

 

[Diary Of An Axeman]

Sounds like an intonation problem. I had a bridge saddle on a 1970's Gibson Flying V, that didn't go far enough.

Got rid of the old Gibson saddle and replaced it with a Wilkinson Roller Bridge and that bridge solved the intonation problem. 

I like to hit the Harmonic on the 12th fret, then finger the note and made the pitches match.

But it is best that you use a metronome to intonate properly.

Good luck .

[Dad3353]

37 minutes ago, aljaxon said:

...  the harmonic is 1/4 sharp ...

 

The harmonic cannot be sharp or flat, unless the string itself is duff. Start off by changing at least this 'G' string, or the whole set if they're more than a few months old. Let the strings 'bed in' for a week or so of playing, then check again the intonation.

It's not necessary, nor a Good Idea, to have too much excess string wound around the tuning post. Ideally, enough for three or four wraps does the job. It's best tto feed the string end through the hole in the post, leaving enough slack to get a few cms above the fingerboard. Then wind the string onto the post, with the first turn above the hole. Once this first wrap is on, hold the string down above the nut so that the following turns cross the first one and the windings are below the hole. This will lock the string in place, once tuning tension is achieved. The excess string is to be cut off, about 1 cm from the tuning post.
Try this technique out a couple of times 'dry', to get used to judging the amount of slack required. Too much slack means too many winds on the post. Too little means not enough. The 'sweet spot' is three or four turns wound onto the post.

Once all the strings are on, and the guitar tuned to pitch, I take each string in turn at its mid-point, and lift the guitar off the bench (gently but firmly...) by this one string; this 'beds in' the string at each end, and gives me tuning stability from the outset. After this suspension, tune back up to pitch and it's Good to Go. Now the harmonic test can be done again; the harmonic will be the exact octave of the open string.If the open string is tuned correctly, the harmonic will be (must be...) spot on. The note at the 12th fret should sound the same as the harmonic.
Hope this helps. 

[aljaxon]

changed the strings and its almost perfect.  didnt realise they could cause problems like mine.

i follow this guys video mainly due to the comments. quite a few saying its the best tutorial video on youtube. he does them both ways. i like more than 2 or 3 turns and dont cut it so close to the post.

 

Edited 18 hours ago by aljaxon