This is great Gene! Clear, concise and explained masterfully. Every guitar player should see this video, it would have saved me a ton of confusion and headache my first few years of playing!
Gosh, thank you. I genuinely appreciate the way you either demonstrated or illustrated each of the variables. I discovered that my technic and understanding was incorrect and I created most of my own hurdles . Again thank you for your time and effort to create and publish this video...!!
Kudos StewMac!!! For actually showing how to cut the nut slots for a 3 + 3!!! Everyone always says " get a properly cut nut", but no one really shows it!
I've seen countless videos about fancy tuning post string wrapping techniques. It's nice to see Stew Mac confirm the method I have been using for 45 years with excellent results. Good info on tempering the intonation. It's indeed a compromise.
Great Video!! You provided a lot of valuable info in a condensed format. I was ready to replace my tuners, but will try all the "other" things that might cause my Guitar needing to be retuned often. You also provided some REALLY good insight on intonation.
Yea bro I had intonation issues for god knows how long now I finally fixed it when I first got my guitar I kinda messed with the intonation and didn’t realize I messed up I thought it wouldn’t change boy was I wrong
Great video! Very clear and honest about how you can fix your guitar concerns yourself... without the guitar snobbery that comes from many people who would just tell you to buy a better guitar!
The bonus tips are pure gold. And as a formally trained and experienced musician all my life, born again musician on guitar three and a half years ago, he's really hit the most essential mark here. Something I never heard any instructor mention for guitar beginners which I think is essential, the key to playing in tune and faster has nothing to do with gear at all. It's about technique. And the greatest general tip about that is to minimize your movement. The string doesn't need to and shouldn't be pressed down to the wood. You just need the string to touch the fret. And by the way, about frets, they should be polished. When you have frets with actual grooves in them from wear and tear, that's a problem. It's very easy to learn to clean your fretboard, polish the frets, and oil the fretboard. You only need to do it about twice a year. I typically do it Spring and Autumn. Cheap guitars have cheap frets, and they wear and tear faster.
Chasing that 12th fret perfect intonation can be an annoying rabbit hole. I’m pretty sure a lot of hit songs were made where the 12 fret intonation was a little off. I don’t think anyone wrote letters of complaints
The problem with that many wraps around the tuning posts is with a non locking trem. As soon as you use the bar downwards, the strings slack and will unravel slightly at the posts. This is my experience anyway. The over then under technique creates a natural lock with less wraps. This is probably completely fine for your hard tail bridges. Great video in any case! Thanks!
Just excellent. All the little tricks I have heard over the years and then some in one neat video. Winding techniques differ for sure with different types of machine heads or pegs, but that really was very spot on concerning modern tuners. Love that I subbed to this channel. Thanks.
Also off of problem 4, check your frets. If they have visible wear (like dents), the point of contact will be shifted forward, causing notes to be sharp. This happened to me-my unwrapped strings likes to dig into the first few frets over time. A refret fixed my first position intonation issues.
Tuning a half step high is a good way to stretch strings also. Go a half step higher, noodle around and use very exaggerated bends. Then final tune. The stretcher tool is a hook and heel stick that works very well. ALWAYS use lube. Graphite, Vaseline or what I use is Bog Benz Nut Sauce. Also, run some sandpaper over the slots on the bridge saddles. The smoother they are, the easier the string can move freely. The last bonus tip is probably the most important. I see students that think you have to push the string into the fretboard and leave an imprint to fret a note properly. Ease up on fretting and picking. Unless you're Pete Townsend and doing the big windmill strum, don't dig the pick into the string like you're trying to lift it. Just the tip of the pick is all you need. Watch someone like Michael Angelo Batio pick. His picking hand moves just enough to make the string move, no more. That's going to keep your guitar in tune forever.
I've been playing for many years and can change strings as demonstrated, but I have always been weary of doing any set-up adjustments. I bring mine to experts like you. Great video!
I wish I had a luthier nearby but my closest one is an hour away and if he is backed up I have to drive another hour. I've decided I'm investing in some tools to learn. I already know a few things but I need the right tools. I'm tired of all the waiting and driving. I could just do it myself and if I mess something up I'll pay to get a new one ! I'm already paying gas, parts, and a service fee!
Oh, finally somebody who gibes the right importance to the right setup rather than to (generally) useless locking tuners! Once you wind the string a couple of times around the peghead, it is reeeeally difficult that tuning issues will be related to the supposed lack of friction of the string, which once again supposedly runs freely in the peghead hole. Nut, bridge and correct intonation are what really matters.
Great and informative video! You guys should definitely do a video about settting up and adjusting a Fender style vibrato (6-screw + 2-point) that would be extremely helpful! Too many misconceptions out there! Thanks.
Thanks. We have a running list of videos we want to make. We will add this to it. We're trying to make more series (like the Aerosol Spray Finishing Course), and we want to get a basic setup course done first, but this would be a great addition to that series.
Re: nut slot clearance. Amen on the 'flossing' trick. A great hack. I use a dot of polishing compound and think of this as a flexible round file. Yes, be careful and don't overdo it, just like the dentist says. Refreshing yo see a StewMac video that's not trying to sell a tuner upgrade. Great tips. Thanks!
Fantastic tutorial video. Every question I had, answered. I was ready to throw my Greysch hollow body across rhe roon. Thank you for sharing your insight. Well done mate!!
Lots of good stuff. BONUS...some people have acoustic guitars. It would have nice to least include the bridge, bridge pins and saddle on an acoustic. Thanks for the video....great voice!
If you have a tune o matic bridge with loose posts in the bridge or tailpiece, you can use some plumber's thread sealing tape. Put a little on the threads and screw the posts back in and it'll be rock solid.
The people at Petereson Tuners have a different process they suggest for intonation. I believe they suggesting tuning the open strings to pitch but using the 5th and 17th fret notes and making sure they're as close to intonated as possible with the guitar's open strings tuned to pitch. I must admit I haven't explored this more thoroughly yet.
If you're having tuning issues with your Les Paul like I was, the Tusq XL is a simple, very effective solution. One big reason I recommend it is the fact that the slots are perfectly pre-cut and radiused, so all you have to do is sand the bottom to get the strings to the appropriate height. Made a huge difference for me.
Very close ... most cheap guitars have a plastic nut and the slots are too tight on the strings.... the problem is the NUT slots and not the tuners. Cheap tuners are a cost cutting measure in cheap guitars, so replace them with Wilkinson branded or better tuners...
Dont forget temperature. Tune the guitar in the environment you intend to play i.e. careful of temperature changes from constant contact with your skin or change due to stage lighting. If playing on stage, tune at the end of a set while everything is still warm.
My easy method for lowering the string height at the nut is to take the nut out and sand it down from the bottom rather than messing with the slots themselves. Note that the slot for the nut may be either flat or curved; if it's curved, then to match the curve of the fretboard, simply place the sandpaper on the fretboard closest to the nut, and sand it down there. A new, pre-slotted, top of the line nut only costs about eight dollars, but it will definitely need some work to fit the width, length, and height of the nut for your guitar, but all it takes is sandpaper and elbow grease. And if you have to do it again, all you've lost is about eight dollars. Personally, I've only been playing guitar three and a half years but been a musician all my life, built my Stratocaster myself, did all the setup work myself except the first couple of times. It is far better and cheaper to learn how to DIY these things, and there are plenty of videos on CZcams about how to do it. I do it this way because I'm cheap. Slot files in the gauges you personally use are very expensive. I don't know why, but they are. That's why for the wound strings I simply take an old string and floss the slot with it.
I do the setup myself, too. I’ve never seen a luthier and I’m too lazy to look for one, drive there, wait for the repair etc. And with cheap guitars even a perfect setup will not last forever. Especially when temperature and humidity changes.
I put locking tuners on most of my guitars, Im just lazy :p. Thanks for info. :) Dan Erlewine's guitar book is a great way to learn to setup your guitar.....thanks guys!
I have one exception to your tuning techniques. It's with the intonation. I don't use the open/octave comparison. I use the harmonic on the octave/octave comparison. They should be the same note exactly. It's easy to tell if they are different no matter how slightly. You don't even need a tuner but if you have one, great. I've used this technique for years and it works like a charm.
Just to be clear, I'm sure you mean to compare the 12th fret harmonic and the string fretted at the 12th fret. (It initially sounded like you were suggesting comparing the open string to the harmonic, which would not be helpful.)
Many guitarists recommend a minimal number of wraps on the Tuners to improve tuning stability. A comparison of how the number of wraps affects tuning stability would be useful. The low E, and G string are particularly susceptible to tuning instability, so might be the best ones to test.
Great tips but with the newer true temperament fret-boards you really can get perfect intonation on all frets now! If you have lots of money..... and have a guitar that the necks work on.... ok you're right.
Outstanding video! I loved how everything was broken down in a logical and clear manner. More of this, please!!!!
The intonation section was the best I have found on CZcams! Thank you.
Very good and useful presentation. Best explanation and practical implementation I've watched.
Great job with the video - clear and easy to understand!
This is great Gene! Clear, concise and explained masterfully. Every guitar player should see this video, it would have saved me a ton of confusion and headache my first few years of playing!
Gosh, thank you. I genuinely appreciate the way you either demonstrated or illustrated each of the variables. I discovered that my technic and understanding was incorrect and I created most of my own hurdles . Again thank you for your time and effort to create and publish this video...!!
Kudos StewMac!!! For actually showing how to cut the nut slots for a 3 + 3!!! Everyone always says " get a properly cut nut", but no one really shows it!
I've seen countless videos about fancy tuning post string wrapping techniques. It's nice to see Stew Mac confirm the method I have been using for 45 years with excellent results. Good info on tempering the intonation. It's indeed a compromise.
Thanks Gene, I really learnt something from the section about nut modifications. Great video, StewMac has such a good channel.
Really good instructional video. Clear and straight talking. 👍👍
The simplest explanation on nut height slotting! Thanks again Stewmac!
Awesome video! Explained well and thoroughly.
Great Video!! You provided a lot of valuable info in a condensed format. I was ready to replace my tuners, but will try all the "other" things that might cause my Guitar needing to be retuned often. You also provided some REALLY good insight on intonation.
That was brilliant,full of handy tips,thank you.
Excellent, quality content. Thanks so much for posting.
one of the best videos i've seen. spot on, thanks!
Best video on staying in tune & how to make sure on your own. Thank u so much. This even confirmed my thoughts on intonation at the 1st 5 frets.
Fantastic Video guys!!! This is so helpful!!! Thank you!!! Now I have to order one of those string stretchers : )
Changing my intonation to help with open chords was the biggest mind blower in this video!!!
Yea bro I had intonation issues for god knows how long now I finally fixed it when I first got my guitar I kinda messed with the intonation and didn’t realize I messed up I thought it wouldn’t change boy was I wrong
Nice breakdown. Found that super helpful.
Great video. Some good wisdom here. I especially liked the bit on intonation.
I really like this guy. Just when I think I know everything, I pick something up from him on almost every video. Great stuff.
Very well done, and detailed.
2 wraps on the wound strings, 3 wraps on the thinner strings + proper stretching of the strings. Stays in tune well.
Great tips! Thanks Stewmac.
Or install lockers
@@mikeball188 Why bother they're not necessary
Excellent tutorial, sir!! Thank you!!
Great video, theres lots to learn even just watching. Like that slick way to get the blue tape placed under the the strings. Thank you!
Great Article, Thanks for sharing
Great video. Thank you very much.
One of the best guitar maintenance videos I have seen! Thank you!
Thank you so much for the comment and for watching! Hope it was some help to ya.
Great video! Super helpful
Very helpful thanks
Fantastic lesson!!!
Crazy-cool, concise, fun, vid. Man.
This was perfect. Thank you Stew Mac!
Thanks for watching!
Probably the best nut cutting explanation I have ever seen…well done my man!!!!
Thanks for tuning in!
@@stewmacI see what you did there clever
This is VERY HELPFUL!!!!
Great video! Very clear and honest about how you can fix your guitar concerns yourself... without the guitar snobbery that comes from many people who would just tell you to buy a better guitar!
The only advantage of locking tuners is quick string changes. A proper set up and an expertly cut nut are worth their weight in gold.
Thank you can't wait for the Trem setup vid!
this guy is super good on explaining things! i look forward for the strat bridge setup!!
The bonus tips are pure gold. And as a formally trained and experienced musician all my life, born again musician on guitar three and a half years ago, he's really hit the most essential mark here.
Something I never heard any instructor mention for guitar beginners which I think is essential, the key to playing in tune and faster has nothing to do with gear at all. It's about technique. And the greatest general tip about that is to minimize your movement. The string doesn't need to and shouldn't be pressed down to the wood. You just need the string to touch the fret.
And by the way, about frets, they should be polished. When you have frets with actual grooves in them from wear and tear, that's a problem. It's very easy to learn to clean your fretboard, polish the frets, and oil the fretboard. You only need to do it about twice a year. I typically do it Spring and Autumn. Cheap guitars have cheap frets, and they wear and tear faster.
Great video and great presentation. I'd definitely like to see more from this presenter.
I have chased intonation perfection forever and setting it to where an individual plays on the neck makes so much sense. Thank you!
Chasing that 12th fret perfect intonation can be an annoying rabbit hole. I’m pretty sure a lot of hit songs were made where the 12 fret intonation was a little off. I don’t think anyone wrote letters of complaints
@@ramencurry6672 no question.
This video is great, y’all! Love it.
Thanks, Aaron!
The problem with that many wraps around the tuning posts is with a non locking trem. As soon as you use the bar downwards, the strings slack and will unravel slightly at the posts. This is my experience anyway. The over then under technique creates a natural lock with less wraps. This is probably completely fine for your hard tail bridges. Great video in any case! Thanks!
Great to see Gene again
Very helpful!
Just excellent. All the little tricks I have heard over the years and then some in one neat video. Winding techniques differ for sure with different types of machine heads or pegs, but that really was very spot on concerning modern tuners. Love that I subbed to this channel. Thanks.
Awesome, thank you so much!
@@stewmac You really help me! Thanks so much.
This dude was really good at explaining stuff. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing
Also off of problem 4, check your frets. If they have visible wear (like dents), the point of contact will be shifted forward, causing notes to be sharp. This happened to me-my unwrapped strings likes to dig into the first few frets over time. A refret fixed my first position intonation issues.
Wow! Helpful!
Idk what I’d do without you Stew Mac
Crucial Thanks
Tuning a half step high is a good way to stretch strings also. Go a half step higher, noodle around and use very exaggerated bends. Then final tune. The stretcher tool is a hook and heel stick that works very well. ALWAYS use lube. Graphite, Vaseline or what I use is Bog Benz Nut Sauce. Also, run some sandpaper over the slots on the bridge saddles. The smoother they are, the easier the string can move freely. The last bonus tip is probably the most important. I see students that think you have to push the string into the fretboard and leave an imprint to fret a note properly. Ease up on fretting and picking. Unless you're Pete Townsend and doing the big windmill strum, don't dig the pick into the string like you're trying to lift it. Just the tip of the pick is all you need. Watch someone like Michael Angelo Batio pick. His picking hand moves just enough to make the string move, no more. That's going to keep your guitar in tune forever.
WOW, best home luthier tips ever. Already noticed a few areas that can be easily worked without advanced rocket science.
Thx StewMac!!
Great advice ❤
Very interesting. Thanks for share.
Would you make a similar video but in the case of acoustic and electroacoustic guitars.? Thanks so much!! 😃
Nut work is something that makes me anxious, even after reading Dan's guitar guide. Thanks for making it really easy to understand Gene!
Great great video!!
I've been playing for many years and can change strings as demonstrated, but I have always been weary of doing any set-up adjustments. I bring mine to experts like you. Great video!
I wish I had a luthier nearby but my closest one is an hour away and if he is backed up I have to drive another hour. I've decided I'm investing in some tools to learn. I already know a few things but I need the right tools. I'm tired of all the waiting and driving. I could just do it myself and if I mess something up I'll pay to get a new one ! I'm already paying gas, parts, and a service fee!
Lots of good tips in there.
Just Excellent
Great vid!
Oh, finally somebody who gibes the right importance to the right setup rather than to (generally) useless locking tuners! Once you wind the string a couple of times around the peghead, it is reeeeally difficult that tuning issues will be related to the supposed lack of friction of the string, which once again supposedly runs freely in the peghead hole.
Nut, bridge and correct intonation are what really matters.
Great and informative video!
You guys should definitely do a video about settting up and adjusting a Fender style vibrato (6-screw + 2-point) that would be extremely helpful!
Too many misconceptions out there!
Thanks.
Thanks. We have a running list of videos we want to make. We will add this to it. We're trying to make more series (like the Aerosol Spray Finishing Course), and we want to get a basic setup course done first, but this would be a great addition to that series.
Re: nut slot clearance. Amen on the 'flossing' trick. A great hack. I use a dot of polishing compound and think of this as a flexible round file. Yes, be careful and don't overdo it, just like the dentist says. Refreshing yo see a StewMac video that's not trying to sell a tuner upgrade. Great tips. Thanks!
great educational video, agreed with everything except when you said "stretching" the strings instead of " setting" the strings
Wow excellent video ~
great tips
good work
kudos
be safe, be happy, work hard
peace \m/
Great video, with all due respect to the outro, SRV was ultra aggressive and still stayed in tune.
Best advice given 'Learn to Tune by Ear'!
Thanks' Gene.
This guy is cool. Super helpful vid.
Freakin whammy bars
Friggin wiggle sticks
fr 😡
I decked mine, added 2 more springs, and pulled the arm out!
Gracias 👌
I have started using Tusq (Graph Tech) for nuts. It is like bone but consistent in all directions
Fantastic tutorial video. Every question I had, answered. I was ready to throw my Greysch hollow body across rhe roon. Thank you for sharing your insight. Well done mate!!
This guy is great!
thx! stuck with a cheapo guitar for a sec and this will help big time... I think my issue is plastic nut...
Lots of good stuff. BONUS...some people have acoustic guitars. It would have nice to least include the bridge, bridge pins and saddle on an acoustic. Thanks for the video....great voice!
If you have a tune o matic bridge with loose posts in the bridge or tailpiece, you can use some plumber's thread sealing tape. Put a little on the threads and screw the posts back in and it'll be rock solid.
Sound advice!
solid!
Don’t forget to floss your slots! 😂. Solid video!
The people at Petereson Tuners have a different process they suggest for intonation. I believe they suggesting tuning the open strings to pitch but using the 5th and 17th fret notes and making sure they're as close to intonated as possible with the guitar's open strings tuned to pitch. I must admit I haven't explored this more thoroughly yet.
Sound advice ☺
Stew Mac , the best
If you're having tuning issues with your Les Paul like I was, the Tusq XL is a simple, very effective solution. One big reason I recommend it is the fact that the slots are perfectly pre-cut and radiused, so all you have to do is sand the bottom to get the strings to the appropriate height. Made a huge difference for me.
Very close ... most cheap guitars have a plastic nut and the slots are too tight on the strings.... the problem is the NUT slots and not the tuners. Cheap tuners are a cost cutting measure in cheap guitars, so replace them with Wilkinson branded or better tuners...
Dont forget temperature. Tune the guitar in the environment you intend to play i.e. careful of temperature changes from constant contact with your skin or change due to stage lighting. If playing on stage, tune at the end of a set while everything is still warm.
My easy method for lowering the string height at the nut is to take the nut out and sand it down from the bottom rather than messing with the slots themselves. Note that the slot for the nut may be either flat or curved; if it's curved, then to match the curve of the fretboard, simply place the sandpaper on the fretboard closest to the nut, and sand it down there.
A new, pre-slotted, top of the line nut only costs about eight dollars, but it will definitely need some work to fit the width, length, and height of the nut for your guitar, but all it takes is sandpaper and elbow grease. And if you have to do it again, all you've lost is about eight dollars. Personally, I've only been playing guitar three and a half years but been a musician all my life, built my Stratocaster myself, did all the setup work myself except the first couple of times. It is far better and cheaper to learn how to DIY these things, and there are plenty of videos on CZcams about how to do it.
I do it this way because I'm cheap. Slot files in the gauges you personally use are very expensive. I don't know why, but they are. That's why for the wound strings I simply take an old string and floss the slot with it.
I do the setup myself, too. I’ve never seen a luthier and I’m too lazy to look for one, drive there, wait for the repair etc. And with cheap guitars even a perfect setup will not last forever. Especially when temperature and humidity changes.
6:30 is a 10/10 tip ty
No Jell-O, just good filler thanks dude really good and informative
I put locking tuners on most of my guitars, Im just lazy :p. Thanks for info. :) Dan Erlewine's guitar book is a great way to learn to setup your guitar.....thanks guys!
I always wrap under-over. It works well.
I have one exception to your tuning techniques. It's with the intonation. I don't use the open/octave comparison. I use the harmonic on the octave/octave comparison. They should be the same note exactly. It's easy to tell if they are different no matter how slightly. You don't even need a tuner but if you have one, great. I've used this technique for years and it works like a charm.
Just to be clear, I'm sure you mean to compare the 12th fret harmonic and the string fretted at the 12th fret.
(It initially sounded like you were suggesting comparing the open string to the harmonic, which would not be helpful.)
Many guitarists recommend a minimal number of wraps on the Tuners to improve tuning stability. A comparison of how the number of wraps affects tuning stability would be useful. The low E, and G string are particularly susceptible to tuning instability, so might be the best ones to test.
I heard BB King claim the opposite, he said the more wraps the better his guitar stayed in tune
@@JIMIIXTLAN Interesting. That's why a test/s would be good, as there are conflicting and opposite claims.
Test Test Test
I once cut the low E string too short and ended up with only 3/4 of a wrap. Still it stayed in tune as good as always.
Good stuff! Only thing I'd add is to only adjust intonation with fresh strings. And yes, 90% of the issues I fix for my friends are at the nut.
what if im trying to fix my stratocaster tremolo for better tuning? how do i set it up?
Awesome : )
Thanks 😁
What about using lubricants on tremolo guitars?
Great tips but with the newer true temperament fret-boards you really can get perfect intonation on all frets now! If you have lots of money..... and have a guitar that the necks work on.... ok you're right.