A Daft Question re string tension

[launched]

48 once told me to tune, my recordings sound good for the first 30 seconds or so, then go bad. He was even polite enough to tell me that it was the 1st 2nd and 3rd string.

After 10 more recordings where he told me I had a tuning issue, we found out that the chart had the extended blues scale starting on the wrong fret!

Oh, that's harsh!! You were doing it right, but...

[Tony W]

It's hilarious now, but then, you can imagine how I felt. I was confused, I really tried hard to play the notes cleaner, I tuned every 2 minutes.

[launched]

Oh, I know what you mean. I was playing my bass with friends once and thought "This doesn't sound right" but every one else was happy. The music was too loud - Then the guitar player noticed something. "I think you're a little off", he said. Turns out they were at Eb tuning which is a half step down. I was at standard.

Shit...

[Tony W]

Hell, I'm happy I can change strings without calling tech support now. Other than standard tuning, and I'm completely lost. I have a theory about tuning though.

I'm blaming it on the specific gravity in the material for the tuning knobs, hence the wide variety of tuning issues. As the temperature changes, the metal expands and contracts at higher rates on less dense material thus causing the knobs to rotate rather than remain stationary. Unfortunately it cannot be viewed without the aid of time elapsed photography.

[launched]

I dig that. Can I have permission to use that explanation as an excuse?

[Tony W]

If you can repeat it, I was in the zone. That will only happen once

[launched]

 

[Wiley]

It is an interesting Question, my electric guitars always go sharp when not playing them.  I don't know if it has to do with the heat or not. But my bass guitar can stay in tune for weeks and never change.  But the strings are bigger and heavier.  So maybe that has something to do with it too!!

[Davo]

I usually have strings slacken when they are new.  When I pick up a cold guitar-especially an acoustic the strings go a bit flat as they warm up.

Some guitars seem very prone to this.  I only have a problem if im standing in front of an air duct.

[launched]

Some guitars seem very prone to this.  I only have a problem if im standing in front of an air duct.

Q: Where's Davo?
A: He's hangin' around the air duct again