Tuning stability

How well a guitar holds its tuning during playing, which depends on friction, string condition and the mechanical behaviour of the hardware.

The usual culprits are strings binding in nut slots or saddles, wraps slipping on a tuner post, a tremolo that does not return to its balance point, and old or over-stretched strings. Because each of these produces the same symptom, the diagnosis is a process of elimination, and lubricating contact points and fitting a properly cut nut cures most cases. Temperature and humidity changes will move the tuning regardless of how well the instrument is built.

Example: a guitar that goes sharp on the wound strings after every bend needs its nut slots widened or lubricated rather than new tuners.

Tuning stability

See also