Tuning Problems: Epiphone Sheraton

Hi all.

A few concerns with a second hand guitar I purchased. I'm hoping a change of strings will do.

Its a mid range Epihone (Sheraton) electric.

As soon as I tune the guitar and use a plec on the G string it wavers out of tune so badly, almost a semi-tone to my ear.

Dodgy enough tuning with the lower strings (B & E). I have to tune by ear to get them to sound in tune. (ie: guitar tuner "tunes them, but they sound our of tune).

New set of strings needed? Or dodgy guitar. I have heared that the Epi Sheraton (Korean) can have some tuning problems.

There was a new'ish set of Gibson Deluxe machine heads on the guitar when I bought it. Which could indicate previous attempts to cure tuning issues, although I know that the original tuners on the Epi Sheraton were st1t anways.

Cheers!

Fingers Mcginty

Are you saying that you tune the guitar to pitch with a tuner, then you fret it and it sounds out of tune? If this is the case I would check the intonation. If the strings feel old i would put on a fresh set first. :cool:

Fingers Mcginty

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Are you saying that you tune the guitar to pitch with a tuner, then you fret it and it sounds out of tune? If this is the case I would check the intonation. If the strings feel old i would put on a fresh set first. :cool:

Thanks for that. Use using a standard guitar tuner and then paying a chord can sound out of tune, so I have to slightly re-tune by ear.

The G string is just a head wrecker as it wavers out of tune when picked on its own.

The intonation is spot on, maybe its just the strings are duff. Would a dead string do that? ie waver out of tune, almost like its been moved with a whammy bar.

martinedwards

used?

fret wear MIGHT be an issue.

if you're fretting the third fret and then it SOUNDS like the 4th, then maybe the 3rd is really low and it's bottoming out on the 4th.

but it sounds like intonation. new strings and try again.

WAY out there possibilities?

if the nut is off, that can throw things.

I had to replace a nut where a previous owner had cut down the nut slots but left the slots angled down towards the bridge, effectively making the contact point of the string at the tuner end of the nut rather than the bridge end, throwing it out by about 4mm.

EXTREMELY unlikely is that the frets may be wrongly placed, but with an Epi, that's pretty much not possible.

@Martin

@Martin.

Thanks for that, both helpful and informative.

I've checked the nut and its sitting sound, but def one that I wouldnt have thought of. Frets all look sound with very little wear.

Intonation: If I play a D chord progessively up the neck, its all sound, as perfect as pitch to my ear as it can be.

I'll put it down to tired strings for now. Many thanks.

Keyzer

I have a Sheraton and never had this problem.

I also have a Gibson SG which cost considerably more which constantly went out of tune. Got the nut changed to a bone nut and its never let me down since.

Worth a shot.