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  1. I got my guitar

    Looks great, but i'm still waiting on my amp

    I was trying to tune it using the M13's tuner, but it doesn't seem to stay in tune for long.
    Like i'll get all the string perfectly in tune (according to the markings on the tuner display)
    Then if I play with it a bit or lie it on my bed and 15 minutes later put it through the tuner again some of the strings are no longer perfectly in tune (ie. where I tuned them to be 15 mins ago).

    Is this normal? Do I just have to break it in or something?
    Or has the shipping stuffed up the guitar? It did come all the way from Georgia USA.
    I did notice when I opened the box tht one of the strings had slid out of one of the notches in the tune-o-matic bridge (I have no idea what that does, maybe I have to adjust it ). It was also badl out of tune out of the box, many strings were off by a whole tone or even more.

    It's possible i'm just accidently moving the machine heads when I play or set it down, i'll have to play around with it some more and see.
  2. Well, in a new guitar the strings use to go out of tune pretty easily. You have to bend them quite hard, push and release them, in order for the strings to get their actual tension. Once they've got the right tension, they must stay tuned for a quite long time...

    Anyway, if the strings go out of tune just lying on the bed, without strumming them... it's strange, maybe something's not 100% right. Do you have any music store near? You sh/could take the guitar to it and ask the sellers (they are musicians, usually) if something's wrong.

    Good luck, and glad you got it already
  3. Originally posted by vanquish:I got my guitar

    Looks great, but i'm still waiting on my amp

    I was trying to tune it using the M13's tuner, but it doesn't seem to stay in tune for long.
    Like i'll get all the string perfectly in tune (according to the markings on the tuner display)
    Then if I play with it a bit or lie it on my bed and 15 minutes later put it through the tuner again some of the strings are no longer perfectly in tune (ie. where I tuned them to be 15 mins ago).

    Is this normal? Do I just have to break it in or something?
    Or has the shipping stuffed up the guitar? It did come all the way from Georgia USA.
    I did notice when I opened the box tht one of the strings had slid out of one of the notches in the tune-o-matic bridge (I have no idea what that does, maybe I have to adjust it ). It was also badl out of tune out of the box, many strings were off by a whole tone or even more.

    It's possible i'm just accidently moving the machine heads when I play or set it down, i'll have to play around with it some more and see.



    cool news that u got the guitar , guy in my local music shop said u have to spend a good hour or so bending, playing, retuning etc then they should be right, post above me said same thing so it must be right
  4. Aha, so they do have to be broken in, that's good, for a minute there I was worried I got a bum guitar. Thanks guys

    Originally posted by LikeASong:

    Anyway, if the strings go out of tune just lying on the bed, without strumming them... it's strange, maybe something's not 100% right. Do you have any music store near? You sh/could take the guitar to it and ask the sellers (they are musicians, usually) if something's wrong.

    Good luck, and glad you got it already


    Oh, no they don't go out of tune, they're just no longer in 'perfect' tune, they still fall within the 'in tune' area of the tuner display, but I always originally tune them so they're 'perfectly' in tune.

    This usually happens after playing for 15 minutes or so. Actually even lying the guitar on my bed is not good as I realised:

    Due to the design of the explorer's headstock, the machine heads stick out below the head which means lying the guitar on a bed will cause the machine heads to rotate a bit, detuning it.
    So I have to remember to keep the head in the air when I put it down or keep it in the case.



    The M13 works excellently as a tuner though, accurate and very easy to use.
    It also tells me the name of any note I play, which will make matching notes to frets, learning scales and transcribing between tabs/sheet music much easier for an absolute beginner like myself.

    It also works rather well as a utilitarian piece of interior decor, with all the flashy lights and shiny footswitches



    Excuse the terrible photos, they were taken with my iPhone's crappy camera (and with a dirty lens to boot, as I realised right after I put all my gear away):



    I'm definitely glad I bought a proper Epiphone case too, it's vey plush and the Explorer feels very snug and secure

    .

    Overall, I'm pretty pleased , can't wait till my amp comes (though it is surprisingly playable unamplified). It's defnitely much easier to play on than acoustic, my fingers don't hurt, I don't have to stretch as much due to the smaller neck and I can already play the 11' O Clock Tick Tock riff.



    Now I just have to stop myself from playing it until my exams are over
  5. Here's some of Mr. Clayton's 360 Bass guitar goodness:

    Epiphone Rivoli - natural finish
    Epiphone Rivoli - tobacco finish: Used for ‘…Boots’ for one of the awards shows… might have been the Grammy’s

    Fender Jazz - (vintage uncertain/Fender says it was a refinish of an older bass of Adam's) - gold sparkle
    Fender Jazz - (196x) – red
    Fender Precision – gold (gold finish not sparkle). Used for ‘…Boots’ at Echo Awards in Germany.
    Fender Precision – purple or dark blue – Used for ‘No Line…’ on The Culture Show.
    Fender Precision - gold sparkle
    Fender Precision - purple sparkle
    Fender Precision - white w/ tortoise pkgrd

    Me thinks that the gold and purple sparkle finish Precisions might have been the gold finish (not sparkle) Precision and the dark blue/purple Precision – post refinishing.

    Gibson Les Paul Signature Bass - gold finish: ‘Mysterious Ways’
    Gibson Triumph Recording Bass - white finish: Used for earlier 360 shows for ‘One’
    Gibson RD Artist - natural finish: ‘Magnificent’

    Lakland Darryl Jones model – 2005 – metallic green: Used at Fordham Univ. promo show but not during 360 tour.

    Warwick Streamer Stage One - Electrical Storm
    Warwick Styker - natural finish





  6. Originally posted by LikeASong:Well, in a new guitar the strings use to go out of tune pretty easily. You have to bend them quite hard, push and release them, in order for the strings to get their actual tension. Once they've got the right tension, they must stay tuned for a quite long time...

    Anyway, if the strings go out of tune just lying on the bed, without strumming them... it's strange, maybe something's not 100% right. Do you have any music store near? You sh/could take the guitar to it and ask the sellers (they are musicians, usually) if something's wrong.

    Good luck, and glad you got it already

    If you bought it new, you'll need to set it up properly, which would probably be easier to do by taking it to a guitar shop and seeing if they offer such services.
  7. Originally posted by WojBhoy:[..]
    If you bought it new, you'll need to set it up properly, which would probably be easier to do by taking it to a guitar shop and seeing if they offer such services.


    But doesn't it come from Epiphone set up and checked for proper intonation etc. as part of their testing process? (it says so on the checklist included on the warranty card)

    So I'll just need to keep retuning the strings until it starts holding tune?
  8. A trip to your local Guitar Center or Sam Ash will show that no guitar comes "set up and checked for proper intonation etc. as part of their testing process".

    Many guitars have string buzz off the shelf.

    That said, I've mentioned this to retailers time and time again - why don't they at least set them up when they put them out for sale.

    The response? Everyone likes their guitars setup different.

    My response? Perhaps that is true but NO ONE I know likes string buzz or bad intonation!




    Originally posted by vanquish:[..]

    But doesn't it come from Epiphone set up and checked for proper intonation etc. as part of their testing process? (it says so on the checklist included on the warranty card)

    So I'll just need to keep retuning the strings until it starts holding tune?



  9. Originally posted by anstratdubh1979:A trip to your local Guitar Center or Sam Ash will show that no guitar comes "set up and checked for proper intonation etc. as part of their testing process".

    Many guitars have string buzz off the shelf.

    That said, I've mentioned this to retailers time and time again - why don't they at least set them up when they put them out for sale.

    The response? Everyone likes their guitars setup different.

    My response? Perhaps that is true but NO ONE I know likes string buzz or bad intonation!




    [..]




    Mine doesn't have string buzz, my brother checked and was quite surprised, I have to check the intonation.

    To do that you just play every note on the fingerboard and see if its in correct pitch right?
    The M13's tuner makes that a piece of cake to do.
  10. Originally posted by vanquish:But doesn't it come from Epiphone set up and checked for proper intonation etc. as part of their testing process? (it says so on the checklist included on the warranty card)

    So I'll just need to keep retuning the strings until it starts holding tune?

    As Jeff says, I've never received a guitar from any retailer that has been properly set up. It might not be string-buzz, but there's a host of other things that can be wrong. My Les Paul was a perfect example, it felt like a completely different guitar after having it properly set up.
  11. Originally posted by WojBhoy:[..]
    As Jeff says, I've never received a guitar from any retailer that has been properly set up. It might not be string-buzz, but there's a host of other things that can be wrong. My Les Paul was a perfect example, it felt like a completely different guitar after having it properly set up.


    Ok, i'll go to a music dealer and get someone to set it up after I finish my exams.
  12. I don't mind a bit of buzz, since it's not possible to get the strings real close without it.
    Also, be aware that a guitar will never be perfectly intonated. Because of the way it is built, some notes will always be a little off. It is more like you have to choose which ones will be right and which ones will be wrong. Most likely, if a decent setup is done, you won't notice these little "wrongs" here and there on the neck.
    Be aware too that as the weather changes, the wood changes and the guitar changes. A guitar that sounds good on the summer is likely not to sound good on the winter, it may need another set up.
    That is why I do all of this myself. It is easier, cheaper and more satisfying.
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