problem with neck or tuning gears?

[drummerguy1010]

Hello all, I've got a Epiphone Pierced SG, bolt on neck. When I play the guitar while sitting, if i move the guitar, the tuning goes flat. I play dropped tunings, usually down to C, have it set up for the lower tuning, changed strings, etc. Does the problem possibly have more to do with the neck slipping where it sits, or with the tuning pegs? Thanks in advance.

 

[broknstuff]

What do you mean if you move the guitar? If you are leaning backwards, and then lean forwards, you will notice your strings go a bit flat. You should always tune in the position you are going to be playing in. To see this effect, pluck a string or a few while the guitar is on it's back, and then flip the guitar over so it's facing down, and you'll hear the pitch change.

If you tuned your guitar in normal playing position, it really wouldn't be a drastic difference if you tilted your body a few degrees though, so I don't think I'm understanding you correctly. Could you maybe elaborate by what you mean by "move the guitar"? Also, if you are playing standing up, and you do the same movement, does it still go flat?

 

[jmgman70]

Need more info.Did you happen to put heavier gauge strings on and not recut the nut slots?

 

[drummerguy1010]

Thanks for the reply,

I usually sit down to play/record, and if I adjust my playing position and the guitar face looks towards the floor even for just a second, the strings seem to go flat, but not return to their original tuning when i bring the guitar back to playing position. It does not really seem to change when the face of the guitar is tilted towards the ceiling.

I used to play in a metal band and that guitar was dropped/thrown/tossed a few times in the heat of the moment (wrongfully, I know...) but there are no cracks along the neck so i'm fairly sure its not a truss rod issue, but I may be wrong.

As for the nut, I have not had it re-cut for heavier gauge strings, only having rubbed graphite on the nut to lubricate it for the strings.

Hope that helps, i know its just a cheap Epi and probably prone to problems anyway, but I really like how it plays and feels. Plus the X in the body would usually attract the ladies at shows .

Thanks again

 

[broknstuff]

It might be a problem at the nut then, with the strings catching there instead of returning to their original position. When you bend a string does it return a bit flat?

edit: actually, maybe also check that it's not catching at the bridge, make sure the grooves are smooth

 

[Guitarplayer99]

I agree with all of the above, but I've also found that SGs are notorious "pitchy bitches". I've owned two (a '65 special and a '68 custom) and sold both of them because of tuning stability issues. You could also check the truss rod to see if there is at least some pressure on the neck - I noticed that this helped stabilize (but not eliminate) some of the tuning problems I had.

FYI - Les Paul had Gibson remove his name from the SG Les Paul models for this very reason...

 

[GtrGeorge!]

Hi,
I love a mystery...
Tell me a little bit about your strap: where does it attach to the guita, does it use a string, or does a pin stick out and the strap attached to that?
A pic would help greatly. A single picture of the accused guitar may greatly help find out why you are having tuning woes.
Keep in mind, its rare that its the pegs.

 

[bigg40]

i had a epiphone double neck sg style that did same thing...you moved and you could here the tuning change slightly from weak neck