• Join the A7X Discord!

    We're updating the community and moving all social content from the community to the Discord. All lessons related conversations will still take place here though! Join the Discord below and view the full announcement for more details

    JOIN THE DISCORD VIEW THREAD

Intonation and drop tuning

Alicia Willis

Moderator
Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,151
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
    Hey guys ! So, I ALWAYS play in standard tuning. But, wanted to finally try my hand as some avenged sevenfold rhythms. So I tuned my fender strat to drop D. My issue is....it’s getting out of tune almost immediately ! Like literally I can play two strums and boom it’s gone. I’d rather not change my intonation as it’s don’t going to be a permanent tuning change....is there anything I can do to help alleviate this or is it basically just an intonation issue ? Thanks y’all !!!
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Edward John
    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    Ed Seith

    Supreme Galactic Overlord
    Staff member
    Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    3,882
    15
    6,602
    53
    Marana, AZ USA
    soundcloud.com
    35
    Hey guys ! So, I ALWAYS play in standard tuning. But, wanted to finally try my hand as some avenged sevenfold rhythms. So I tuned my fender strat to drop D. My issue is....it’s getting out of tune almost immediately ! Like literally I can play two strums and boom it’s gone. I’d rather not change my intonation as it’s don’t going to be a permanent tuning change....is there anything I can do to help alleviate this or is it basically just an intonation issue ? Thanks y’all !!!

    Your intonation is not the problem. AT ALL. I promise.

    If it's a guitar with a trem, that's your problem. So, which guitar are we working with and what kind of bridge is it?
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Brian Haner Sr.

    Ed Seith

    Supreme Galactic Overlord
    Staff member
    Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    3,882
    15
    6,602
    53
    Marana, AZ USA
    soundcloud.com
    35
    Oh wait, you SAID it! Fender Strat. With the trem. So with a trem - any of them - it's NEVER as simple as retuning one string to change tunings. The minute you retune one string to a different pitch, you change the overall tension on the top part of the bridge. You need to retune the whole guitar if you switch to drop D, and then again when you switch back, unless you buy and install something like a tremol-no or tremstopper thingie.

    It's a pain in the ass.

    For a floating bridge guitar of any kind, you're best off staying in one tuning.
     

    Alicia Willis

    Moderator
    Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,151
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
    Oh wait, you SAID it! Fender Strat. With the trem. So with a trem - any of them - it's NEVER as simple as retuning one string to change tunings. The minute you retune one string to a different pitch, you change the overall tension on the top part of the bridge. You need to retune the whole guitar if you switch to drop D, and then again when you switch back, unless you buy and install something like a tremol-no or tremstopper thingie.

    It's a pain in the ass.

    For a floating bridge guitar of any kind, you're best off staying in one tuning.
    Yes it’s got a trem. I’ve returned the whole guitar and it still goes out after a few minutes of playing. It’s incredibly frustrating. Is there anything else I should be looking into or is that basically it?
     
    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    Brian Haner Sr.

    Papa
    Staff member
    Legend+
    Fucking Legend
    Nov 11, 2019
    812
    3
    3,506
    Fenders are notorious for being a bit temperamental when it comes to the trem. But basically, yeah - What Ed said. It requires a full retuning to go to drop D. And then when you tune back up you'll need to retune again. HOPEFULLY. I have a Strat that actually needs the trem tension re-adjusted to go from reg to drop D. Just like a Floyd. Wish I had better news for you. Maybe look into some sort of trem lock. It's a concession no matter what you do.
     
    Last edited:

    Ed Seith

    Supreme Galactic Overlord
    Staff member
    Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    3,882
    15
    6,602
    53
    Marana, AZ USA
    soundcloud.com
    35
    I don’t have a Floyd rose. Had one on a schecter and hated it lol. Never again ! It was nice sometimes but a pain in the ass others.

    Any tremolo bridge is going to be like this, to one degree or another, unless you can "deck" it (tighten the mount/pivot screws making the trem either pitch drop only or fixed) or use some other device to manage the tension. I did a VERY LONG video explaining how floating trems work while I was changing string gauges and tuning on an Ibanez. It might be helpful if an hour of me rambling won't make you drink heavily.

     

    Alicia Willis

    Moderator
    Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,151
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
    Any tremolo bridge is going to be like this, to one degree or another, unless you can "deck" it (tighten the mount/pivot screws making the trem either pitch drop only or fixed) or use some other device to manage the tension. I did a VERY LONG video explaining how floating trems work while I was changing string gauges and tuning on an Ibanez. It might be helpful if an hour of me rambling won't make you drink heavily.

    Already got a cold one in hand 😂 I’m going to check out your video ! Thanks Ed ! You da man !
     
    • Haha
    Reactions: Ed Seith

    Alicia Willis

    Moderator
    Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,151
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
    Fenders are notorious for being a bit temperamental when it comes to the trem. But basically, yeah - What Ed said. It requires a full retuning to go to drop D. And then when you tune back up you'll need to retune again. HOPEFULLY. I have a Strat that actually needs the trem tension re-adjusted to go from reg to drop D. Just like a Floyd. Wish I had better news for you. Maybe look into some sort of trem lock. It's a concession no matter what you do.
    Thanks Papa G ! I’m I’m gonna attempt it again and if not, screw it...back in standard we go !!! Lol.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Edward John

    Alicia Willis

    Moderator
    Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,151
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
    Just switching to drop D shouldn't cause any major intonation issues, especially at the bottom end of the neck. I dropped mine from standard to drop C in my riff challenge video without major issues. What string guage do you use?

    ehhh tbh I’m not 100% as I’ve been playing around with diff strings lately but I think I’ve got elixir 10/46 on there now. Very light strings.
     
    Synner Endless Summer Collection