Gibson Les Paul going sharp instead of flat.

[voodooradio1]

Besides everything else that has been posted, some LP's are just shit boxes. I've been through the aggravation of owning a couple that had the same issue you are experiencing. If after tuning, you find that the guitar is sharp before ever playing, then yes, the nut may be the issue. If it takes a bit of playing and string bending before it goes sharp, I would say it is not likely an issue with the nut. If you bend a string and upon release it binds at the nut, then once fully released the string would be flat, not sharp. Some LP's are unable to accommodate even moderate changes in environ without going haywire. For what they cost, tuning and set up shouldn't be Chinese arithmetic.

 

[Stone Heavy Sound]

The nut is likely the culprit, get a good material that doesn't require lubricant. I've had good luck replacing my nuts with Graphtech Tusq.

I grease the saddles with thick hard grease. Palm muting and the like can cause strings to shift on the saddles, especially because there's string behind the bridge, which I tend to push down on to stretch out while tuning before a gig.

 

[C1-ocaster]

yeah i figured you did that already Just saying in case!

By curiosity what string gauges are you using for C#?

I recently went up a bit to 11-54. I've still had the issue, MAYBE less so - hard to tell since it is a randomly fluctuating issue; recently ran out of 11-54 so I believe the current gauge is a tad thinner.

Also, would this happen with strings that are worn out?

Another issue this guitar has had since day one would be the speed at which is eats new strings! I swear I can strum the thing after 1.5 rehearsals (1.5-2 hours each) and the strings will be dead rubber bands. Totally perplexed by this thing yet it sounds too good to axe. I even remember installing new strings years ago before a show and having them dead right after our set was finished lol.

Joe

You have some odd issues.
Strings going dead after 1.5-2 hours?
I wouldn't blame the guitar as it can't wear strings like that, unless the frets are made of sandpaper, and even then.
Players who's strings don't last very long tend to have very acidic sweat.
One of my playing buddies has this problem. He goes through strings VERY quickly, about 4 times faster than me and other typical players. He's played some of my guitars and the next day when I go to play one there is an odd feel on the strings like some kind of residue left by his hands/sweat.

Try wiping down your strings at least every time you pause or take a break.
If your case is really bad, you may want to wipe the strings down after every song.
I wonder if you're corroding the strings so badly that they are slightly shrinking, thus going sharp.

Strings going sharp is kind of odd. Is it all the strings going sharp, or a couple always the same? If all, do they go sharp evenly, meaning a chord is in tune but sharp?
For a string to go sharp something has to be putting more tension/force on the string than where it started.
The strings going colder than when you start can shrink and thus go sharp. But, you're playing so it's odd that cold would be affecting them. Plus cold affects metal and wood.

Your bridge somehow moving back? But again, how odd is that?
Nut bind, on a guitar not your underpants usually results in the same string or couple stings going flat once the nut friction lessens or loosens and the string releases tension making it go flat not sharp. Nut bind usually lends to strings going flat, rarely sharp.
Releasing tension yet going sharp is one big oddity.

So, what about your truss rod?
You mentioned that when you went to a higher gauge string the tendency to go sharp lessened.
The truss rod typically works against the strings tension. If the truss rod, for some reason, has greater pull than string tension, which could be as you tune down, then it could be pulling on the neck making the neck go flatter and thus adding pull to your strings, which would make them sharp. Still, doing that after a few songs is odd, as you would expect it to stabilize after some time.
Check the truss rod and make sure the neck relief is properly set WITH the strings you are using and with the tuning you are using.
If you adjust the truss rod with lighter strings at standard tuning, and then you drop tune greatly you now have less string tension working against the truss rod, which would allow the truss rod to pull the neck flatter and cause the strings to go sharp.
Something to consider at least.

Good luck. Let us know if you find the problem.

 

[fluff191]

I have several different makes of guitars that do this. Its the neck wood slightly expanding from your hand warming it up. Seriously. If I am recording, I had to play for 5 minutes and the pitch stabilizes. If I stop to edit something for 10 minutes, all the strings are 5 cents sharp and uniformly so.

My 77 Gibson does it, my G&L Rampage does it and my baritone Schecter did it so bad I eventually got an Evertune bridge installed.

 

[mightyjoeyoungxnj]

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated.

I'll grab some nut lubricant in the meantime to have on hand. Also forgot to mention that the guitar already has a graphite nut which had been slotted during the most recent setup by a very competent tech for the 11-54 set.

I will also try to tune and push behind the nut to see if it binds or not.

Generally, I'll notice most of the strings a few cents sharp recently. It usually affects them all at the same time.

Also, the dead string issue doesn't affect my Strat or other guitars I own. Maybe I simply don't notice it as much because this has been my main axe for years and sees much more playing time. Still, it seems a bit excessive.

napalmdeath: which Gotoh bridge specifically would you recommend? I saw a few tune-o-matic styles. Would it be worth replacing the stop bar as well?

I'm hoping that the guitar is not a lemon that I've been fighting for many years lol. When I install new strings, I change one at a time, starting with the low E. Once all the strings are installed and I check the low E again, it will almost always be sharp. I always just attributed this to new strings, change in tension. Is this normal?

I think I will look further south to the bridge to see if a replacement would provide a more stable tuning experience. I will say, the problem lessened with my most recent setup and brand new strings - maybe I just need to change strings more often? It's just sort of insane how dead the strings sound after a few rehearsals. And ya know what, I don't sweat a ton while playing, weird. My drummer, on the other hand, loves to pick up my guitar after a long rehearsal to jam and covers the thing with grime.

I suppose it would make sense to attack one variable at a time and to go from there. I will also try warming up with the guitar before doing any tuning during our next practice session.

Thanks guys
Joe

 

[xzyryabx]

Do you change tunings during practice?
Could be your neck shifting and readjusting after a change of string tension from the retuning.
Going sharp makes me think of the truss rod relaxing and making your neck slightly strAighter.
And as mentioned, always tune in your playing position.
Could be a number of factors, but my bet is neck shift due to string tension changes or temp/humidity changes.

 

[tubortski]

Do you wrap over the tail piece and adjust it's height so the string only contacts the saddle, not the bridge?

 

[mightyjoeyoungxnj]

Do you change tunings during practice?
Could be your neck shifting and readjusting after a change of string tension from the retuning.
Going sharp makes me think of the truss rod relaxing and making your neck slightly strAighter.
And as mentioned, always tune in your playing position.
Could be a number of factors, but my bet is neck shift due to string tension changes or temp/humidity changes.

Not lately. We used to occasionally tune up to D standard when we played in drop C.

I'm pretty sure you are right about the neck shift, I just never realized it could be this extreme. I notice it more via the tuner - when we play it isn't very noticable aside from the G which can stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[mightyjoeyoungxnj]

Do you wrap over the tail piece and adjust it's height so the string only contacts the saddle, not the bridge?

Nope, the guitar is strung the regular way.

Joe

 

[moltenmetalburn]

Strings, try new ones. They die fast because of your acidic sweat.

Nut, check for binding and use nut sauce.

Bridge, check saddles for issues.

 

[C1-ocaster]

Do you wrap over the tail piece and adjust it's height so the string only contacts the saddle, not the bridge?

Interesting. I never thought of doing that.
But, does it work?

Seems like it adds another point/points that can be affected by heat and cold, playing vibration, string age, etc...

What do you like about that method?
Maybe I'll give it a try based on your experience.
Thanks.

 

[tubortski]

Do you wrap over the tail piece and adjust it's height so the string only contacts the saddle, not the bridge?

Interesting. I never thought of doing that.
But, does it work?

Seems like it adds another point/points that can be affected by heat and cold, playing vibration, string age, etc...

What do you like about that method?
Maybe I'll give it a try based on your experience.
Thanks.

When I use a heavier string set, the bass strings would touch the bridge before it touched the saddle. I saw this as a point to interfere with tuning. I tried the wrap over method, because I wanted the tail piece to stay flush with the body, and that helped the string clear the bridge.

Everyone's situation is different. If you're having a problem, give it a shot.