God Damn 2018 Les Paul won't stay in tune!

M

Mikeyboyeee

Well-known member
So, I have a 2018 Les Paul Tribute. Only year without weight reduction I believe.

Anyway, lesser expensive PP, but sounds great. Very resonant etc. 498t is decent sounding in it.
BUT, I can not keep the g string from going flat (pinch right behind but usually brings it back.

Has been to 2 of the most renowned luthier/ techs in the Miami area. Even had a new bone nut cut and everything. Stayed in tune at the shop, but when I brought home, same shit after a song or 2.

Tech thinks next step may be new tuners, but not looking to keep throwing good $$$ after bad.

He did say the factory nut was Def off (cut too deep, etc).

Aside from slapping a Floyd on there (which I probably won't due to cost).

Any thoughts? Dump it?

It's not the tech btw, all my other guitars set up by him including a core McCarty are perfect!
 
I’d try ratio tuners, adding graphite to the nut if you haven’t and winding the problem strings up instead of down to reduce the break angle. Are you pulling the strings super tight when restringing?
 
I would say if you like it I'd get a set of tuners it's not that much money or just buy one off eBay and replace the one that's the exact same
 
Got to be that nut slot - especially if a quick depression of the G string behind the nut brings her back. You wouldn’t sell your house because a light bulb burned out, would you? Don’t sell a great guitar for a wonky slot on an $8.00 nut blank.

I tried my hand at grooving nuts a while back when I slapped together a few partscasters and wanted to stay away from locking trems. My first few attempts were butcher jobs. Thank god nut blanks are cheap. I dropped the dough for a nice set of ROUNDED tooth nut files from stew Mac, watched a dozen or so YouTube videos, made peace with the process of trial and error, and took - my - time.

One string at a time. No more than one or two passes with the file, tune to pitch and check. Slack her down again, no more that one or two passes with the file, tune to pitch and check. Wash, rinse, repeat. The ‘ramp’ off the back of the nut toward the tuners is where 99% of tuning stability (and string ‘pinging’) issues occur. Different ramp for tilt back headstock guitars than for strat style headstocks.

I’d wager anything it’s the groove for the G string and not the tuning machine or anything else about the guitar. It is fixable.
 
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As mentioned, I had a VERY good and well renowned tech custom cut a bone nut for me 2 weeks ago. It's pretty much same as before he replaced the factory nut.
 
Mikeyboyeee said:
As mentioned, I had a VERY good and well renowned tech custom cut a bone nut for me 2 weeks ago. It's pretty much same as before he replaced the factory nut.
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Understood. And no offense to him. But if the G string goes flat when you bend a note and returns to pitch when you press behind the nut, thats not a truss Rod problem, it’s not a tuner problem, it’s not a wiring or grounding problem, it’s a nut groove problem, plain and simple. Well renowned does not mean infallible. I understand all seemed well at his shop. If you bring it back to him now, tune it up perfect, yank a bend on the G string - show that it has dropped in pitch, press behind the nut and show that it returns, I bet he says ‘oh shit’ and offers to clean up that groove at no charge.
 
PDC said:
Understood. And no offense to him. But if the G string goes flat when you bend a note and returns to pitch when you press behind the nut, thats not a truss Rod problem, it’s not a tuner problem, it’s not a wiring or grounding problem, it’s a nut groove problem, plain and simple. Well renowned does not mean infallible. I understand all seemed well at his shop. If you bring it back to him now, tune it up perfect, yank a bend on the G string - show that it has dropped in pitch, press behind the nut and show that it returns, I bet he says ‘oh shit’ and offers to clean up that groove at no charge.
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Yes he's already offered, so will bring back, but pretty mutch at wits end.
 
Check nut slots like some have said and make sure string is not getting hung up in it. Move strings out of the nut and then use a small drop of oil in the nut slots. Wipe off excess. Thats what Ive done for yrs with my LP's. But with LP's they are going to go out of tune every few songs or by how much string bending your doing. I love em but tend to play my Floyd Rose style guitars more these days.
 
That particular string is always the culprit. The way it has to angle to the tuning peg makes it harder to get right but, once cut properly, you won't have too much trouble with it. Before I tune, I just that string a yank, tune up. And then it's fine.
 
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