my F***ing LP

  • Thread starter Thread starter bste328
  • Start date Start date
B. Ste":l1unfqej said:
point is...i LOVE my lp custom...it has the Tone for me...and it fits my playing well...but with years i have refined my ear and i notice in a heartbeat if a string's out of tune...and this mtfk goes out of tune over and over again...

i'm over anal about my gear and i've done everything with it...i always stretch strings to death when i change them, put graphite in the nut AND on saddles...i enlarged the slots at the nut either to have more room to make them slide better...but NOTHING worked properly. there's always some tension AT THE NUT which keeps doing some kind of "bling" when i bend a note...maybe i have to change the ugly plastic nut it has?

PS: it's a 2005 Gibson Les Paul Custom from the Custom Shop. Non historic model.

what can i do? i don't want to put into a graphite nut since it will change too much his tone, nor a bone nut which wouldn't solve the problem completely...

i know a lot of people who has LP has this problem and others not, but with my lp it's gone beyond the point i can't even play it anymore. i swear. it becomes frustrating.
Click to expand...

Have a reputable luthier, put in a GOOD bone nut and make sure it's properly slotted (The main reason they go out of tune).
 
rareguitar":30uj55zy said:
Had that issue for ever and it was frustrating, Love me my Les Pauls so I had to do something. This is the "something"...Big Bends Nut Sauce, do yourself a favor and get this and put it on your nut slots and tune a matic saddle slots and you will be good to go... Took me about 15 years to figure it out as well. :thumbsup:

http://www.bigbends.com

Logo.GIF
Click to expand...

AMEN :rock:
 
Motorpud":3cutt92v said:
jcj":3cutt92v said:
EXACTLY why I don'r play LP's. Love the sound, hate all the b.s :lol: :LOL:
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more bro, I discovered I'm not an LP guy REAL quick :lol: :LOL:
Click to expand...

locking nut ftw!

/thread :lol: :LOL:
 
I thought gibson fixed their tuning issues with robots and locking nuts? :lol: :LOL:
 
Rub some graphite (pencil lead) into the grooves of the nut. It helped for me! It's the benefits of the graphite nut without changing your tone. :thumbsup:
 
FWIW I installed an Earvana nut on my '05 LP Standard and it improved the intonation dramatically AND it stays in tune now. Night and day difference. :thumbsup:
 
You have a nice guitar. Don't use it as a learning tool, take it to a luthier and have a properly cut nut (heheh, I said cut nut) installed, whether it's graphite, tusq, whatever.

Pete
 
zach now thats what im talking about, i'd definately think twice about owning an LP if they all came like that :lol: :LOL: :rock:
 
Just get some locking tuners, there are so many in the market now, that you won't even have to drill holes or anything in it. Save your time. I know a lot of people that talk about how their guitars with no locking tuners stay in tune. The truth is that for some people they do, because of their playing style, and for others they just don't hear or get irritated when it goes out of tune a little. For me, do whatever setup you want, with no locking tuners I'll get it out of tune within 10 minutes max. Hell, I even manage to get them out of tune with locking tuners installed, just takes some time. Of course all of that is after you take care of your nuts :lol: :LOL: & bridges.
 
Having a nut fitted by a pro won't cost very much. Fret jobs are much more expensive for example.

Why not have a bone nut fitted by a good tech and perfected for your own string make/gauge? It will surely be money well spent on such a fine instrument!
 
Sorry you're having issues with your LP, but I've got 10 of them that all stay in tune well and here's what you need.

1) Qualified luthier.
2) Bone nut (or whatever you prefer) PROPERLY CUT/TESTED. I'm sorry but your nut still needs help if it's making that "ping!" noise when tuning or bending. Trust me, I've been where you are! It sucks!
3) Tight tuning machines. Could be anything. My 59 LP Jr with stock Kluson tuners stays in tune for days under hard playing stretching. I usually prefer Grovers (Clapton, Page, etc, too) on my Les Pauls. Standard Gibson tuners are referred to as "fall-a-parts" around here. I bought the upgraded Kluson/Grover drop in replacements and they're not much better. I've had one of those fail after 10 string changes (around 1 year). I'll go with Grovers or Sperzel in the future.
4) Graphite, nutsauce, big bends, whatever...I use pencil lead on my PROPERLY CUT bridge saddles and that's it. I don't even lubricate the nut. That's the difference a properly cut nut will make.

Jerry @ Luxxtone could do that, I use Jim Foote @ MusicWorks in Lawndale, Ca. 310-379-5194. He's the guy many touring pros take their guitars to in LA, but he's backed up a good week on a setup/nut cut/fret dressing mod/fix, but there's a reason....he's just that good.

I used to bitch and gripe about my Les Pauls (as some of you guys are on this thread) till I took them to Foote. After explaining where all the pinch and pressure points are (and fixing them) I understand why others do.

FYI as far as costs: New bone nut $60 installed...not a lot to pay to fix what Gibson doesn't do right at the factory on all of their guitars.
 
thank you guys for all this answers!

sure i'm gonna take my lp to a luthier to have a proper job done...but my concern is if it will have its finish compromised when he'll take off the plastic nut it has now....even if he cut properly the finish he is still cutting it!...know what i mean... :confused:
 
They are only held in by a drop of glue. My guy just took a razor and went across the clear and it came right off with no issues. He fit the graphite nut on and besides the color of the nut (oh that dont sound good). You cant tell the difference. Just make sure you go to a guy that has experince with doing nuts. (OH NO)
I also would go with the graphite over the bone. Stays in tune better. Dont listen to the BS about bone having better tone to it. After you fret a chord it doesnt matter what the nut is made of. I went through this big debate about bone being the best. Graphite works better for tuning issues and if you didnt know what it was made of you wouldnt know the difference between it and bone. I had both.
 
B. Ste":3i1tt162 said:
cool! but do you guys think that a tusq nut will work too and mantain the tone? or go first with the big bends nut sauce??

'cause i would have go through a definitive solution...and have it done FOREVER :lol: :LOL:
Click to expand...

A new nut would help. I'm not a fan of the plastic ones Gibson uses.
The nut sauce is no different than using pencil lead/graphite.

I put a bone nut on my LP and it stays in tune much better.
I have the stock nut on my Strats w/ pencil lead: I can dive bomb and they never go out of tune.
 
parntz145":1v8gxffq said:
I also would go with the graphite over the bone. Stays in tune better. Dont listen to the BS about bone having better tone to it. After you fret a chord it doesnt matter what the nut is made of. I went through this big debate about bone being the best. Graphite works better for tuning issues and if you didnt know what it was made of you wouldnt know the difference between it and bone. I had both.
Click to expand...


The string is still vibrating behind were it is being fretted and the vibrations will go back into the neck through the nut. I have changed out way too many nuts from one material to another to believe your BS.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top