setup question: warble

[Forrest]

I don't think I have the knowledge to ask this question correctly, or I'd just be googling. So maybe someone can give me a hint about where to start looking.

What part of your guitar setup (if any) affects the "warble" in the vibration of your strings? Since I started using a strobe tuner, I can see as well as hear the "spikes" in pitch as the string vibration dies down. I notice that the behaviour of the sound is somewhat different on different guitars, strings, bridge types, etc. I've also noticed that some guitars, even when tuned as well as possible, have a dissonant, warbly sound. The strobing tuner shows 4 octave bands - sometimes they jump around, or move in opposite directions at the same time. The manual is frustratingly uninformative about what information is really being shown. Is there a way to get a more pure sound?

[Trussrod]

If the strings are too close to the pups the pup magnets might cause this.

[Forrest]

Thanks...I actually tried messing with pickup height to see if I could hear a difference. However, I even hear this with piezo guitars, like the variax. So there must at least something else that's also a factor.

[Trussrod]

Could something be loose, e. g., the trem pivot posts in the ferrules? I would secure anything that might vibrate.

[CKJ]

Are the guitars equipped w/ FR's or string thru etc? Usually when I buy a used guitar the very first thing I do is replace almost all the hardware & electrical. People will clamp down on the nut bolts and cause grooves in the nut base and do the same for the saddles in the bridge. As stated above, anything that is loose you will lose the purity of your sound.

[Argos]

I use a Peterson strobe as well; I'm an absolute crazy anal stubborn asshole when it comes to being perfectly in tune. If you messed with the pickups, we'll rule that out. We'll also rule out any hardware issues like bridges because you're saying it happens on multiple guitars. Also, check your signal chain before we diagnose any further: shitty cables, wiring, jacks, etc can cause noise that can mess with a sensitive tuner.

Tell me:

Sounds more like an intonation problem, so does it happen on open strings as well?

What tuning are you using?

What string gauges are you using?

Are you using proper tuning technique? If you don't know what that is let me know.

Strobe tuners can be seriously frustrating when you first start using them. We'll get you sorted out.

[dg]

The theory behind tuning a guitar string is based on the concept of a string that is held perfectly still at each end to give you a pure fundamental tone when the string is plucked. On a guitar in the real world, everything is moving slightly. The neck vibrates, the bridge and nut are in motion relative to each other, etc., so you get much more than the pure fundamental vibration. Each guitar is going to oscillate differently because of all of the variables involved. The bottom line is that tuning & intonating a guitar almost always involves a little bit of compromise, and you can drive yourself nuts with a good strobe tuner.

[Argos]

^

dg hit it on the head.

Strobe tuners are a blessing and a curse. You'll sound better, but you'll drive yourself nuts trying to get everything to sit still.

Make sure you are:

Holding the guitar in playing position so the neck isn't pulling anything sharp.

Tuning up to the notes, not down to them.

Use the neck pickup.

Turn your tone control all the way down.

Use your fingertip, not a pick, to minimize string excursion as much as possible.

Pick the string over the 12th fret, not down by the pickups, to maximize the fundamental and minimize harmonics.

If you're using a guitar with a tremolo, you can use tissue paper to dampen the noise of the tremolo springs if you really want to get into it.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

^

dg hit it on the head.

Strobe tuners are a blessing and a curse. You'll sound better, but you'll drive yourself nuts trying to get everything to sit still.

Make sure you are:

Holding the guitar in playing position so the neck isn't pulling anything sharp.

Tuning up to the notes, not down to them.

Use the neck pickup.

Turn your tone control all the way down.

Use your fingertip, not a pick, to minimize string excursion as much as possible.

Pick the string over the 12th fret, not down by the pickups, to maximize the fundamental and minimize harmonics.

If you're using a guitar with a tremolo, you can use tissue paper to dampen the noise of the tremolo springs if you really want to get into it.

Why turn the tone knob down?

[Argos]

Why turn the tone knob down?

Rolling off the high frequencies will help minimize harmonics and allow the tuner to pick up more of the fundamental.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

How's that saying go? Guitarists spend 3/4 of their time tuning, and the other 1/4 playing out-of-tune. :think:

Tuning/intonation is always a compromise. The recommendations Argos gives are dead-on for minimizing the overtones.

The only thing I can add is that sometimes, you gotta just say "Close enough for rock 'n roll" and forget about it, because the advice about a good strobe tuner driving you nuts is also spot on... You will never get the guitar perfectly tuned, you will never get the intonation perfect, and the guitar will always be out-of-tune with itself to some degree where notes will beat against each other, and no amount of fiddling around with the intonation or tuner will change that.

[Axewielder]

Be sure to remove the whammy bar when intonating

[6string40]

Make sure you are:

Tuning up to the notes, not down to them.

I've read that you should do the opposite for locking tuners. Any truth to that?

[Argos]

I've read that you should do the opposite for locking tuners. Any truth to that?

That's a trick for guitars with strat-type tremolos that have issues with the strings binding at the nut, and the strings coming up sharp after using the trem.

[6string40]

Good to know...thanks Argos!