Guitar not staying in tune?

[BoneDigger]

I bought my daughter a small cheap guitar to learn on and it won't stay in tune. It's a small parlor sized guitar.

Is this probably the tuners? Or are there other possibilities?

Todd

[Dru Edwards]

It could very well be the tuners. Cheap guitars (as you put it) tend to have cheap tuners. It could also be that the strings are slipping and not put on correctly. I'll also add that perhaps the intontation is way off. Are you able to check the intonation?

[jgmaute]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

I bought my daughter a small cheap guitar to learn on and it won't stay in tune. It's a small parlor sized guitar.

Is this probably the tuners? Or are there other possibilities?

Todd

If you got the guitar from a local music.guitar store you can take it to them and have them check it out. If you bought it online and you can return it that's an option. If it's the tuners, depending on what you paid for the guitar, a new set of decent tuners may cost more than the guitar. You can also check to make sure the tuners are tight, sometimes (if you're lucky), you just need to tighten the screw in the middle of the gear of the tuner...hey, could happen! Besides not staying in tune, how's the action on the guitar? Is it such that your daughter will be discouraged trying to learn? Good luck to you and your daughter.

[Tunes]

It can only be two things, bad tuners or strings not properly installed.

If you know how to put strings on, try that.

I suspect just bad tuners. This is a common problem with really cheap guitars.

I would have suggested a used guitar, since you can often get something quite ddecent for low dollars.

[BoneDigger]

As a little more info. This is a JR Reynolds JR12S student guitar which I paid less than 100 for new. The size is 34" which is probably actually smaller than a true parlor sized guitar.

The tuners have no name on them but seem tight.

Todd

[devellis]

If the strings are nylon, they could still be stretching out and stabilizing. That can take a while with nylon. Steel strings settle in much faster.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

...are there other possibilities?

Hi Todd...

Yes there are quite a few possibilities.

Three which involve strings come to mind…

• Strings too new and not seated yet.
• Strings too old and deteriorating.
• Strings not installed properly and not seated under the bridgeplate.

You have not mentioned if it's steel or nylon string, so I presumed steel.

If nylon, then only the first two would apply.

[Tony Burns]

usually those kind of guitars sit somewhere for a couple of years before they hit the market -take those strings off and put on new ones -yes tuners are a possibility but not as big of a culprit .

this reminds of an incident i witnessed in a music store about ten years ago, where a kid brought his guitar into the music store to get it tuned . He told the salespaerson that he didnt understand it , it was in tune when he bought it ?

[Paikon]

if nylon perhaps the strings are not correctly installed on tuners

[BoneDigger]

I have replaced the strings and went with extra light gauge strings this time. The strings are seated well, and should be fine. It appears the tuners may be lower end Ping brand, but that's conjecture based on comparing them at the local store.

Todd

[Diamond Dave]

Originally Posted by Tony Burns

He told the salespaerson that he didnt understand it , it was in tune when he bought it ?

I've heard that a few times on various forums--people say the shop said the guitar was "ready to play" but why does it sound so bad?

They don't understand you have to take 15 seconds and tune it every time you pick it up. That doesn't mean it won't be in tune, it just means you need to check.

[steveyam]

Right. Here's the real answer.

First off, it is very unlikely to be the tuners. Even so called worn out tuners are quite capable of maintaining tuning if everything else is fine.

It will be one, or a combination of the following:

1) Strings not fitted properly
2) Strings not stretched properly
3) Old strings
4) Nut slots poorly cut
5) Nut slots not lubricated

Trust me, those are the five major causes of tuning problems. Fact. If you are not capable of assessing those issues, take the guitar to a known, knowledgeable tech who can sort those issues out and also advise how to go forwards with those issues. Otherwise PM me and I'll be happy to help with a more detailed answer on a specific issue.