Hi,
I play guitar for a long time, but I still have a lot to learn. I've found out that blues a la BB king, albert king, jimi hendrix, SRV,.. is what I would die for. I recently decided to have a guitar custom built because my old guitar almost detunes just because you look at it. The problem is probably the cheap Squ*er tuners. Maybe the inferior type of wood makes it sound as if it detunes when you play it, or maybe I press too hard on the strings when playing chords,... any of those reasons I ordered the custom
built telecaster thinline for. I haven't heard from the guy in some time, haven't payed him yet, I really need to contact him...
So he will ask me what I want so custom about it, but I really don't know much about these things. I just want to play again and have the freedom to bend as much as I want. I don't know if I need a floyd rose (I think it detunes the least) or another type of bridge. I presume a quality bridge of any kind togheter with quality mach. heads and nut and quality neck (wich would be slightly wider and SRV-shaped bigger) should always do the job.

So I ask someone: what would be the most logic and functional choice bridge for bending a lot in blues, up to 3/4/5 fret bends to be sure, without all that detuning. And would there be any difference in sound with the different types of bridges? I think maybe those l'll things that keep the EBG and D down near the tuners of a f*nder guitar influence tuning very badly. When you have a small dent in the string on the place where it used to press against the l'll thing, the string will always fall into it on the first occasion (such as bending)

And are there any other types of machine heads or nuts that stand for perfect tuning?

Last but far from least: restringing... everybody says they know how it should be done, but I've never heard 2 people do it the same way. Keeping tight, I know that... but I do struggle hard when restringing and I hate it. How many windings are ideal for 011/012-strings tuned in E or Eb. Can a telecaster thinline handle this?

IT's a lot of questions , I know, but I would be happy with any advise someone could give regarding tuning. I don't want to have these problems ever again and be sure about my new guitar. Maybe someone whó has never used the words tuning and frustration in the same sentence... what's your secret?


thanks from someone who is out of tune

This post has been edited by stevie ray hey hey hey: Apr 4 2010, 08:54 PM

Is a custom build really neccessary? You might aswell get a regular USA Fender Tele or Strat and let the guys at the store block the tremolo and set your guitar up properly...

Any good quality guitar is able to hold the tuning for blues bendings!

Sounds to me you think too much, even wondering about how many winding for 011 strings. Well if I knew that I'd be on the edge to insanity

Best way I think it to grab a couple LP's, Teles and Strats and rough em up at the music store. Make sure the strings are worn in but not too old. See if they stay in tune and... viola
I'd personaly stay off Floating tremolos if cute bends are your game. That's just me... and a few others.

Any decent guitar will stay in tune no matter how much you bend, no matter what kind of bridge you use.

That being said, fixed bridges are supposed to stay in tune better than floating ones.

Many blues players use and abuse strats, and they stay in tune. Many guitar heroes use floyd roe style bridges, abuse them, and stay in tune. Telecasters, SGs, LPs should stay in tune too, as they have fixed bridges.

Just get a good guitar (no need to be custom), and you'll forget about the problem

I'm gonna go with "Fixed Bridge" from both personal experience and quite a lot of famous blues players. While it's true you can also do these things with a trem (floating or strat-style dive only) you've got to make sure the unit has enough tension in the springs to keep from diving to compensate for your bend. More springs, the hipshot tremsetter device, the tremol-no device, or simply... a fixed bridge.

A floating bridge is generally added hardware/feature/expense, so get a real fixed bridge blues guitar if that's the style you most prefer.

I also would recommend that you don't do a custom job for now. Custom guitar is being ordered when you spend a lot of time with different guitars, know how they sound, and then you know exactly what you want and what not.

Another important thing is the fact that you don't have to necessarily spend a budget to get a guitar that will be good for bending, when your guitar can be probably fixed. Here are several things that you can do to try to prevent your guitar from detuning, before you get into the shopping frenzy.

1. Remove old strings, and clean the guitar (here's the tutorial)

2. Tighten up the screws on the back to achieve greater tension, and make your springs in this configuration (if you have only 3 springs like here, buy 2 more in local music store, and put them on)
http://cdn-www.expertvillage.com/showImage...ing-tension.jpg

3. as you tighten the screws and put new springs the bridge will start to rest on the body (compared to being in a floating position) like this:
http://www.blueskillet.com/images/Guitar%2...ontrols%202.JPG

4. Tighten the screws on the tuning pegs, like this:
http://cdn-www.expertvillage.com/showImage...tuning-pegs.jpg

5. Put new set of strings, and regularly replace the strings every month or so (if you practice and use guitar more than 4-5 hours per day, use Fastfret and change them every 1-2 weeks roughly). In order to learn to bend properly, don't go to far with gauge, I suggest 10-46 gauge of strings for starters, and then see if you need thicker ones.



There are many types of bridges out there, with some great new ones made from third party brands, like Schaller or Wilkinson, but it is just a matter of taste. Most logical choice is being determined what you prefer, and you can make good bending on any decent guitar with factory tremolo/bridge.


You can upgrade your machine heads with some third party ones. Grover and Schaller machine heads are very popular, they even put some basic models on upgraded factory guitars. Schaller has a range of locking tuners that is very popular, and widely used. They don't stand for perfect tuning, but they can increase performance up a notch on a guitar that is having troubles to stay in tune with standard machine heads.


check the restringing tutorial. These are not generalized rules, just the way I do my restringing, and in time the process evolves, you get better at it, and make your own way of doing it. Try to absorb ideas and do it your own way. Remember this with any kind of guitar job: If you are struggling too hard, you are most likely doing something wrong.



Even the best of players experience string detunings here and there, and with experience you learn to spot the problem and correct it on the go. For the end, I again advise you to consider getting a finished guitar that you can try out in the store and see if it works well for you. You don't need to get a custom job for now, as those guitars require good knowledge about what you will end up with.

If you need anything else, ask

waaw, thank you very much. I did get much wiser. Nice to know you guys... respect