Gibson SG 61 RE TUNING ISSUES

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RocknRolln

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Sep 30, 2015
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The tuning keys do not seem to grab as well as they should, when I wail away I end up needing to retune after every song. its annoying as all f#@!%!!!!! Is there a drop in direct replacement for the 61 RE that are locking tuners? I would prefer locking because this retune nonsense is getting old real fast. Other than the obvious tuning issue its an amazing guitar. Help would be greatly appreciated thanks
 
Gibsons are tuning-sensitive. If it has a standard gibson head you have 3 tuning keys on each side, which means the G an D strings in particular are bent towards the outside of the headstock..
This is an opportunity for energy to be stored in the top part of the string. If the string is not sliding freely in the nut (and how can it, this a friction point) there is the possibility that the tension on top is different from the rest of the string.
There are a couple things you can do here:
1. take a pencil and rub a bit of graphite in the string slot. this will help the string slide freely in its slot.
2. flex the neck of the guitar a bit when you are warming up, to give it a good "set." this is a must for gibsons. Be nice to the guitar, but let it know who's boss.
3. Stretch the strings thoroughly before you start playing, and before you tune
4. String quality is a factor. I wear out my Ds and Gs faster than any others.. I like Elixir strings but i think they use cheap steel and the G strings wear out pretty fast, so I replace them after maybe 8-10 hours playing. that's just the Gs and Ds, not the whole set.
Fenders are easier to keep in tune because the strings run directly, straight through the nut. No kinks, no energy jam.
Remember, NEW strings sound infinitely better than older ones. Guitar players don't like to hear this because they don't like changing strings. Get an electric string winder and you will hate it less.
 

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