Hi, I use a Strat and have removed the tremelo arm as I dont require it but I use plenty of string bending. This screws up the tuning half way through. I am getting a new custom made Les Paul for which I thought I will just use the nut lock but the guitar maker told me that Nut Lock cannot be put on the guitar without a Floyd Rose. I couldn't understand the reason behind it. Any ideas why nut lock cannot be done for a Les Paul. I have tried lot of stringing suggestions to keep the guitar in tune but when I do a lot of bends the tuning just gets kappoot. Any good + less expensive ideas to hold my guitar in tune.
I don't see why you can't use a Locking Nut but For some reason you will never find a Locking Nut on a Les Paul unless it come with a Floyd rose tremelo systems. There are a few Limited Edition Les pauls that do feature a Floyd rose or similar Tremelo system. However , Les Pauls normally come with Locking tuners which prevent detuning unless you want to. The best Namely : Grover , Schaller and Gotoh Tuners.
@ Ronnie.. the reason may be that The strings will loose the tension on other types of bridges.. Its different with FR bridges..
I dont want a tremelo system and I am getting this Les Paul custom built, so I have to tell the guitarmaker what I need to hold the guitar in tune. This locking tuners seems to be a good idea. Any light on it and how much would that cost and where I can get. Rawalpindi, try bending strings to 2 or 3 frets often and then you will know how you can lose tuning. Maybe you never bend your strings.
the good locking nuts are 4k upwards. But the local tulsi ones that my friend has on his custom made Beast is about 2k.
String the Guitar perfectly (The Art) This should probably clear your doubts and solve your problem. Read carefully as I'm not a good writer. I play in a band and my rhythm guitarist uses Kramer with Floyd rose/locking nut where as I use a Fender start with a tremolo, with no locking nut of course. I play lead and he plays rhythm. I do bending but he doesn't. After each song he tunes his guitar, but I don't... Because his guitar goes out of tune slightly after playing one song but my guitar remains tuned even though my guitar doesn't have a locking nut. What I mean to say is that keeping the guitar in tune doesn’t necessarily need a Floyd Rose and a locking nut for some reasons. I will add more about this later.. along with this reply. Locking nut is installed on the neck because the bridge has a Floyd rose. You must be knowing the mechanism of a Floyd rose and a tremolo bar and its differences, so you shouldn't be having doubts. As you know, Floyd Rose works both ways (tightening the string and loosening the strings) when you manipulate the handle, but a simple tremolo will only loosens the strings. Now when you pull the handle of a Floyd Rose upwards, the strings tighten up which undoubtedly will affect the tuning of the guitar, as you are applying more tension to the strings. This is the time when the locking nut does its Job i.e maintaining the guitar to stay in tune. Floyd rose without a locking nut would be like, trying to drown a tube filled with air. The tuning will go haywire. A tremolo bar doesn’t need a locking nut at all because you are only pressing down the tremolo, you’re not pulling it up like you do on a Floyd rose. But it doesn’t mean you can’t pull up the tremolo, I sometimes pull it up one note higher, but at this juncture the guitar goes out of tune sometimes. Is your doubt clear now? Get the tremolo out of your drawer and swing it like crazy!!! Now lets try to solve your main problem. Firstly, Don’t use an Indian made strings, it is not only difficult to play but it also damages your frets. Secondly, I’ll tell you how I remain in tune. Hope you get something useful and helpful out of it. I use Fender Strings Nickel plated Steel Super 250 (.008 - .038) I sometimes use Fender Original bullets and Ernie Ball (same size) but the Super 250 is my favorite. If I play guitar everyday I change the whole set within two-three weeks. I never go beyond one month, because the strings tend to lose tension after some time and even if I tune the guitar exactly, it sounds FLAT when I play notes on the higher frets. I never cut the length of the strings which are manufactured longer than you think you need, except for the low E string, A and D strings. Since they are thick I cut about 4-8 inches according to the thickness.. Thicker the string,the more length i cut. Let me tell you how I wind-up my high E string. I put the string into the keyhole after passing thru the bridge, of course. I allow only about an inch of the string to pass through the keyhole. Then I tighten the string a bit (about half of a circle) and then without interrupting the circle I’ve made, I pull the string towards the body and place the string on its position on the nut with my right hand. Then I hold the string from the middle of the string with my right hand and pull it or push it towards any side of the guitar and let it remain tight (remember the guitar is lying flat with frets facing upwards) The next thing I do is wind up the string with my left hand, letting the first circle made remain on top of the string holder and let the new circle occupy the space below as the string holder make more circles. The last circle I make remains closest to the guitar head. And remember, I don’t leave my right hand while doing this.. IF you keep the right hand in a position where the string remains tight after the first circle, the circles you make will automatically pull your right hand along with the string towards the fret(guitar), but don’t apply too much force on your right hand. Next thing I do is, tighten up the rest of the strings in the same manner and tune it until I reach a proper key i.e something near standard tuning E B G D A E. No need to be exact, as you haven’t finished tuning now. Then I pull off the strings two/three times away from the fret board with my inder and thumb. You can also do lots of bending to let the strings go out of tune. Once you feel that the string is loose enough, try tightening it again and do the bending and pulling ups again. I repeat this process for about four-five times. That means I’m re-tuning my guitar strings for over forty times all together before I sit down and SHRED. All the best.
The Art Continued [check ups] Another thing i forgot to mention - if that doesn't work, compress the springs on the bridge by tightening the screws. By doing this, the individual string rests will not dislocate while playing, keeping your guitar in tune.
What is the difference between EDGE Pro and Floyd Rose. Both looks to be the same in the pictures I got from the web.
The Edge Pro (and its variants, the Edge Pro II and the ZR) are licensed tremolo systems developed by Japanese guitar-maker Ibanez which are similar in design to the Floyd Rose but have been redesigned to address some of the drawbacks of the original Floyd Rose design. They usually feature in higher-end Ibanez guitars like some of the higher-end RGs and the RG Prestige series. More info on the actual tremolo systems here https://www.jemsite.com/news/edge2003/
Hey Jayanth, I dont wanna have a floating tremelo like Edge Pro or Floyd Rose in a Les Paul. I just want some good mechanism to hold the guitar in tune. Without screwing up the look of a Les Paul, I just want some mechanism to hold it in tune always. I am going this weekend to Chennai to order the guitar with Specs of Les Paul Supreme. Just tell me one thing. If I insist that guy to put a nut lock in my Les Paul, will that affect the guitar in anyway. Another question. Will that nut lock really help in holding the guitar in tune.
The Nut Lock's feature wholly depends on the Locking tremolo.. Keeping guitar in tune is kind of a herculean task with the Limits you are putting.. I suggest you tell him to do the same as the Edge Pro.. Because It looks different.. and will look better than FR.. Check out Marty Friedmans New Guitar.. Ibanez SZ series.. Check out the hardware and tryy to get the same..
