Wholeheartedly agree with sandman… You know how when tuning by harmonics you can hear the two string’s relative resonant harmonic frequencies shifting as you close in on the correct tuning, when you’re even a little out of perfect tuning those resonant harmonics interact destructively like waves in a ripple tank cancelling each other out… In perfect tune they are in unison and everything sounds clearer sharper and better with improved sustain and projection… Plus it’s better ear training in the long run so you can hear a A# or whatever in a recording and mentally know where it is on the fretboard before you play it… Like sandman said, unless you’ve got perfect pitch and well preserved hearing you’ll be amazed how much fine tuning is necessary on a guitar you thought was tuned by ear…
I used one of these clip on Seiko ones for ages with no complaints, they’re small, inconspicuous and they work great although only really in fairly noise free environments because they’re sensing neck vibrations… seiko-sl.co.jp/english/music … /stx1.html
In a band environment and/or on stage I now use one of these, I can’t recommend it highly enough, true bypass with rock solid super fast and accurate tuning, a marked improvement on BOSS’s ubiquitous TU-2… korg.com/Product.aspx?pd=295
Yeah, I can hear the ripples, and can hear them augment or diminish as ‘beats’ as I get closer or farther from perfect unison. I have never, ever been able to have any kind of absolute pitch, however. Couldn’t tell you what note something is to save my life, not even relative to another note more than a step or two away. That made playing the French horn difficult. And I didn’t realize my guitar was tuned down an entire step until I checked a tuner.
And of course, especially with a classical-style guitar, tuning down a whole step is not going to put the optimum forces on your soundboard, so it won’t resonate in the way it was designed to do, while the slacker string tension on a non-trussed neck will affect the action and intonation, too. It all works together, like.
Concert pitch. They frequently ship gits tuned down to avoid putting undue strain on the instruments during transit. Normally, the shop’s guitar tech would do a complete set-up for all the incoming instruments before putting them on the racks. Normally.
The fact that it came off the shop’s rack slack-stringed suggests its had no set-up at all since leaving the factory, so you’re trusting the ear and eye of some harried QC flunkey on the end of the assembly line at the Yamaha factory.
Not sure what kind of set-up is required or necessary for a classical guitar, but I usually expect to spend several hours at least setting up a new guitar before its even fit to play, far less playing at its best.
I doubt it’s very bad for it. A step lower is not so much. I wish I could start playing again. Now that both kids are in elementary school, I might be able to find some time. This guitar talk has made me miss it.
Not BAD bad (although in Taiwan’s humidity the lowered forces playing on the neck, bridge, and soundboard might have an adverse effect over time, but I’m really not certain about that). Just not optimum. Your guitar will feel, sound and play better if its properly set up and properly tuned to the correct pitch. You should leave it like that, in fact, and tune down only when you actually want to play if you really find it more pleasing, which I doubt you will – its difficult to get tuned-down nylons to sound not flubby.
[quote=“Buttercup”]It will lose its tuning the less tightly it is wound. Like a lady.[/quote]Ladies have tuning and they can loose it? Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong.
Hell yes!
Even so, the obverse is equally true.
I myself am personally responsible for the tightening up of at least 5 loose women over the years, if memory serves…
Yeah I know. It would have been a blast. Sadly, at that time I was working morning and afternoon shifts, and I was the only foreign teacher in the school - calling in sick wasn’t an option. It would be cool to get together and play some.
Anyone planning on going to the show at Bobwundaye’s on Saturday? Classical, Flamenco, blues guitarist and another acoustic guitarist who I should know.Perhaps we could talk about it then. I am thinking of going. If anyone else is thinking of going let me know so we know what to look for, or maybe can reserve a table (if it is possible to do there).
Hell yes!
Even so, the obverse is equally true.
I myself am personally responsible for the tightening up of at least 5 loose women over the years, if memory serves…[/quote]
Had anyone ever had trouble with a slight buzz on a D or A string right after changing strings? Is this because I went from high to medium tension strings?
I had inexpensive nylon Martins on before (Martin classical guitar strings, silverplated, plain end, [color=#0000FF]high tension[/color], .028 to .043. NT$170 a set, at Tony’s), and finally one broke yesterday (I know, I should have changed them before it got that far).
Since they were overdue anyway, I changed the whole set one by one to d’Addarios, classical, [color=#BF0040]medium tension[/color], and then started noticing a slight buzz on A and a slightly more pronounced buzz on D; not sure if it’s fret buzz or something internal, as I don’t have the experience to tell the difference.
The guitar is a Yamaha entry-level classical guitar (CG101-A), and the weather is extremely humid this week, in case that’s relevant. Should I just see if this persists as the new strings settle in, or should I have the guitar looked at, or should I switch back to higher tension strings? Has anyone had this happen, and if so, how did you solve it?
I’d wait and see if they settle in. A change in string tension will sometimes affect the straightness of the neck, in which case a truss rod adjustment may be necessary, but you’d be better only going there as a last resort.
I’ll play it a few more days before panicking, thanks! BTW, Plasmatron said earlier in the thread that “The majority of classical guitars don’t have a truss rod in the neck”.
Other than the slight buzz, these new d’Addarios do sound nice – not just nicer than the Martins when they were about to break, but nicer than the Martins were back when they were new. Even Dragonbabe noticed, and she’s tone-deaf.
Over time, I’ll definitely be trying some of the other strings people have recommended, like the Hannabach Special Edition Silver, the Augustines, and so on. I have two identical guitars, so I may even put a different kind on the other one and play them side by side.
I’ll play it a few more days before panicking, thanks! BTW, Plasmatron said earlier in the thread that “The majority of classical guitars don’t have a truss rod in the neck”.
Other than the slight buzz, these new d’Addarios do sound nice – not just nicer than the Martins when they were about to break, but nicer than the Martins were back when they were new. Even Dragonbabe noticed, and she’s tone-deaf.
Over time, I’ll definitely be trying some of the other strings people have recommended, like the Hannabach Special Edition Silver, the Augustines, and so on. I have two identical guitars, so I may even put a different kind on the other one and play them side by side. [/quote]
I don’t want to know how you’re planning on strumming…
