Tuning stability of my MM Blues

[carreau]

Hi all,

I own a MM Blues and I recognize an unbelievable stability of the Tuning. I Tune the guitar once and even after 2 month having the Guitar inside and outside the guitar is perfectly in tune. Do you share the same experience?  Is this normal for metal body Guitars or are the tuners that perfect? I am really impressed. I use MM nickel 0.15 Strings.

Regards
Thomas

[pete1951]

Most guitars are all wood, so small variation in humidity can cause a change in tuning. A reso body ( even a wooden one) is much more solidly built. The neck of a ‘traditional ‘ reso is also a little wider and stiffer than a standard acoustic. ( this also lets players use very heavy strings without the neck bending) Also heavy strings stay in tune better than light ones.

That said, most tuning problems come from the way the strings are fitted or friction in the nut, well fitted strings don’t move far.

Sounds like your nut and strings were done right,
Pete

[Pickers Ditch]

I concur Pete.

I've never understood why people keep changing tuners without ensuring that the nut is cut properly for the strings which are fitted.

I've got a few old guitars which have atrocious, stiff, notchy, original tuners on them but because the nut has been cut and finished properly, they tune up and stay in tune with no problems.

Look after your nuts, people!

[vastopol]

True ; nut are a very important part specially on a resonator instrument.
And saddle too !
How many lads I've seen changing cones, biscuits, anything they found, before even set up properly saddle and bridge...and for my damnation, if you play intensively long and hard, this saddle had to be reshapped from time to time...
How it could kill the tone is very underestimated, (perhaps even more on tricones).

Old Nationals are prone to detune under weather variations, sometimes with spectacular effect due to the very thin metal sheet used to make their two piece body(very funny when you play outside, with a light breeze and a cloudy sky, but nowadays not much old Nationals still play outside due to their value...) , most modern reinterpretations are made in three piece, with stiffer material, that offers more stability too.

[thinline72]

Hi Thomas,

Yes, I'm also very pleasantly surprised on how well and long my MM Blues reso stays in tune. I don't think I've had such experience with any other guitar so far.

[slide496]

Ongoing changing and shifting on my 50-70's parlors with floating bridges is the norm , also my Highway61 Res which is a metal body, more so in the dry condition of NYC winter - the metal body res and the the parlors are about equal in shifting off tune, but the highway is a travel size and that may have something to do with it.

H

[Denbo]

Jun 9, 2022 6:00:29 GMT carreau said:

Hi all,

I own a MM Blues and I recognize an unbelievable stability of the Tuning. I Tune the guitar once and even after 2 month having the Guitar inside and outside the guitar is perfectly in tune. Do you share the same experience?  Is this normal for metal body Guitars or are the tuners that perfect? I am really impressed. I use MM nickel 0.15 Strings.

Regards
Thomas

Hi Thomas,
I concur, I’m stunned how long my MM Blues stays in tune, and I freely admit to not changing strings until they’re desperate. Also, I have 0.13 MM Newtone Monels on it, and I’m not what you’d call a delicate picker. 

[chromatic]

I've found that a lot of complaints about guitars going out of tune were rooted in strings not being put on properly. Too many windings usually

Cheers