G string out of tune

[HoldThatSound]

Haha! He said g string!

Now that we got that out of the way...

I have a fender strat. as long as I can remember my g string could never really get in tune, it is always a little bit off. And if it ever does get in tune, it stays for about one song I play. That's the only one that seems to have a problem. I just play for fun in my bedroom by the way.

Is there anything I can adjust that would help? I change the strings every few months so that's not the problem

[Like The Nick]

hey man, sounds like it's an intonation problem. Most fenders intonate horribly. I'd recommending bringing to a local shop and see if they can have it set up nicely for you, they may be able to fix set it up better

[patrickhowell]

Even when intonated correctly, it is pretty common for a G string to play out of tune, especially the lower frets. Here are a few things you can try to figure out what your problem is:

1) Nut Height: Hold down the string between the 2nd and 3rd fret, as if you're fretting the note at the 3rd fret. With this held down, look at the gap between the 1st fret and the string. It should not be touching, but it should be the smallest possible gap. If the gap is larger than it should be (and stock guitars often are), then your notes low on the fretboard will be out of tune. If you think think this might be an issue, have it looked at by a professional.

2) Intonation: Tune your guitar with a tuner. Once everything is in tune, check the tuning of each string at the 12th fret. If anything is out of tune, then the intonation on your guitar is not set up properly. I know it's kind of intimidating, but it's not very hard to fix. If this is a problem, I can walk you through intonating your own guitar.

3) Truss Rod: Hold down the low E string on the first and last frets on your guitar. If you have a capo, you can use that at the first fret so you still have a free hand. Look at the 8th and 9th frets. The string should be close to the frets, but not touching them... about the width of a business card or a couple sheets of paper. A lot of people are scared to adjust their truss rods, but as long as you don't go crazy with it, you won't hurt anything.

The bad news: once all of those are set up perfect, your G string will still be out of tune. I switched to using a wound G string and that has worked much better for me, but you will never be able to get perfect intonation everywhere on your guitar. It's actually impossible.

[NateThruman]

Also make sure that the guitar is strung really well and that you stretch the string well too. G-strings are the toughest for sure, but you'll get the hang of it.

[ClydeMcAllister]

hey man, sounds like it's an intonation problem. Most fenders intonate horribly. I'd recommending bringing to a local shop and see if they can have it set up nicely for you, they may be able to fix set it up better

lol wat

[patrickhowell]

lol wat

Yeah, I didn't really get that either...

[Ryan Rumsey]

Its the curse of the g string. That sucker goes out of tune quicker than any other string.

[bradsonemanband]

Its the curse of the g string. That sucker goes out of tune quicker than any other string.

amen

[patrickhowell]

Its the curse of the g string. That sucker goes out of tune quicker than any other string.

Switching to a wound string totally solved that problem for me: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=wound+third

[AndrewCloer]

Switching to a wound string totally solved that problem for me: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=wound+third

Wound strings don't bend as well.

[patrickhowell]

Wound strings don't bend as well.

That's true. There's no perfect solution, but that's the compromise that works best for me.

[MaydayU]

The evil G string.....

[ibmx08]

the g string on most guitars is a bit harder to get in tune and keep it there, but i like these tips

Even when intonated correctly, it is pretty common for a G string to play out of tune, especially the lower frets. Here are a few things you can try to figure out what your problem is:

1) Nut Height: Hold down the string between the 2nd and 3rd fret, as if you're fretting the note at the 3rd fret. With this held down, look at the gap between the 1st fret and the string. It should not be touching, but it should be the smallest possible gap. If the gap is larger than it should be (and stock guitars often are), then your notes low on the fretboard will be out of tune. If you think think this might be an issue, have it looked at by a professional.

2) Intonation: Tune your guitar with a tuner. Once everything is in tune, check the tuning of each string at the 12th fret. If anything is out of tune, then the intonation on your guitar is not set up properly. I know it's kind of intimidating, but it's not very hard to fix. If this is a problem, I can walk you through intonating your own guitar.

3) Truss Rod: Hold down the low E string on the first and last frets on your guitar. If you have a capo, you can use that at the first fret so you still have a free hand. Look at the 8th and 9th frets. The string should be close to the frets, but not touching them... about the width of a business card or a couple sheets of paper. A lot of people are scared to adjust their truss rods, but as long as you don't go crazy with it, you won't hurt anything.

The bad news: once all of those are set up perfect, your G string will still be out of tune. I switched to using a wound G string and that has worked much better for me, but you will never be able to get perfect intonation everywhere on your guitar. It's actually impossible.