Video Question: Tuning Issues

Return to Video Question and Answer Listings
Date: November 5th, 2007 | Length: 3.17 | Instructor: David MacKenzie

Bridgmanbomb asks: "Hi I am new to the guitar and I just got an Ibanez guitar with a tremolo. Recently ive been having trouble tuning it and I think its because of the tremolo. Its easy to tune one string but whenever I tune another string it messes up the tuning of the other strings. I also notice my tremolo keeps rising whenever i try tuning. Do you have any tips thanks- David" Another benefit of being a member of JamPlay is the video response section. Our expert staff fields questions from our members and provides video responses each week.

Other Video Responses:

- July 10th, 2008 (4 minutes, 70 seconds)

Luelennon asks, "Hello everybody, my question is the following: I play the guitar (by ear and have a very basic musical knowledge) but have always played rhythm. I would like to learn lead. What would you say would be the best way to start? I am now trying to learn to read tablatures, but there are a lot of terms that I don´t know what do they mean ( Riff, Fill, etc), about this, is there any lesson regarding how to read the tablature? Thank you very much. Regards Lue" View Response

Amplifier Setup - October 10th, 2007 (2 minutes, 70 seconds)

Merlin says, "Hi David, I am just new to the site and I can tell you I am already reaping the benefits. Your lesson technique is invaluable to the likes of me. One area that I have been very frustrated with over the years is the setup of amplifiers the dos the don'ts. quite simply the how to... Is there any chance that a lesson could be developed purely on this topic? I have a peavey studio pro which I can create sound from but feel that I have far from mastered its capabilities. In anticipation Wayne Pearce" View Response

Guitar Action - April 28th, 2008 (2 minutes, 13 seconds)

Jdemail78 asks, "I hear a lot about guitar action but I'm not really sure what is good or bad. I had purchased an acoustic guitar that I believe had very low action (strings were very close to the neck of the guitar) and it was very easy to play but it ended up having some issues with fret buzz and other ringing sounds that I did not like and could not get corrected at the local guitar shop. I've since replaced it with a little bit better guitar and I no longer have any fret buzz nor do I have any ringing sounds but it seems like the action is higher (strings are much higher off the neck of the guitar) and therefore, for me as a beginner, it is harder to play. My question is when it comes to an experienced guitar player (which I am not...yet...) is it good to have a guitar with higher action or lower action? What would one typically prefer? Do really nice expensive guitars come with very low action making them easy to play but don't have any buzzing issues or is it a case where as you get better, higher action is ok because your better at fretting chords and notes? My curiosity with this comes from a hope that the guitar I have now, with it's strings higher off the fret board, will slowly become easier to play as I get better and I'll become ok with the higher action because it does sound better and cleaner than the one I had with the lower action. Also, please correct me if I have the "high action" "low action" descriptions backwards." View Response

PRS guitars - November 19th, 2007 (5 minutes, 90 seconds)

Mathias76 asks "I have noticed that Brad and Matt play PRS. It's a very open question, but why did you choose them? I am in the market to buy a top quality guitar, and I keep flip-flopping between a PRS Custom 22/24 and a Les Paul Standard. I know the textbook answer is to "play both of them and see which one you like more," but I was wondering why YOU chose them. Thanks- Nathan" View Response

Classical Guitar Strap - June 9th, 2008 (2 minutes, 19 seconds)

admira asks, "Hi. I watched Steve Eulberg say it's easy to drill holes in an acoustic guitar and screw strap buttons in it. I have a classical (nylon string) guitar, and I want to know if there's absolutely no problem doing so. Can't it damage the sound of the guitar or something like that? In addition, I noticed Willie Nelson uses a somewhat strange guitar strap, on his classical guitar, which attaches to the bottom of the guitar's sound hole. Is this considered to be a better solution for a classical guitar? Could it too damage my guitar somehow? Thank you very much, Eran." View Response