PRS SE tuning problems

NY Guitarist

NY Guitarist

Power User
So I started to get settled in with the SE CU24 as a daily player that stays on a stand near my desk.

As I mentioned earlier the jack, switch and tuners are not great, at least on my particular guitar. But I have the mindset that I'll upgrade it over time.

I'm having wild tuning issues that make me think the nut is the problem. When I bend notes, use the trem, or just play it for awhile, it goes way out of tune. It seems like symptoms of the nut binding, except there's no telltale ping as the string releases and moves across the nut.

I've used nut lube with the same results, and went from 10-46 to 9-42 with no difference.

Could the nut material be just that bad that it grabs? Is there someplace else I should looking?
 
I just recently got a Holcomb SE, and even though technically they now come with Graphtech nuts, they're not quite as good as a Tusq XL. I had binding issues with it before I replaced the nut, and then gently widened the slots a very, very tiny bit. Now it plays like butter and the tuning is rock solid.
 
NY Guitarist said:
So I started to get settled in with the SE CU24 as a daily player that stays on a stand near my desk.

As I mentioned earlier the jack, switch and tuners are not great, at least on my particular guitar. But I have the mindset that I'll upgrade it over time.

I'm having wild tuning issues that make me think the nut is the problem. When I bend notes, use the trem, or just play it for awhile, it goes way out of tune. It seems like symptoms of the nut binding, except there's no telltale ping as the string releases and moves across the nut.

I've used nut lube with the same results, and went from 10-46 to 9-42 with no difference.

Could the nut material be just that bad that it grabs? Is there someplace else I should looking?
Click to expand...
Buy the PRS SE locking tuners or if the originals are a unique color, get John Mann to machine your tuners to the PRS style locking system.
 
Have the guitar properly set up. Tuning issues could be trem or nut. I took my 90s mic squier out of its “case” for maybe the second time in 2025 and it was perfectly in tune.
 
Budda said:
Have the guitar properly set up. Tuning issues could be trem or nut. I took my 90s mic squier out of its “case” for maybe the second time in 2025 and it was perfectly in tune.
Click to expand...
What indicators should I look for that would point to issues caused by the trem?

I'm still thinking the nut is the culprit so far but I don't have a lot of experience because I've honestly never had tuning issues like this before.

I'll won't be ale to get around to it until after the new year but appreciate all the advice and info!
 
NY Guitarist said:
What indicators should I look for that would point to issues caused by the trem?

I'm still thinking the nut is the culprit so far but I don't have a lot of experience because I've honestly never had tuning issues like this before.

I'll won't be ale to get around to it until after the new year but appreciate all the advice and info!
Click to expand...
I don't have any tremolo equipped guitars (many PRS ones) that don't have an ESP Arming Adjuster style tremolo stabilizer on them!
If set correctly, they get rid of 99.9% of tremolo tuning issues if you have locking tuners or a locking nut!
 
GLiDE BPM said:
I don't have any tremolo equipped guitars (many PRS ones) that don't have an ESP Arming Adjuster style tremolo stabilizer on them!
If set correctly, they get rid of 99.9% of tremolo tuning issues if you have locking tuners or a locking nut!
Click to expand...
Somehow this was never on my radar, I'll look into it. I have had a number of guitars, many of them PRS and this SE has me ready to toss it out.
 
skolacki said:
Get your tuner running. Push down behind the nut, the string will go sharp. Let go and see if it stays sharp. And bend a string and release. Does it go flat when you release? If so it’s probably the nut.
Click to expand...
Yep, that sounds like my situation. I guess next up is a nice Graphtech Tusq XL nut.

The list of fixes on this SE keeps getting longer. Time to put the S2 Standard on the stand and order a bunch of parts for the SE after I cool off.
 
NY Guitarist said:
Somehow this was never on my radar, I'll look into it. I have had a number of guitars, many of them PRS and this SE has me ready to toss it out.
Click to expand...
It works well. I set mine where it's technically dive only, but I can actually do pull backs hard or a little shimmer.
I can pop one string and make it to the end of a song. I can bend 3 strings at once and the trem won't dive.
But you can set it up any way that works for you!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom