Locking tuners on Ibanez Jem.

Honestly John I've never had a need to time it but typically I change strings same gauge, same brand and I neither have to mess with the action or harmonics. It takes just a few seconds to ramp (back) up to tuning range.

Then I tune it to the edge of the bend which takes less than a minute for all 6 strings. Then each string is usually slightly sharp or flat primarily due to old string tuning vs new string tuning. At that point I go thru the tuning 2 or 3 times on the strobe just like I would any other guitar for fine tuning.

Difference is at this point there is no string stretch tuning dump. Yeah the strings stretch but the guitar stays 100% in tune so brand new strings aren't a buzz kill for rehearsal or studio work. Just a guess but I think it takes me 20 to 30 minutes to go from destring to playing but that includes a fretboard treatment and wax. Aside from the babying and soaking time I'm guessing 10 to 15 minutes?
 
Difference is at this point there is no string stretch tuning dump.
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@mwd
Sorry but english is not my mother tongue; i'm still learning some guitar vocabulary, specially when it concerns evertune :D
What does it mean?

Yeah the strings stretch but the guitar stays 100% in tune
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You mean evertune creates more tension on the strings than regular fixed bridges?
Well it's a little compromise...
 
Both statements basically meaning that all new strings will stretch but on the Evertune the string stretch on a new set of strings is compensated for. So it doesn't need 'break in' time.

On my regular bridge guitars I will restring then play and intentionally stretch the strings to hold tuning. Not necessary on Evertune bridge.
 
@mwd
uh-huh! Well that's a huge bonus for me, as I like fresh strings before a concert, without needing to play or stretch them much.

You don't stretch them at all?
I don't like stretching 11-49's on E tuning too much, as they become too stiff. So it will be awesome to stretch them less, and have more comfort, without worrying about going out of tune :)
 
No I just install, tune, fine tune and play. An Evertune bridge keeps them in tune. But you would have to check if you are thinking about retrofitting an Evertune bridge to a Jem. Not sure it can be done. My Evertune guitar is an ESP MH-1000ET and the ET bridge was stock.
 


Jem with Evertune!

Btw, if for any reason (i know it would be rare), you need to tune your guitar live between a song; you can't do it without the fine tuning key?
 
John Atanasoff said:
Btw, if for any reason (i know it would be rare), you need to tune your guitar live between a song; you can't do it without the fine tuning key?
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I have had mine for at least 5 years and never had that happen. The closest I came to what you are saying is when I broke a defective string a few years back. I restrung the high E, pulled it to tuning range (which was close to pitch) and fine tuned. This was in rehearsal so I could take the time to fine tune but had it been live... pulling it into range would have gotten me thru the song without embarrassing myself.

If it is in tune when you start playing it will be in tune when you are done. I check my tuning before each rehearsal. It isn't even necessary to do so but if you do then your tuning gets more and more refined. However sometimes, just for testing, I will go several weeks without tuning. Still in tune. Even when temperature or humidity changes my other guitars 1/2 step the ET stays in tune.

The tuning keys bring you to 'range'. The hex key fine tunes.
 
@mwd

Very well explained!

I mean you have ET for 5 years. You def advise installing it?

Breaking a string even on a normal fixed bridge guitar would oblige you to go backstage and re-string it, so it should be no different on the ET.
So; as long as guitar is in tune when you leave the house; through transportation, temperature changes; it will remain in tune till the end of the concert, and furthermore?

And still, if for any reason you need to fine tune it, you can sneak backstage and quickly do it with a tuner and the Hex Keys right?

Totally understood how ET works now! And for the closest behavior to a fixed bridge, you need to be barely touching zone 3 ;)
 
Rather than give you advice John let me tell you what happened to me personally. The ESP Evertune guitar I have made me quit buying so many guitars. It kind of became a benchmark. I have 6 electrics, for various reasons, but I swear I would have 20 if not for the Evertune...lol.

We have a 2 piece hybrid band that uses backing track for bass, drums, keys, etc. Then we add vocals and I play live guitar. So the icing on the cake is we can start playing and fire off song after song with no tuning breaks. Makes things real smooth.

There are some cons. No tremolo or altered tuning with ET. You can't 'rapidly' change tunings which is why I have a couple of extra guitars at rehearsal for some altered tuning songs.
 
@mwd

They are working on a tremolo ET ;)

About altered tuning; easy.
Have a 2nd guitar with a normal fixed bridge and tune it to whatever you want.
Or if it's just two alternate tuning's have two ET guitars :)
 
I've been a professional luthier for 15 years and I assure you. The tuners have nothing to do with tuning stability unless they are damaged. Even cheap crap tuners will hold tune as well as the finest Waverlys. Look at the studs and knife edges, as well as making sure it's set up properly. If those aren't right, blocking the trem won't even help it.
 
@Musikron

The tuners ratio has a lot to do with getting it in the sweet spot in a non locking nut guitar!
Why where locking tuners invented as well?
Blocking the trem will help!
I am blocking it for other reasons explained previously in the thread.
 
Musikron said:
I've been a professional luthier for 15 years and I assure you. The tuners have nothing to do with tuning stability unless they are damaged. Even cheap crap tuners will hold tune as well as the finest Waverlys. Look at the studs and knife edges, as well as making sure it's set up properly. If those aren't right, blocking the trem won't even help it.
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Not true at all. Cheap tuners with sloppy gears have a tendency to not return to pitch as consistently with heavy trem use (especially with multiple string winds around the post) and low ratio gears make it harder to make fine tuning adjustments. Locking tuners remove the need for winds around the tuning post, so there's no extra stretching or binding there. Assuming the nut is properly cut and lubricated, it will return to pitch better after trem use with locking tuners. That said, Jem's usually have locking nuts, so once the nut is locked down, tuners will then definitely have no impact on stability.
 
The Evertune is great!
I had it on a VGS Denander signature (with the true temperament frets)
NEVER had to tune it and the system was easy to adjust.
I heard they were working on a trem version!
 


This what I put in my Jem. I could never find the one Steve uses from Ibanez. I never had a real issue with any of my IBz's.
 
John Atanasoff said:
And what would that reason be? Didn't the engineers think about it?
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I can't speak for the engineers. But I've seen enough locking tuners come through the shop, and had enough occasion to temporarily unstring one, that I appreciate it when the owner has left enough of a nub to work with.
 
Musikron said:
I've been a professional luthier for 15 years and I assure you. The tuners have nothing to do with tuning stability unless they are damaged.
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WIth a locking nut, you're right. But with a traditional nut, the tuners, how they're installed and how they're strung up can have a significant effect on tuning stability.


Musikron said:
Even cheap crap tuners will hold tune as well as the finest Waverlys.
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Cheap good tuners will stay in tune as well as expensive good tuners. Cheap crap tuners won't.
 
Rex said:
I can't speak for the engineers. But I've seen enough locking tuners come through the shop, and had enough occasion to temporarily unstring one, that I appreciate it when the owner has left enough of a nub to work with.
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There no reason to unstring a planet waves string trim locking tuner. If you do, you put new string!
 
John Atanasoff said:
There no reason to unstring a planet waves string trim locking tuner. If you do, you put new string!
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If the string breaks at the saddle, you can often just release a bit of the string winding and re-use the same string on a standard tuner. With the auto trim type you would need a new string. That's the point being made.
 
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