Technique Focus

Staying In Tune

Unless you’re using a locking unit, you’ll want to lubricate the nut slots each time you restring. There are several products on the market, but crumbling some graphite into the grooves then dropping the string on top works very well too. Having cleanly cut slots that aren’t too tight for the gauge of string you’re using helps, along with not having too many wraps around the post (on non-locking tuners). More than three can start to cause tuning instability. Finally, it’s important - even when using locking systems to stretch the strings (until tuning remains stable after bending a string). If you ‘lock’ them at the nut before doing so, you’ll find the fine tuners don’t provide enough adjustment.