weird - guitars going sharp overnight.

[LowYaw]

does anyone know why does this happen? i come to practice, tune both guitars (ibby rga + Gibson LP) to pitch, then there's a two-hour or something of play time, guitars go packed into their cases. next evening, both are like +25 crnts sharp on all strings. do they f*cking grow at night?

it's not extyremely cold or extremely hot where the guitars are stored.


edit: the Edge pro equipped Ibby doesn't suffer from this

[Homebake]

maybe...after you play them they cool down and contract? i don't know, it's a pretty random idea...

[Rich]

Temperature has a lot to do with it, also humidity. You can play a guitar sharp within minutes as your hands warm it up.

[callen3615]

Originally Posted by Rich

Temperature has a lot to do with it, also humidity. You can play a guitar sharp within minutes as your hands warm it up.

whoa, cool.

[thesimo]

Originally Posted by Rich

Temperature has a lot to do with it, also humidity. You can play a guitar sharp within minutes as your hands warm it up.

i seriously doubt hand temperature can warm up the neck enough to make it go sharp in 5 minutes.

[skins345669]

Wouldn't the strings expand more due to them being metal and then go flat?

Guitar physics :s

[Rich]

Originally Posted by thesimo

i seriously doubt hand temperature can warm up the neck enough to make it go sharp in 5 minutes.

Then you would be wrong......

[UV-7-BK]

Rich says what he means and means what he says......believe me, Rich dont make mistakes

[Rich]

I play guitar sharp all the time. I'm not talking 25 cents sharp [although it's possible if the temp difference is enough], but sharp is sharp, 5 cents or 100.

[UV-7-BK]

And yet his wit is sharper than anything!!!! LOL!!!

[LowYaw]

well i guess Rich is right. i tuned the guitar and by the end of rehearsal it was going very slightly sharp. and one more thing - now, when outside temperature / weather is a bit more stable, the "going sharp" effect started to fade away )) probably because the "start" and "end" temperarure difference (of guitar's neck) has diminished.

[Big Hary]

Just saw this old thread ,but it is actual for me -
Rich is right 100% .
Let check it out my case : here in South Africa in the Summer different between day/night temperature is say 28*C vs 18*c = 10*C .
But in the Winter it is say 25* vs 5* C = 29*C !
Guess when I start to have tuning problems ?
Yes you're right - right now in the Winter , when different between day and night is almost 20 * degrees Celsius degrees .
So , I am tuning my guitar every day ,instead every 3-4 days as I use to do during Summer.

[eviltwin]

Originally Posted by skins345669

Wouldn't the strings expand more due to them being metal and then go flat?

Guitar physics :s

...well they would if there were no trussrod:

-the thermal expansion of steel strings is about twice that of wood, parallel to the grain.

So , I am tuning my guitar every day.

You may find that adjusting the trussrod is the fastest way to combat going flat or sharp due to temperature. Necks with less wood and more metal (ie Wizards) should be less susceptible.