Fender Telecaster will not stay in tune

Although I play Westone Spectrums about 95% of the time I have a small number of other guitars that I play from time to time. One of them is a Korean-made Fender Telecaster Lite Ash I bought second hand a few years ago.

It's a pretty well made and has some reasonably hot Seymour Duncan pickups (APTR-1, APTL-1 Neck/Bridge). Overall I'm pretty happy with it and bring it along to gigs as a backup guitar. My one complaint is that there is something wrong with the G-sting nut and/or string tree. The guitar is stock in every way.

When tuning or bending the string "sticks" and then releases. This means it's out of tune pretty quickly.

Any suggestions as to how to remedy the situation ? Nut sauce ?

A Tele with an out of tune G string?? Never heard of such a thing!

Hey, pix would help eh? But in the meantime...

That's a chronic problem with the traditional Tele saddle design so that would be the first thing I'd check. If you have the old style (original) round steel saddles you might want to consider replacing them with a set of compensated saddles or replace the entire bridge assembly with comp saddles (Wilkinson for example). Very inexpensive and it works.

If that isn't an issue, it may very well be the string tree that's binding. A simple fix would be to replace with a roller style tree.

A shot of nut sauce is always helpful on moving guitar parts but I am suspicious that only the G string is affected here. Given the Tele's history, that makes me think it's the saddle that's the culprit.

Nut sauce=vaseline+lighter fluid.

Give a wee blob of vaseline a try at the nut on the G string.

What gauge strings are on it?

Thanks for the tips:

The Lite Ash has "period" features like the "nocaster" headstock and the crappy old style 3x2 bridge saddles

As a starting point I'll try a wee blob of vaseline on my nut in the G-string area

It's currently got Ernie Ball Super Slinky 009's so the G-string is a .016

Pictures to follow.....

Always wise to follow the K.I.S.S. principle in guitar troubleshooting...and everything else really.

The Don wrote:As a starting point I'll try a wee blob of vaseline on my nut in the G-string area

Pictures to follow.....

Well... Anticipation or dread? Not quite sure...

Now I cannot un-see that image! Thanks a lot.

The Don wrote:Thanks for the tips:

The Lite Ash has "period" features like the "nocaster" headstock and the crappy old style 3x2 bridge saddles

Here's a little mod done back in the day.
Bend the intonation screws slightly. These are bent a little too much to show the idea.
Or buy some Wilkinsons.....

Wilkinson compensated saddles are tops! (post #2   )

+3 to the Wilkinson!

The Don wrote:Thanks for the tips:

The Lite Ash has "period" features like the "nocaster" headstock and the crappy old style 3x2 bridge saddles

 The three saddle bridge on the Tele is not only part of its tone, but has never given me any tuning problems whatsoever.

I have several gigging three saddle Teles, and I can leave them between gigs and barely need to retune them.

My Baja and my two MIMs hold their tuning absolutely rock solid, more so than any of my other guitars (including Westones) apart from my PRS SE Tremonti which also behaves the same.

Stretch yours strings, use 11s, use a bit of graphite on the nut, but I have found Teles to be the most stable guitars, tuning wise of anything IMO.

Sollophonic wrote:

 The three saddle bridge on the Tele is not only part of its tone, but has never given me any tuning problems whatsoever.

What about intonation on the D,G saddle??

Here's another clever saddle combo.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_parts_t_style_vintage_bridge.htm?ref=prod_rel_398090_3

11's on a Tele?
Fingers 'o steel!

Westbone wrote:

Sollophonic wrote:

 The three saddle bridge on the Tele is not only part of its tone, but has never given me any tuning problems whatsoever.

What about intonation on the D,G saddle??

Here's another clever saddle combo.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_parts_t_style_vintage_bridge.htm?ref=prod_rel_398090_3

I have never really had intonation problems on the three saddle Tele bridge.

Which is the height of sophistication compared to the bridges on Les paul Juniors and Melody makers, Danelectros, Gretsches, acoustics and resonators;-)

[quote="Sollophonic"]

I have never really had intonation problems on the three saddle Tele bridge.

[/quote]
Who's a lucky lad then....

'Tis a Christmas miracle!

So, despite some pretty vigourous bending and stretching, the dab of Vaseline in the nut area seems to have done the trick

Ive also switched the original string trees for some cheapish roller string trees

Love it when the simplest (cheapest) remedy works!

Do have a look at the Wilkinson solution when you can. You may find the brass improves the tone.

'A little lube goes a long way'

Make your own nutsauce. Vaseline mixed with lighter fluid, both petroleum products.

Was suprised to find that 9's were sticking at the nut.

Stick a good bone nut in there.
 Those Korean made one's have a kind of plastic nut.

I'd keep the original string tress on. Roller one's will make no difference, it has no trem! Plus they look better and keep the originality of that fine guitar.

After much disscusion!

How about a photo or two of the birdseye neck???
PHOTOS??

I use a lubricant that I bought many moons ago for lubing the moving parts of a rifle action; used VERY sparingly on the possible binding points, it works very well indeed!

Those bent bits of metal that Fender call string trees are awful pieces of kit and their Kluson modern style ones are much better in both both appearance and performance.... YMMV, of course!

Those little wingy thingies that have been used for decades, never a problem as long as you keep 'em tight and straight. Like I mention don't come in to play unless you have a trem.

Thing with those new style Kluson's is they have a locating peg, so you'd have to drill an extra hole. Not a good idea if you wanted a guit to be original in the future. Look fine though and work.

Westbone wrote:Thing with those new style Kluson's is they have a locating peg, so you'd have to drill an extra hole. Not a good idea if you wanted a guit to be original in the future. Look fine though and work.

Yeah, you could drill a hole.... or you could just grind the peg off!! Works like a charm!

[quote="corsair"][quote="Westbone"]Thing with those new style Kluson's is they have a locating peg, so you'd have to drill an extra hole. Not a good idea if you wanted a guit to be original in the future. Look fine though and work.[/quote]

Yeah, you could drill a hole.... or you could just grind the peg off!! Works like a charm![/quote]


Grind it off!!

Your then defeating the the whole object of the piece. That peg is there to keep it straight.

As long as both designs are kept straight, not a problem.
Personally I prefare the wingy thingies.

Different stokes...err...strokes for different folks...

Westbone wrote:

Sollophonic wrote:

I have never really had intonation problems on the three saddle Tele bridge.

Who's a lucky lad then....

 Nor did the myriad of classic players in the 60s and 70s that many folk base their sound/tone from.

I'm not lucky, just appreciative of the fact that perfect intonation is all well and good, but a standard guitar is pretty much a compromise anyway, and then the factor of magnetic pickups bring in a whole new set of variables.

If you want perfect intonation, there are all kinds of custom built guitars that will do this for you this with tempered scales, adjustable nuts, fanned or staggered frets etc.

I guess the luddite in me likes the sound of a Tele (or a Westone even) through a loud amp, in front of an appreciative crowd.

And the commonest complaint from any crowd is never about intonation, anyway;-)

3 saddle Tele bridges do not intonate 100%  FACT!

Hence there's a load of manufactures making various type of bridges/saddles to correct this. Compensater, swivel and offset screw saddles. Must be a problem somewhere or are they wasting their time???

At a cost of under £10 this intonation problem can be rectified.

If your happy with your lot fine but not all folks are.

Calm down, lads; this isn't the answer to world peace, you know!!
Agree to disagree and move on...

What he said. And what he said.

Now,
*clears throat, and breaks into song, just slightly flat*
  Have yourself a Merry little Christmas!

Geez the pc brigade are jumping in a bit early doors.

Just a healthy disscusion regards a 3 saddle Tele bridge.

Comments on your experience with such saddles would be more appropriate.

Traditional 3 saddle Tele bridges are poo.
They don't stay in tune up the neck.
Change 'em.
Now, MERRY CHRISTMAS dammit!

Barry wrote:Wilkinson compensated saddles are tops! (post #2   )

Please could someone put up a link to this specific saddle (I could be in the market for one), thank you  and Merry Christmas 

GFS sells 'em for reasonable money Si, but you may find it easier to get it from eBay or someone else closer to you.

Do some price checking though, they tend to vary considerably. Stewmac charges almost double GFS price!

Thank you Barry  

Interesting that there are no groves for the strings to sit in...obviously not needed with this style of saddle design.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-x-VANSON-Brass-Compensated-Saddles-for-Tele-Telecaster-guitar-bridge-CMP-/121468816032?hash=item1c481b0aa0:g:g9sAAOSw8cNUSkrD

Cheers Damian, good link

Camera phone is not the best I'm afraid. Doesn't really capture the beauty of the neck.

Non-original pearloid pickguard is my doing  , the original black (which I still have of course) was a little austere.

Very decent Tele, nice figured necks on those.

Like the pearlguard, just ordered 2 for 2 black thinlines black with black guard....

Westbone wrote:Very decent Tele, nice figured necks on those.

Like the pearlguard, just ordered 2 for 2 black thinlines black with black guard....

I reckon it was £200 well spent and now that it stays in tune it can be the backup guitar to the Spectrum FX for Wyld Bird Seed gigs.

I've ordered the compensated saddles you recommended and linked to up-thread, they'll be a good upgrade.

Know which I prefare...

Me too, but my family's from Las Vegas so I'm drawn to glitzy shiny things

Amazing what a little mother-of-toilet-seat pick guard will do to spruce things up! Now it looks ready for the formal dance.

Happy to hear your Tele is doin' what Leo intended Don, I think you'll like the new saddles too!

The compensated saddles arrived this morning and after a couple of frustrating minutes wondering why one was "wrong", got them fitted with the middle one being the odd one.

It may be my imagination but the guitar sounds "sweeter" which, if true, means that the intonation is right (certainly it sounds that way comparing 12th fret to octave harmonic both by ear and using a tuner.

Thanks for the great tip Westbone.

The Don wrote:...It may be my imagination but the guitar sounds "sweeter" which, if true, means that the intonation is right...

Yup!