Note outta tune!

I have a Gibson firebrand, and I'm having trouble with my "a" note 2nd fret on the g string. For some reason that note is always sharp!? I checked the other notes on the string, and they are all pretty good. I had the frets checked and cleaned up about 6 months ago, and this seemed to solve the problem, but now it is back again already.. I've been having to tune the g string a little flat to compensate, but there has to be a way to fix this!

HELP!! :eek:

It's possible that your intonation is out.

But actually the first three frets of the guitar are always a little sharp because of the end tension on the nut. You've probably just noticed it now because your ear has gotten refined enough to hear the difference in the two notes.

Try a guitar tuner.. see if that fret or the ones around it are in tune. Sometimes your mind can play tricks on you. One second I spot a string being the smallest of fractions out.. other times Im imagining its out when its fine :confused:

Yes, I'm using a tuner, and the intonation is OK.. it's just mainly the A which is sharp on the 2nd fret, and the next couple notes are a little sharp, but then after that, they are all on. I can see a little indent in the fret, but nothing too bad. When i took it for a setup, the tech said the frets have lots of life left. I notce that if i press on the string just barley enough to gedt the note to play, then it will be close to in tune, but that doesn't do me much good when I'm playing!

Could you be slightly bending the note as you play it? Is the action on your guitar quite high?

As ar as I knew its virtually impossible to get every frett perfectly in tune.. it doesnt both me anyway!

Play it on the d-string instead ! :p

As christoph and Axle pointed out , the guitar can't be 100% in tune , since the first 3 frets are always sharper (they've found a solution for this anyway) and many other reasons too.
Is it really bothering in an A chord ? May be you're just obsessed .

does the G ring a bit when you pick it and it's open? sometimes it is the intonation or the string setup. Check to see how it sits in the nut. I had a problem a little while back because I thought I was SRV and I put on a higher gauge string than my nut (shaddup) could handle. This lead to the "G string buzzin at the nut" thread that still makes me think.. what the hell was I thinking?
I digress
If it's the correct gauge, you could try some graphite in the nut. Be careful and don't get this stuff on the fretboard.. it makes it very slippery :cool:

Originally Posted by: SLYAs christoph and Axle pointed out , the guitar can't be 100% in tune , since the first 3 frets are always sharper (they've found a solution for this anyway).

Yeah, it's due to the end tension of the strings. Check out the Buzz Feiten tuning system for a way to fix this.