Acoustic fell way out of tune...

[LazyLightnin]

hey guys,

did a gig for a private party ($400 woohoo) and something happened on my guitar that ive never experienced. It was an outside party and temperatures were getting in the low 60's while we played. I have a fender $300 range acoustic, probably 15 years old. I fit it with a Fishinman humbucker and play through my hot rod deville. During the third song in the set, sugaree, my B string suddenly fell completely out of tune, just out of nowhere. It wasn't gradual at all. It fell so off that it sounded as though it had never been tuned up, as though i just put it on and never turned the tuning key. The same thing happened to the G in the next song. I tuned up again and in the middle of every song my B string would mysteriously fall off several steps. I used a different guitar for set 3 which did not have the same problem. Ive never had this happen before. btw I put 9's on it so i could bend and phrase like an electric, hate having a wound G.

Should I attribute the phenomenon to the cold weather? Could it be the tuning keys themselves? Was it not a good move putting 9's on it? It since has held tune just fine. I used it at an indoor gig just days prior and had no tuning problems whatsoever.

also how do i eliminate feedback from the low end with this kind of rigging?

[waldo041]

tuning keys are bad.

also i love my lr baggs para acoustic Di, eliminated my hum and feedback problems onstage. i also used one of those soundhole covers which helps also. i forget the name of it.

hth

[deadguise]

Check the windings of the strings on the tuning pegs, they should be evenly wrapped (no criss-cross windings)...

[LazyLightnin]

thanks guys. windings seem fine. I suspected it was the keys or a combination of weather too.

Im thinking it would be unwise to take off the coverings and mess with it. Is there a way to correct it myself without replacing all the keys?

this thing looks awsome, id love to check one out someday: lr baggs para acoustic Di

[strumminsix]

Dude, exact same thing happened to me on an electric..

The string was unwinding from the ball-end. It just stretch and stretched and stretched.

First stretch I was able to tune it up but it was almost a full octave flat. After that I could turn it for days.

On acoustics I've seen guys put the ball under the bridge pin and then mid-show it works its way off to the side where it should be directly under the bridge.

Regarding the pegs - best to wrap slowly and cross over at least once. I go twice on my flat strings.

[jackr]

When I first read this I thought it would be the string coming up under the bridge pin area.

[LazyLightnin]

it must be the keys, the strings are fine. its held up this last week, but just last night it was doing it again on a few strings at a time, and i was hanging out it my room practicing. ah well, off to the luthier and a quick price check beforehand.