Phillip McKnight checks out an Evertune Les Paul

guitarfishbay · September 2023

This might be a useful video for anyone who is interested in the system but hasn't been able to try one yet. I've found Phillip to be a good reviewer overall and have learned a bunch of useful tips for setting up and fixing guitars by watching his channel

roberty · September 2023

Got a lot of time for Phil's channel

I'm not sure I understand the purpose of Evertune. Is it just so you never have to tune? I guess that's kind of cool. I never had a problem with tuning

guitarfishbay · September 2023

roberty said:

Got a lot of time for Phil's channel

I'm not sure I understand the purpose of Evertune. Is it just so you never have to tune? I guess that's kind of cool. I never had a problem with tuning

Yeah he's one of the only guitar YouTubers I regularly watch.

With regards to not needing to retune - it's one of the benefits.

Phillip explains it pretty well in the video. Each saddle is a constant tension system working to keep the string in tune regardless of how hard you fret or how much you dig in with your pick. But you can still set it up to bend strings. The advantage is you can set the system so you can fret awkward chord shapes without finger pressure pushing notes sharp from your fretting hand, or pick as hard as you like with your picking hand and not send the guitar sharp.

It typically gets used by people playing heavier guitar styles, since digging in hard with the pick sends the notes sharp which can cause recording to take longer as you retune to the attack/decay of the notes.

It still has merit for guitarists playing other styles, especially if you play against more perfectly in tune instruments like keyboards. With an evertune you can play dynamically and anywhere on the neck and have it sound more in tune including chord shapes up the neck against open strings.

There is no other physical system that can do what it does. It isn't the right system for everyone and I could easily write a huge essay on it, but my tldr opinion is it does exactly what it says on the tin and if you want what it does it's well worth trying out

roberty · September 2023

@guitarfishbay I see. I'd be curious to try it to see what it feels like. I can't say I have problems with tuning while recording. I have tweaked the odd note a few cents in Pro Tools but it's rare. I use low tension and I have a light touch

roberty · September 2023

I tried an Earvana nut and didn't enjoy it. I had to unlearn the compensation I apply with my left hand

guitarfishbay · September 2023

It’s completely different to an earvana nut, but it will feel different under the fretting hand as the system will compensate for your finger pressure.

If you’ve got a very light touch it might not be as useful for you. It’s still an interesting system though.

It really comes in handy when recording more aggressive playing, especially when changing from short notes to longer sustained notes which have a tendency to decay flat if you’ve tuned to the higher pitch at the start of a pitch arc when you dig in. That pitch arc difference increases the lower you tune too. Evertune can let you get away with playing harder on shorter scales with thinner strings in lower tunings, which can be preferable ergonomically for some players too.

I do like it a lot but am well aware it isn’t the right choice for everyone, I still use and record my normal bridge guitars too. But when I need what Evertune can do I’m glad I have it

CampbellH · September 2023

I can see the benefit of this item to playing live or in certain recording situations but I can also see the limitations.

As with all YT reviewers, I take it with a pinch of salt when they gush over any item, or even sleight them. Freebies or a vested interested in the company that is sometimes not apparent made me this way. Yep, I am a pessimistic soul.

guitarfishbay · September 2023

Yes you’re correct, it was a sponsored review, but it is a pretty good overview of how the system works.

I agree there are limitations - if you regularly change tunings on stage with a single guitar it might not be ideal if you need the Evertune action to be engaged at all times. On my guitars I tend to set them up for drop tuning, drop D for example. So if I need E standard I can quickly tune the low E up into zone 3, where it acts like a normal hardtail. There’s still a lot of benefit to having 5 evertuned strings even if one is working like a regular hardtail, but it would be too fiddly to try to use the Allen key to tune up the D to an E between songs if you needed it active for both tunings. At home or for recording that’s a non issue, it doesn’t take long at all, but it isn’t as fast as just turning a tuning key alone.

Also as things stand there is no version of the bridge that works like a trem. There may be in the future but there isn’t any public roadmap for that product release as far as I’m aware

rhinofeet · September 2023

roberty said:

Got a lot of time for Phil's channel

I'm not sure I understand the purpose of Evertune. Is it just so you never have to tune? I guess that's kind of cool. I never had a problem with tuning

I saw a rig rundown with someone who said they are great in the studio for rhythm because it doesn't go out of tune no matter what you do with it so it saves time

guitarfishbay · September 2023

Phillip discussed working with Evertune on the video on his latest podcast. He notes they wanted to watch the video before upload, to check he was explaining the system correctly. It did lead to a change on the video with regards to the weight of the bridge, originally he described the weight of the bridge in isolation, and Evertune asked him to include the average weight of removed wood in the video when stating the weight change.

Otherwise, he says he had a positive experience working with the company, and kept the instrument for longer than originally agreed. Interesting that it is the first time he's agreed to allow a company to watch his video before review before making it public. I am not on his patreon but it sounds like he also clarified some points in response to patreon engagement on the first draft. In terms of transparency for a sponsored video that's good to know

Section begins at 17:00

roberty · September 2023

Philly_Q · September 2023

I happened to watch the Phillip McKnight video last night, but I've only just seen this thread. I find the EverTune system absolutely fascinating, although I've no "need" for one and there aren't many guitars which have them fitted as stock which actually appeal to me.

stan · September 2023

A Les Paul where you can adjust the bridge saddles for height ? that much I like !

HT986M2 · September 2023

I've got to say it was a great idea choosing to do it on a Les Paul. I know you hear myths of those magic LPs that stay perfectly in tune, but those are few and far between in my experience. It's definitely an option I'd consider in the future.

I'm assuming that us folks in the UK would get absolutely stung ordering direct from Evertune?

guitarfishbay · September 2023

roberty said:

That's a pretty good video overall, and would help answer a bunch of questions for someone who hasn't got much experience with one.

Regarding zone 2, there is a minor change throughout that range, an acceptable amount for an install is detailed on the evertune page as: https://www.evertune.com/resources/become_an_installer.php

'The tuning at the point one turn from Zone 1 should be within 15 cents of the tuning at the point one turn from Zone 3.'

But as you can see for the above video, there's quite a lot of range in zone 2 in terms of how much you have to turn the tuner to get from zone 1 to zone 3.

So he's correct the note doesn't change, but if you understand that and want the tuning as tight and repeatable as it can be, that can inform how you set the instrument up.

From my personal experience, I think the best and most repeatable method for setting up the guitar is at the top of zone 2, as close to zone 3 as you'd like it to be. For me I have it as close to the bend stop as possible, I find my playing technique is consistent enough that I never accidentally send it sharp, and find bending as easy as is possible with the system. Besides my lowest string, which is a hair further into zone 2, I find I can get them really close to zone 3 and pick as hard as I like without ever having issues.

There's a trick to finding the point where it goes from zone 2 to zone 3 if you're in a quiet space. Just lightly tug on the string as you turn the tuner. When it's deeper in zone 2 you'll see the saddle rocking forward until it hits a point where it locks and behaves like a regular hard tail. You can learn the amount of travel you want from the tug of that string to that point (called the bend stop) so that you can easily reproduce that position later. The other advantage of putting it back in the same place every time is the amount of pressure required to bend the string will be consistent. What can happen, especially in more extreme temperature shifts or if the strings aren't stretched in properly, is that the string will 'go flat' just like a normal string. Except it won't actually go flat, it'll just go deeper into zone 2, meaning more pressure is required to activate bending. Re-setting it via that light tug and listening for the knock method will get the bend sensitivity back to where it was before.

guitarfishbay · September 2023

HT986M2 said:

I've got to say it was a great idea choosing to do it on a Les Paul. I know you hear myths of those magic LPs that stay perfectly in tune, but those are few and far between in my experience. It's definitely an option I'd consider in the future.

I'm assuming that us folks in the UK would get absolutely stung ordering direct from Evertune?

Ordering direct from Evertune would be subject to regular importing tax rules yeah.

There are some models that come stock with them. Though there's less choice in UK shops than on the Evertune site.

Also, there are approved installers in the UK. I had mine done at https://shukerguitars.co.uk/our-work/evertune/ and was very happy with the outcome.

HerbieTheRadDorklift · September 2023

Some nice traditional Les Pauls with Evertune: https://www.solar-guitars.com/categorie-produit/type-g/

Philly_Q · September 2023

I was looking at the EverTune website last night, and I think the EB bridge works well on a Tele, visually at least. It doesn't leave any unsightly filled holes, and it goes well with the other hardware.

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Phillip McKnight checks out an Evertune Les Paul

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