Background:
1) Bought Sam Bush Gibson F5 2001 model brand new.
2) Changed tarnished tailpiece out with a James tailpiece 2+ years ago. The 3 screw holes lined up hole for hole perfectly and it's on solidly. Had to slightly bend the tailpiece so the strings would approach the bridge at correct angle.
Problem:
About 1 year ago I noticed the D string pair frequently became difficult to tune together (same pitch). Several electronic tuners would show that they were tuned alike, but their actual pitch I hear would be very slightly, but noticeably, out of sync.
Attempted solution:
5 months ago I concluded that the tuning machines must logically be the culprit. Unable to justify $700 for a set of Waverly's I bought a set of gold 18:1 Grover planks and installed (had to drill out the holes slightly (scary)) them - they are solidly in place, even if the top and bottom screw holes did not line up perfectly.
Result:
The new tuning machines seemed to fix the pitch difference problem at first, but now the issue has returned.
Additional Info:
The problem is there whether using new or old strings or using different brands of "medium" bronze strings. The bridge and nut are original and do not seem to be in any sort of bind when tuning. No other string pair have this issue; only the "D" string pair. I'm baffled.
Asking for any advice for what areas I should troubleshoot next. Thanks.
Bob L.
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