Why Having a Guitar in Tune Is (Apparently) a Myth

At this stage, I’d convinced myself that tuning a guitar regularly was mostly a suggestion. That belief didn’t survive very long.

After using the Les Paul for a couple of weeks, it finally dawned on me that “action” isn’t just something guitar players complain about for attention. Compared to the Jackson, it was genuinely hard to play. Around that time, a friend mentioned he was selling a Jackson, and since my buying criteria is extremely strict — it has to be a Jackson and it has to be black — this worked out perfectly.

Payment was agreed in the form of a sizeable bag of cans, payable on collection. Even better, the guitar was already set up for B tuning, freshly strung, and I was assured it held its tuning. Fixed bridge, no top locks, nice and simple.

I played it for about a month before tuning it, and when I finally did, it was barely out. Absolute madness.

I couldn’t tell you what makes a guitar “good,” but this one was comfortable, easy to play, and actually enjoyable. Because of that, I spent far more time playing — and within a few months, I’d written another six tracks.

Lessons learned: action matters, guitars don’t need tuned as often as you think, and never underestimate the life-changing power of a bag of cans.

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