Although the Gibson Les Paul is up there as one of the most iconic electric guitars of all time – and despite being the ax of choice for some of today’s greatest players – a number of guitarists seem to have lingering tuning stability issues with the design.
Naturally, there are many potential reasons for having adjustment problems, but as Darrell Braun noted in a 2016 video (opens in a new tab)one of the main culprits for this particular Les Paul problem is with the D and G strings.
Specifically, Braun pointed out the acute angle at which the D and G strings pass through the nut, and how they are then pulled at an angle to the far side of the headstock’s top area. As a result, the strings are more likely to get stuck in the nut and lose tuning.
Products to solve the problem do exist – like the String Butler from Dietrich Parts – but a Finnish guitarist has now emerged claiming to have solved the age-old conundrum with a simple 3D-printed skull that promises to make tuning problems les Paul one thing. the past.
Dubbed Tune Voodoo, the bespoke string tree was designed to minimize the impact of diverging trajectories of the D and G strings, keeping them rather straight higher up the headstock to prevent any sticking or sporadic slipping.
The Tune Voodoo was created by Kimmo Pennanen, who set out to make his gadget with a mission to retain “the aesthetic beauty of [the] Les Paul while increasing its tuning stability”.
Due to the way it’s designed, the Tune Voodoo seems to work on any three-sided electric guitar that sports a similar headstock and nut configuration to the original Les Paul model.
Plus, not only will the 3D printed prop keep your unique fit better, but it’ll look pretty hardcore while doing it, arriving in the form of a Skull string tree.
Another notable advantage of Tune Voodoo is its ease of application. Thankfully, no cringe-worthy modifications need to be made to the headstock to accommodate the gimmick – instead, it uses the same top screw hole that holds the adjustment rod cover in place.
Pennanen sells his creation on Etsy, and it’s fair to say that it’s been a hit among guitar fans looking to eradicate any tuning issues they’ve encountered. At the time of writing, the Tune Voodoo has 87 ratings and sits at a solid five-star rating.
As a disclaimer, the Tune Voodoo only works on Les Pauls that have straight slotted nut slots, and will not be effective if used on LPs that have angled nut slots.
Head to the Adjust Etsy Voodoo Page (opens in a new tab) for more information.