Q: I own an early 1960s Gretsch Country Gentleman that I got for $375 at a flea market. Nobody else seemed to notice it, so I bought it on the spot. But I'm having a really hard time keeping it in tune. It has the Bigsby, but I don't use it much at all. Some of the binding has cracked and pulled away from the wood. Could this cause tuning problems?

A: There's no way of knowing without actually having the guitar in front of us, but yes, if the binding is pulling away from the wood, the top or back or even the sides could be swelling or compressing just enough to cause tuning anomalies. Other culprits could be the tuners (are they the originals?). Early 1960s Country Gentlemen came standard with high-end Grover Imperial Tuners. Another issue could be as simple as how the strings are wound on their posts. Too few windings and slippage can occur. Too many windings can be just as bad, particularly if one or two strings are overwound compared to the others. Our best advice is to take it to a qualified luthier. Perhaps a proper set-up would be a good start, which would include adjusting the neck's truss rod and making certain that the bridge is in the correct position. If you plan on keeping the guitar, you'll need to deal with the binding issues, as they are likely to continue deteriorating.