Electronic Tuners

[chris_b]

[quote name='Moody' post='180415' date='Apr 19 2008, 12:26 PM']This really gets my goat, I have a tuner, really really handy, always tune up using it. During "band practise", I'll tune up then our Guitarist and Vocalist will be like, "OK Moody, now tune to the guitar" - which of course she's tuned up by ear. Even though I can't tune up by ear - you can tell its well out. Once, after doing this I checked it again and I reckon I was in F or something ridculous. I just get on with it for a quite life. f-ing tools honestly.[/quote]
Sorry, but if I've tuned up to the tuner I don't change and put it out of tune for anyone for any reason! If the guitarist is out of tune then they fix it!!

Edited April 19, 2008 by chris_b

[Moody]

[quote name='chris_b' post='180447' date='Apr 19 2008, 01:12 PM']Sorry, but if I've tuned up to the tuner I don't change and put it out of tune for anyone for any reason! If the guitarist is out of tune then they fix it!![/quote]

I agree entirely - I just can't be bothered with the argument to be honest - possibly a topic for another thread "I'm treated like crap by my band - get me out of here!"

on topic: I also use my laptop as well via a StealthPlug, get the same results as the tuner, although the detail is greater.

[Born 2B Mild]

I'm "in between" tuners right now. I need one. I used to use a Korg that had L.E.D.s until it grew legs.

At home, I click on www.get-tuned.com which gives you an audio reference.

[s_u_y_*]

[quote name='Moody' post='180415' date='Apr 19 2008, 12:26 PM']This really gets my goat, I have a tuner, really really handy, always tune up using it. During "band practise", I'll tune up then our Guitarist and Vocalist will be like, "OK Moody, now tune to the guitar" - which of course she's tuned up by ear. Even though I can't tune up by ear - you can tell its well out. Once, after doing this I checked it again and I reckon I was in F or something ridculous. I just get on with it for a quite life. f-ing tools honestly.[/quote]

That would drive me absolutely crazy!

[Oscar South]

Whenever I'm practicing alone I always tune by ear, just as its good practice. I use 5th and 7th fret harmonics, by far the easiest method I've found.

Edited April 19, 2008 by Oscar South

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='180196' date='Apr 18 2008, 10:37 PM']They any good?

Also do they work for drop tunings? say drop C or D standard?[/quote]
1. Yes - It is certainly the easiest, most convenient and most accurate tuner I've used.
2. No its not designed for that
[indent]There's a [color="#708090"][b]guitar [/b][/color]one that does [b]E - A - D - G - B - E[/b]
and a [b][color="#FF0000"]bass [/color][/b]one that covers [b]Low B - E - A -D - G - high C.[/b][/indent]
I have one of each, but I really need to get a spare red one for gigs.

I've seen stupid people try them once at the LGS a few years ago and dismiss them as useless because they didn't RTFM.

It needs to be held over the 12th fret with the dial turned to the correct. Pluck the string and tune up until the lights reflected off the string stop moving. If the movement gets faster you're turning the wrong way.

It takes about ten minutes to get used to using the SOS, but once you have the knack you can have your bass tuned while the guitarist is still tuning his Low E.

Edited April 19, 2008 by Jean-Luc Pickguard

[bnt]

My old [url="http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?A_PROD_NO=AX1B&category_id=6"]Korg AX1B[/url] has a decent basic tuner function built in, activated along with a mute mode by holding the pedal down for a second. It indicates sharp notes like G# with a tiny unreadable dot, so I might not tell from the tuner alone if I was a whole semitone sharp - so but it's fine if you tune from below a note.

(I didn't use it for several years, but pulled it out again after I got the Tune, and it sounds better than I remembered.)

[Jase]

My Zoom has a built in tuner, not very sophisticated but ideal for a live situation, the only thing I have to do is make sure I hit the audio mute on my amp before tuning. At home practicing I use a tuning fork A 440. Tuners live are a must I reckon

[molan]

I have one of these- couldn't live without it!

[wateroftyne]

People tune by ear at gigs?

Really?

Wow.

Fools.

[P-T-P]

Setting aside the fact the guy was a dick for his attitude, what I'd like to know is, what was his reference point for tuning? Or does he think that he has perfect (non-relative) pitch?

If he was getting his reference from someone else, who probably used tuner, then he's an even bigger dick.

On the other hand, being able to tune by ear is a a useful skill to try and develop if you can 'cause if there's an acoustic piano on stage that's gonna be used it's probably wise to tune to that.

Edited April 20, 2008 by P-T-P

[bnt]

Tuning by ear at a gig? That must mean the crowd is nice and quiet...

If you tune by harmonics, you're not quite following the equal-temperament scale any more. Which is OK for a 4-string or fretless in a non-critical situation, but the deviation could be a problem if it's an ERB, and/or you have keyboards overlapping the bass range.

[Oscar South]

[quote name='bnt' post='180926' date='Apr 20 2008, 11:07 AM']Tuning by ear at a gig? That must mean the crowd is nice and quiet...

If you tune by harmonics, you're not quite following the equal-temperament scale any more. Which is OK for a 4-string or fretless in a non-critical situation, but the deviation could be a problem if it's an ERB, and/or you have keyboards overlapping the bass range.[/quote]

even tuning with the fifth and seventh fret harmonics, so you're tuning to identical overtones? can you elaborate on this because its interesting.

[bassace]

I find that most guitarists use a tuner then do a reality check by ear/harmonics to fine tune. They wouldn't rubbish anyone else using a tuner. I always use one for my upright just as a BG player would.

[markytbass]

Whats not to trust with electronic tuners? I have a Metro-Tuner TGI-99B, it cost about £13 and I can't fault it. We have a keyboard in our band so have to be in tune with that. Tuning by ear is not really an option unless you use the keys as a reference.

I saw a fleetwood mac tribute band last year. One of the guitarists decided he was out of tune halfway through Albertross and thought he would just give it a tweak. He tweaked it too far the wrong way and spent the rest of the song huddled over his amp tuning up.

[Gazm]

Hey Steve, his names not Rick is it? If it's the guy I'm thinking of there's a silent P at the start of his name.

Pete.

[skywalker]

[quote name='Gazm' post='181199' date='Apr 20 2008, 06:18 PM']Hey Steve, his names not Rick is it? If it's the guy I'm thinking of there's a silent P at the start of his name.

Pete.[/quote]

Hi Pete

That's him. A bit full of himself. Sorry I missed last week, I am not up this week but should be back the week after (going to France this week to sort my land out).

See ya next week.

Steve

[bigash]

[quote name='Oscar South' post='180463' date='Apr 19 2008, 12:41 PM']Whenever I'm practicing alone I always tune by ear, just as its good practice. I use 5th and 7th fret harmonics, by far the easiest method I've found.[/quote]

Read somwhere that this is the worst way to tune up because of something called the pythagorean comma. Which if i can remember is to do with the guitar never being in perfectly tune, and by using 5th and 7th harmonics is the worst way to tune up. if you google it you will get a better idea than i can give you.

[s_u_y_*]

[quote name='bigash' post='181466' date='Apr 20 2008, 11:57 PM']Read somwhere that this is the worst way to tune up because of something called the pythagorean comma. Which if i can remember is to do with the guitar never being in perfectly tune, and by using 5th and 7th harmonics is the worst way to tune up. if you google it you will get a better idea than i can give you.[/quote]

[url="http://www.answers.com/pythagorean+comma?cat=technology"]http://www.answers.com/pythagorean+comma?cat=technology[/url]

Interesting... The "twelve perfect fifths are not exactly equal to seven perfect octaves, and the Pythagorean comma is the amount of the discrepancy".

However, I find 5th and 7th harmonics tuning the easiest way to do by ear. You reduce a lot of overtones, allowing me to discern differences in pitch easier. Also the pitch is higher, further making the process easier. I mean, you can even tune by feeling the bass until the oscillations disappear.

[FJ1200]

I use one all the time but if no tuner present I use 5th and 7th fret harmonics. I have a small LCD Yamaha tuner that my daughter keeps pinching, otherwise my Bass POD XTL has a superb tuner, very easy to use and mutes when in tuning mode. Takes but a matter of seconds to get it right. You can even change the frequency - came set at 435Hz out of the box. I checked up (ok - Gooled) on the pitch and it goes back beyond the 1950's and earlier regarding international arguments over what frequency A above middle C should be. I changed it to 440 and so far it's been spot on ever since. Britain wanted 452hz at one time. I don't care what we use - I just want to be in tune with everyone else.

See [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_(music)"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_(music)[/url] for more info.

[johnnylager]

Tuners all the way for me, that mute is invaluable. An Arion HU-8500 'till it grew legs, then a Boss TU-2. The Arion mysteriously reappeared on Saturday night though, in my guitarists pedal chain. Unless of course he'd bought a new one, immediately lost the white plastic cover and scratched "John" on the bottom of it.

John.

[Rich]

Mine... it's bloody marvellous, does low Bs and high Cs easily, in fact it does all the sharps and flats, everything. It even does that weird Buzz [s]Lightyear[/s] Feiten thing. I never leave home without it.

[KevB]

I have an older, more basic vs of that little Korg tuner in Rich's post. Never let me down yet, battery lasts forever, fits into your back pocket. Does a decent job of semitone flat tunings. Keep thinking of getting a pedal one but I always had a spare bass at gigs so even if a bass went out of tune mid set (none of mine ever did) I always had a backup anyway.

[charic]

Think mines the Korg DT-10 if i remember correctly. When at home i just use the tuner on my line6 lowdown

[s_u_y_*]

[quote name='FJ1200' post='181541' date='Apr 21 2008, 09:19 AM']Bass POD XTL has a superb tuner, very easy to use and mutes when in tuning mode.[/quote]

Really? I always found tuners on PODS on anything but Pro series were slightly slow to register. Nothing too annoying though.