Using A - 432Hz Tuning

[Lord Sausage]

I saw another post mentioning Van Halen tuning. I think I read Eddie saying he just tuned up to himself then the bass player tuned to him. That's why it was never exactly E. I think I varies a but on the first two albums.

 

 

He also tuned it so certain chords would sound more in tune. Think there is a Rick Beato vid on it

 

[SimonK]

I just tried to find it - and couldn't - but somewhere there is a video of Guthrie Govan being given an out of tune guitar, and then playing something beautifully in tune (at least relative to himself) by bending each note back into tune - the sort of musical performance that makes me want to give up!

[Downunderwonder]

5 hours ago, Lord Sausage said:

 

He also tuned it so certain chords would sound more in tune.

When you see a guitar player doing that it is because their intonation is way out of whack.

[Lord Sausage]

1 minute ago, Downunderwonder said:

When you see a guitar player doing that it is because their intonation is way out of whack.

Nah, certain chords higher up the neck are slightly out, its not massive. That's why that true temperament fret thing was invented. Bit pedantic tho for me. I like a tuning wobble, timing and tempo wobble. It's what gives you the magic.

[Obrienp]

One band I play in tunes down a semitone to Eb, which I understand is 415 hz. It is much more friendly for the singers apparently. It is a bit of a pain as I tend to play short and medium scale basses and the third and fourth strings can get a bit flappy. Consequently, I have to keep a bass set up for Eb. I guess 432 Hz might not be such a problem with a conventional setup but does it really help the vocalists as much? Eb was good enough for Hendrix, so who am I to argue? 

Edited December 14 by Obrienp

[Beer of the Bass]

20 hours ago, Lord Sausage said:

Nah, certain chords higher up the neck are slightly out, its not massive. That's why that true temperament fret thing was invented. Bit pedantic tho for me. I like a tuning wobble, timing and tempo wobble. It's what gives you the magic.

 

If you're running into a distorted amp or pedals, certain intervals in equal tempered tuning give you particularly nasty sounding intermodulation. It's one of the reasons why root/fifth (no third) power chords caught on in rock music. If you do use any thirds or sixths, they sound sweeter if you adjust to approximate "just intonation" in the key you're playing in, and it's particularly noticeable with some gain.

So my guess is that he would have been going for that.