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July 2002
Posts: 1900
| I tune for harmonics at the 5th, 7th and 12th frets, basically tuning the guitar to itself. Then I fine-tune with octaves. It works out better than using the Sabine tuner, because it allows for the differences in fret height. (I also need new Schallers...wonder how much that's gonna set me back..) |
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Joined:
August 2004
Posts: 604
Location: Tampa, FL | I've recently noticed a peculiarity with tuning my instruments. For the most part I use a Sabine tuner to tune the open strings. When I play in the first position, everything sounds fine. I've recently learned some music that I play mostly above the 5th fret, often around the 12th fret. At the higher fret positions, the notes would start sounding off. Again checking with the Sabine, the open strings indicated they were in tune but the high fret positions would still seem off. When compared to each other, e.g. playing a C at the 12th fret, everything sounded reasonable. But leave some strings open and things got relatively nasty. So I check my tunigs by fretting the 'high' positions and my Sabine indicated things were off. I corrected the tuning at the 'high' positions and the open strings still indicated correct tuning. So here's what I do now: I tune the open strings to get close. If I'm mostly playing first position stuff or will be playing strictly barre chord/strumming stuff, this is usually good enough. If I'm going to be playng fingerstyle then I'll have to be a little more meticulous and maybe fine tune at the higher fret positions.
Here's a question - Assuming that your guitar has perfect :rolleyes: intonation, do you think tuning the ocatve harmonics yields more accurate tuning than simply tuning the open strings? |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | I've read that tuning using harmonics isn't quite perfect by a few cents here and there. For me, harmonics are easier to hear when not matched. I can hear the beat frequency. Fretting on the 5th fret and trying to match to the open string is harder to hear accurately. If I don't have an electronic tuner, or for a quick fix in the middle of practice, I use harmonics since I am better at them, even though they are technically less accurate.
These days for initial tuining I use an electronic tuner and it does pretty darned well. I like to check octaves, E to E, A to A, C to C, D to D, E to E, G to G. This repairs bad intonation. Apparently normal nuts are not correct for intonation.
FWIW, an eNut made a big improvement in the intonation of my electric. The daughter's Elite T has pretty good intonation out of the box. It doesn't take nearly as much fiddling around to get a guitar in tune when it has good intonation.
Tuning the 12 string is a bit more complicated but the same octave checking is the final step. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 1017
Location: Budd Lake, NJ | I start with the on-board tuner, and then tune from the overtones at the 5th, 7th, and 12th frets, and occasionally the overtones way up the neck (don't know which frets, but you're almost out of fretboard.) I never have any problems with Gertrude (the Ol' Lady of Balladeers), no matter where I play her, but Jewel (the blingy LX) is the equivalent of a temperamental two-year-old sometimes to tune. "When she is good, she is very, very good, but when she is bad, she is horrid." When that happens, I just get Gertrude out instead.
--Karen |
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October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | tuna guitar |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | tuna guitar
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I usually just go with a tuner and go the regular way. Then check the E, A,D and G strings with harmonics. Then check the D note, B string 3rd fret with the open D string, then the B string and high E with harmonics. It gets me close enough. Some guitars are worse than others.
Also depends on what tune you're playing. Ones with E and A shapes are one way. Lots of G and C shapes might need a tweek another way. |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 4413
| So why don't we all use Buzz Feiten (however you spell it)?
There's a music shop here will convert any acoustic to the BF method for about $250.
Bill - did the factory ever experiment with changing to the BF tuning system? |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Schroeder, an enut will get you 95-100% of the way there (depending on guitar) for under $20. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 103
Location: Townsville, Australia | You all have it easy untill you tune a Gretsch with Bigsby and enter the world of diminishing iteration; coz every time you ater tension on a string, the spring moves, be it ever so slightly, and all the others vary. So it comes down to the best approximation.
Ovations stay in tune way better than most; less wood to move with temp and humidity I guess.
I have a bad "ear" so am generally happy with anything within 1/4 tone, and factor in playing ability, and the brains capacity to enhance what sound I make and it gets even better.
But I admire and envy people with good ears and sense of what is right in the way of tuning. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | Originally posted by stephent28:
Schroeder, an enut will get you 95-100% of the way there (depending on guitar) for under $20. The Korg DT-7 tuner has the Buzz Feiten offsets built in (or you can use standard tuning). With the 12th fret notes on the DT-7 you can adjust the intonation if your bridge is adjustable. With an eNut and the DT-7 you can get darned close to perfection. |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 51
Location: Arizona | Originally posted by Lanaki:
tuna guitar
But back to the tuning...usually I just open-tune everything with the electronic tuner (not necessarily the pre-amp one, but those aren't bad by my estimation). If I need to check something quickly I'll use the harmonics just to see where things are.
I recently got one of those little LED strobe tuners that you can use as a pick and I *really* like it. Takes very little time, it's very accurate, and you can tune an acoustic in a noisy environment without any trouble. |
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How Do You Tune A Guitar
