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View Full Version : Do you tune by ear, or use a tuner ?



Panamark
04-01-2005, 09:47 AM
just wondering, I can tune a guitar to concert E. (From memorising the
sound of the E) but how many of you guys use a chromatic tuner ?

I think those tuners are great.

But I dont have one.

I notice on the net now there are sites that give you the tones
for each string....

If you were on a desert island with a guitar, do you think you
could tune it to concert E ??

Cathedral
04-01-2005, 11:30 AM
I don't need no stinkin tuner, lol.
I have one but rarely, if ever, use it.
I have E 440 implanted in my brain for some strange reason.

manwiththedogs
04-01-2005, 11:39 AM
Originally posted by Cathedral
I don't need no stinkin tuner, lol.
I have one but rarely, if ever, use it.
I have E 440 implanted in my brain for some strange reason.
lol
If I dont use a tuner, I tend to go to A flat naturally.
Must be all those CVH albums...

BrownSound1
04-01-2005, 11:48 AM
Depends on what I'm doing. If I'm just dicking around the house, then I just tune by ear. However, if I'm recording then I use my Korg rackmount tuner. Also, you've gotta have a good tuner to set the intonation of your guitars, in my opinion. The cheap ones just aren't accurate enough for me.

Matt White
04-01-2005, 11:59 AM
I can tune to concert "E" by ear, but still like to use a tuner occasionally.

tomballin
04-01-2005, 02:56 PM
For us bros with tinnitus, I never leave for the gig without it. Mostly play in E flat and never have any problem tuning by ear, until I have been playing for a while, then forget it.

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/4629/bosscttu128te.jpg

I plug my tuner straight into a special input jack on the top of this signal processing board I use. Makes it nice because this jack by-passes all the effects, making it super easy to tune with my TU-12.

http://img94.exs.cx/img94/3460/pue50we.jpg

ZahZoo
04-02-2005, 09:50 AM
I'll ballpark it with a tuner then tweek it slightly by ear... I think after 35 years of playing I've developed my own temped tuning w/ my ears.

Soul Reaper
04-02-2005, 10:43 AM
I usually tune by a tuner but I occassionally try to tune by ear.

Seshmeister
04-02-2005, 10:49 AM
I find it easier to tune by ear using playing a distorted chord.

Does that make me a bad person?:)

Panamark
04-02-2005, 05:05 PM
I think its easier to tune distorted too, Sesh. More harmonics flying around.

smaz
04-02-2005, 05:07 PM
My bass rarely goes out of tune, I only tune it once every few weeks. I check it by ear, make sure it sounds alright, but use a tuner when I'm playing properly (i.e. not to just myself in my room :))

GAR
04-02-2005, 05:09 PM
I had lost an A-440 tuning fork after a rehearsal, back in 83

GAR
04-02-2005, 05:11 PM
I have a TU-12 tuner which I dig out on occasion for resetting the intonation after a string gauge change with a guitar that has a floating Floyd bridge, otherwise I'd ebay the thing off.

I also keep it as a spare battery holder for the wah pedal. Even with tinnitus I never had a problem picking E or A out of thin air.

DeadOrAlive
04-02-2005, 05:36 PM
I use a tuner because well i cant tune by ear and not only that i like to tune my guitar in TONS of different ways... BTW what are the best notes for each string to get the CVH sound??

Big Troubles
04-02-2005, 05:41 PM
I tune clean without a tuner now. But I still dont trust my ears so I re-check after tuning. Im usualy off a bit.

BrownSound1
04-02-2005, 06:52 PM
Originally posted by DeadOrAlive
I use a tuner because well i cant tune by ear and not only that i like to tune my guitar in TONS of different ways... BTW what are the best notes for each string to get the CVH sound??

Edward usually tuned a 1/2 step down or so in the old days.

tomballin
04-02-2005, 08:28 PM
Originally posted by BrownSound1
Edward usually tuned a 1/2 step down or so in the old days.

.....And through in a boat load of signal processors and toys.

http://img44.exs.cx/img44/7316/evhtrgearsetup9ga.jpg

Of course, EVH's 'doo and stage antics are optional.

http://img119.exs.cx/img119/5003/badedx36sx.jpg

Saw this once for getting the VH-I and Eruption style tone in studio,
but there is a lot better VH sound experts here than me, that's for sure.
-----------------------------------
Double-coil bridge pickup
EQ 1 ("guitar eq") with frown curve
Slow phaser mixed 50% with dry signal
Preamp distortion
EQ 2 ("amp eq") with slight smile curve, or flat
Power-tube saturation
Variac (optional)
Dummy load
EQ 3 ("speaker eq") with smile curve
Tape echo
Branch: reverb on one channel
2-channel solid-state power amp, pushing the speakers into distortion/smoothing
Guitar cab 1 with guitar speakers -- non-reverb channel
Guitar cab 2 with guitar speakers -- reverb channel
Mics
Mixer
Monitors

tydhurst
04-02-2005, 09:22 PM
I tune by ear as it's quicker and i could never quite get the hang of a tuner i used to use!

Nitro Express
04-03-2005, 01:55 AM
I tune using harmonics, I listen to two strings osolating against each other and tune up until the osolation stops. I fly airplanes and this is actually how you syncronize the props on a multi-engine plane.

I have a tuner in my peddle board and it's handy when I need to tune up quick; especially, with a Strat I have.

When I first started playing guitar, I couldn't tune the damn things to save my life. I only learned how to tune by playing the thing in tune and the correct pitch gets burned into your brain that way. It's such a pain in the ass to plug a tuner in sometimes, it's just easier to tune the thing by ear.

Hardrock69
04-03-2005, 04:04 AM
I have a440 in my head. But I use a tuner when I am recording, to make sure it is perfect as it can be. I no longer play live, so I am not too worried about that end of it......

jojo2371
04-03-2005, 04:08 AM
i tune by ear

nosuchluck
04-03-2005, 02:56 PM
by ear - using natural harmonics. just tune the guitar to itself - A440 be damned!:D

UGS
04-03-2005, 04:35 PM
I use a tuner when it's available, but when there's none around I use the telephone. The dial tone when you pick it up is A440, so I tune the 5th string to that, and then tune the rest of the strings to the A using harmonics.

Coyote
04-04-2005, 03:45 AM
I use a tuner for the A-string. From there it's all ears.

DeadOrAlive
04-04-2005, 10:30 PM
Originally posted by BrownSound1
Edward usually tuned a 1/2 step down or so in the old days.

Thanks BrownSound!!!

Terry
04-14-2005, 04:08 PM
Used a tuner for the first few years I played (actually had a pitch-pipe, then an electronic tuner that had the needle that quavered back and forth).

Didn't use one for about 15 years, just going by ear. Went out about 2 years ago and bought a Korg digital tuner, and found my tuning ear had dropped down nearly a whole step (manwiththedogs' comment comes to mind). Can tune a guitar to itself easily enough, but 440 still sounds sharp to me.

GAR
05-03-2005, 11:00 PM
I recommend the TU-12 for beginner to advanced players.

It's just too cheap for all the features you get with it, and it's chromatic so you can tune any instrument.

I've even tuned a piano with it, not easy or preferred to a strobetuner but it is possible as I've done it.

You HAVE to when you are recording on shit $200 upright Recycler pianos. Most people can't afford $65-100 for a piano tuner to come out and fuck up its tuning when you can do it yourself if you got the tuning peg tool.

jackassrock
05-14-2005, 08:22 PM
I use a Boss tuner onstage. Cause it stops the signal while you're tuning. That way everybody in the place doesn't have to listen to me checking harmonics and all that crap. It also takes the guesswork out of the process. Lots of times when it's noisy and I'm onstage it's just a easier to hit the pedal and tune by eye. I'm also the singer so I can't rely on somebody else to be entertaining while I concentrate on getting in tune. You can talk and tune at the same time...with no noise.

I always try to tune to A440 when I string 'em up and usually end up a few cents flat.

zeronumber
06-06-2005, 03:05 PM
I only use tuners all the time. I only tune by ear whenever I'm not carring one on me, just to tune it into itself...

I usually get it a little flat though, Somewhere Deeper than E, but not as Deep as Eb.