Boss TU-2 chromatic tuner....

[ELVIS]

I've been playing bedrooms and bars for 35 years and never owned a tuner...

[LoungeMachine]

I've been playing bedrooms and bars for 35 years and never owned a tuner...

It shows....

[Seshmeister]

The pitch-pipe bullshit got me thinking about a tech gig I did for a Hollywoo' nu-metal band at the Viper Room a few years back - for those unfamiliar, the place while near legendary, is so small there's an exit door next to the stage that remains in use during shows. Not good. So anyway, this band had two guitarists using 3 tunings.

They sound horrific...

[ELVIS]

It shows....

Fuck off, dude...

I can set intonation without a tuner...

[jhale667]

Fuck off, dude...

I can set intonation without a tuner...

Yeah, poorly... it's a sure bet if you checked it against a tuner it's all over the map.

[Matt White]

My pedal board has a tuner................"You can tune a piano........"

[ELVIS]

Yeah, poorly... it's a sure bet if you checked it against a tuner it's all over the map.

Bullshit...

It's fucking simple...

[jhale667]

You are so full of it. Any serious musician uses a tuner, bro...sorry to break it to ya.

[ELVIS]

How the fuck would you know ??

[jhale667]

OK that was funny.

[ELVIS]

Anyway, it's not difficult at all to set intonation without a tuner and a tuner doesn't automatically equal 100% success...

[jhale667]

Anyway, it's not difficult at all to set intonation without a tuner and a tuner doesn't automatically equal 100% success...

It does mean you're going to be way closer to the ballpark, particularly when dealing with multiple instruments. Even a few cents off is unacceptable. In all seriousness no one would last 30 seconds on a tech gig without one.

[ELVIS]

I wouldn't want to be on a tech gig...

Guitarists are a pain in the ass...

[ELVIS]

I did try a couple iphone tuners that seemed to work good enough...

[jhale667]

The Stroboclip is accurate to 1 10,000th of a cent. Can't beat it.



Not a huge fan of the housing of the Strobostomp, but bet it works just as well.

[ELVIS]

I understand it's accuracy and usefulness...

But dude, I just now purposely adjusted the intonation way off on my bottom three strings and set them back (better than before actually) in a snap...

It's easier than I was even saying...

But on a gig of course you would need one because setting it by ear requires silence...

[jhale667]

I understand it's accuracy and usefulness...

But dude, I just now purposely adjusted the intonation way off on my bottom three strings and set them back (better than before actually) in a snap...

It's easier than I was even saying...

But on a gig of course you would need one because setting it by ear requires silence...

How do you know it's "better than before"? If you don't own a tuner what did you reference it against? Just sayin'.
Yeah, I mean if you wanna guestimate on your own time have at it, but for gigs, setups where you're charging people money, etc. - tuner's a must.

[vandeleur]

I've been to gigs when the guitarist has done a guesstimate on tuning and started a song and been such an arse he has stuck with it .
I don't care how good you are if your guitar is out of tune you pretty much suck .

[ELVIS]

How do you know it's "better than before"? If you don't own a tuner what did you reference it against? Just sayin'.

My ear, which is the only thing that matters...

I had a slight tuning issue on my B string that's gone now since resetting it...

I also corrected a slightly off low E string...

I recently did a saddle swap to Callaham bent saddles so I never really tried to get it perfect 'till now...

[ELVIS]

I've been to gigs when the guitarist has done a guesstimate on tuning and started a song and been such an arse he has stuck with it .
I don't care how good you are if your guitar is out of tune you pretty much suck .

Good reason to have your intonation correctly set, like me...

[jhale667]

Good reason to have your intonation correctly set, like me...

Check against a tuner and get back to us on that. And don't say you "don't need to". Your ears aren't infallible.

[vandeleur]

Good reason to have your intonation correctly set, like me...

That isn't the worst problem .
It's temperature , empty room when you sound check full room when you go on .
You have done gigs in bars you know they think instruments are exempt from the laws of physics so open doors to cool the room or worse don't open doors .
Tuners don't question someone's talent ... It's physics

[Coyote]

Check against a tuner and get back to us on that. And don't say you "don't need to". Your ears aren't infallible.

But they are relative, and that can be a bitch at times...

For example, if I tune up my guitar using a tuner, I still have to mess with the E, B & G strings. 'Cause chords won't sound "in tune" (clean or distorted), unless I tune the skinny strings using my ears.
And yes, a tech has done the intonation on each one. With a strobe tuner.

Which brings up a logical question: What is the universal approach for adjusting intonation?

[ELVIS]

But they are relative, and that can be a bitch at times...

For example, if I tune up my guitar using a tuner, I still have to mess with the E, B & G strings. 'Cause chords won't sound "in tune" (clean or distorted), unless I tune the skinny strings using my ears.
And yes, a tech has done the intonation on each one. With a strobe tuner.

Which brings up a logical question: What is the universal approach for adjusting intonation?

Tuning each open string to it's 12th fret harmonic...

And your intonation is still off...

The strobe tuner didn't help...

[jhale667]

Tuning each open string to it's 12th fret harmonic...

And your intonation is still off...

The strobe tuner didn't help...

Uh, you're not quite done. The fretted note at the 12th fret also has to match.

[ashstralia]

ok, settle down kids.

yes, the boss pedal, by it's very name, informs you of it's legendary status.

BOSS.

but here in sunny oz, we often play in daylight, or daylight becoming dusk.
no floor tuner is readable in broad sunlight. the korg pitchclip™(available at your local retailer, the mom and pop one, if you please) is the answer to these woes, friends.

and it works on all guitars, including that beautiful multi $$k handmade nylon string that we expect you, as a failed guitarist, to own.

re intonation; this is my speciality.
i set mine slightly flat to compensate for the big frets and lots of pressure. remember those fancy feiten/gambale/vai tuning systems ELVIS?

i suspect that they went out of business because they dint make 'freebird' sound any better.

[vandeleur]

thus speaks the wizard of Oz , but you lost me at sunlight

[ashstralia]

it's fucking winter here vandy. the worst 8 weeks of the year!

at night it often drops below 10℃

[ashstralia]

thus speaks the wizard of Oz , but you lost me at sunlight

and i never mentioned sunlight.

here, it's a brand of soap.

[ashstralia]

oops! so i did.

[ELVIS]

i set mine slightly flat to compensate for the big frets and lots of pressure.

That's string height, not intonation...

[ELVIS]

The fretted note at the 12th fret also has to match.

Maybe you really don't understand the process as much as you think you do......

[ashstralia]

yeah, what would we know?

[ashstralia]

That's string height, not intonation...

erm, dude, i always finish off a floyd set up by adjusting the spring claw all locked up which i've already gauged to a pre determined amount.

you're a bit out of your depth here.

[ELVIS]

Bullshit, I know exactly how it works...

[jhale667]

Maybe you really don't understand the process as much as you think you do......

Riiiiiight. M'kay, run with that. Ash is right - you have no idea what the F you're talking about.

[ELVIS]

Why do you idiots think so highly of yourselves ??

[jhale667]

Ask yourself that question first.

Here Gomer, watch an learn...

[ELVIS]

That's wrong...

You use the 12th fret octave, not the fretted note...

The octave is the reference pitch, not the fretted note with string pressure applied...

See how you girls think you know everything ??

[jhale667]

That's wrong...

You use the 12th fret octave, not the fretted note...

The octave is the reference pitch, not the fretted note with string pressure applied...

See how you girls think you know everything ??

Wrong. To repeat, all 3 notes have to match, or the guitar isn't properly intonated.