Do you tune by ear, or use a tuner ?

[BrownSound1]

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]

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.



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



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]

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]

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]

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]

i tune by ear

[nosuchluck]

by ear - using natural harmonics. just tune the guitar to itself - A440 be damned!

[UGS]

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]

I use a tuner for the A-string. From there it's all ears.

[DeadOrAlive]

Originally posted by BrownSound1
Edward usually tuned a 1/2 step down or so in the old days.

Thanks BrownSound!!!

[Terry]

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]

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]

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]

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.