TalismanRich
Well-known member
You typically tune on the open strings, so it changes the pitch slightly with a slightly different scale length. Earvana has some information on how it affects the tuning process.
Fret Not If Your Guitar Doesn’t Perfectly Intonate Up Down The Fretboard
Scott Baxendale
Well-known member
Where the shelf nut really helps is in the third and fourth positions on the neck. If evens out the B & G so as you go up the neck the chords stay in better tune with each other.
Papanate
Well-known member
That’s the way I’ve always done it - I learned that from a friend who played when I was 15 - and is now why I have multiple guitars on stage - tuning to the different keys I’m playing and some ‘Joni’ inspired tunings that I use.
Old Music Guy
Well-known member
I just bought a 1997 Rickenbacker 330. It was a case queen under someone's bed for years. I had do to the normal work on it: new strings, bridge adjust. Other than that, the guitar is pristine,
I put a set of Di Dario NYXK 9s on it. (It has 12s). Tuned it with my Petersen Strobo Tuner and it sounder like crap. The intonation was sooo bad,
I dropped the needle on some Tom Petty and was off by a fat 1/4 semitone. So I tunes it by ear to TP, checked my harmonics, and then put the tuner back on just to see how far off. Dead nuts on!
I've been playing it all this afternoon, and it's spot on. Plays and sounds like a dream.
Not to say that the new strings, and acclimating to the new environment, but I'm tending to agree that the "sweetened tuning" is all in one's ears.
For no reason, All my guitars, except for this, the tuning is dead on with the tuner.
Maybe it just needed some time to adjust,
rob aylestone
Moderator
If you want a side comment on tuning - I just spent a day judging a schools battle of the bands competition. Sadly, a few guitarists could not tune their own guitars, despite seeing a tuner on the headstock. One poor fella gave his guitar to the venue tech, who tuned it for him. Sadly, the song was for a guitar in drop D, but the tech didn't know, so tuned it to E. The entire song was played a whole tone wrong - and he didn't notice!
E
ecc83
Well-known member
There are some things the budding young musician should learn very early on IMHO? Tuning your instrument is fundamental. Others in include being able to swap a string PDQ. Learn to play Happy Birthday in several keys and your country's national anthem...MOST embarrassing not to know!
I would also (W,IWSYTWI !) say, get some basic electrical smarts, a cheap digital meter so you can at least check cables and pedal batteries (and PSU polarities) Run all the band's kit from an RCD and a mains socket tester is a very good idea.
Dave.
PorterhouseMusic
Well-known member
Ouch! That's a little disturbing. What age are we talking about?
TalismanRich
Well-known member
We didn't have electronic tuners when I learned to play guitar. I had a little pitch pipe for each string. It is still in the case of one of my guitars. There's no excuse for not being able to tuner your instrument. That should be job ONE.
PorterhouseMusic
Well-known member
I remember - I started playing at age 12. Tuning was a little weird at first - but like anything once it clicks - that's it. I tuned to my records back then.
Once you get stuff lined up with a tuner - and wanting/needing spot on as-close-as-you-can-get for, say, recording purposes where the instrument is pretty naked in a mix - learning to tune the guitar to itself was a breakthrough for me as well.
Once you get stuff lined up with a tuner - and wanting/needing spot on as-close-as-you-can-get for, say, recording purposes where the instrument is pretty naked in a mix - learning to tune the guitar to itself was a breakthrough for me as well.
Old Music Guy
Well-known member
He needs a bigger amp
Old Music Guy
Well-known member
I've been watching this thread closely. I've also been doing some research, especially on the tuner itself. I realized I've been using it all wrong the whole time! I'd never used the built in presets.
As a test, I took the Ricky and my Gibson J45-12. I figured that was a pretty hard test.
I tuned the Rick to equal temperament first. To my ears, it was OK, but slightly out. The intonation, using a 12th fret harmonic was close, The strobe said it was on, though slightly shaky.
Using the sweetened tuning preset, it sounded great. Cowboy chords were awesome. For my ears, a 1st position Dmaj is my benchmark. Which is why I always blame the B string. So, it passed the "B" test. Barre chords all the way up the neck were spot on. And the intonation was also great. The strobe was very steady.
I did the same thing with the Gibson. Without going into any big schpeel, it was the best it ever sounded.
Side note: This winter has been the coldest here in New England in 10 years (as my fuel bill indicates), yet all my guitars are "weathering" very well
As a test, I took the Ricky and my Gibson J45-12. I figured that was a pretty hard test.
I tuned the Rick to equal temperament first. To my ears, it was OK, but slightly out. The intonation, using a 12th fret harmonic was close, The strobe said it was on, though slightly shaky.
Using the sweetened tuning preset, it sounded great. Cowboy chords were awesome. For my ears, a 1st position Dmaj is my benchmark. Which is why I always blame the B string. So, it passed the "B" test. Barre chords all the way up the neck were spot on. And the intonation was also great. The strobe was very steady.
I did the same thing with the Gibson. Without going into any big schpeel, it was the best it ever sounded.
Side note: This winter has been the coldest here in New England in 10 years (as my fuel bill indicates), yet all my guitars are "weathering" very well
