Tuning via Hardware/Software?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Klato
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Klato

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Hi fellas,

I often detune my guitar from Standard E to Eb, and sometimes to D. Is there currently any hardware (such as a pedal) that would take the signal and tune it? I think it would be great to be able to have my guitar tuned in Standard E, hit the pedal, and have the output on my amp automatically be tuned +/- X steps. Or if not in hardware, is this possible via software in any way?

Thanks!
 
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There is both hardware and software that will do this.. But it sounds like poo.
 
It can sound OK for single notes, but chords - definite poo.
 
Won't the Line 6 Varix series do that? Seems like they have alternate tunings available in the guitar models, not sure if they have drop-D, Eb or D tunings available. I'm pretty sure the acoustic variax has open tunings available tho.

I'm sure that you really want to buy a whole new guitar just to do this when it'd cost just as much to buy a new REAL guitar and keep it tuned to Eb or D or whatever.
 
Klato said:
Hi fellas,

I often detune my guitar from Standard E to Eb, and sometimes to D. Is currently any hardware (such a a pedal) that would take the signal and tune it? I think it would be great to be able to have my guitar tuned in Standard E, hit the pedal, and have the output on my amp automatically be tuned +/- X steps. Or if not in hardware, is this possible via software in any way?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Here ya go:

http://www.selftuning.com/multimedia/index1.html

I've seen one of these work, and it is amazing. Sonny Landreth (Louisiana swamp rocker and sometimes of the John Hiatt band) is a slide player extraordinaire, and he used to have about 10 guitars on stage for all the diff tunings he uses. Now, he has a Les Paul fitted with this gizmo. Between songs, he hits a button and in about 5 seconds he's retuned.

It ain't cheap, though.
 
That would be sweet. Right now what I do is just keep the guitar in Eb and use a capo when I want Standard, but it'd still be nice to hit a switch and use all the frets :D
 
ggunn said:
Here ya go:

http://www.selftuning.com/multimedia/index1.html

I've seen one of these work, and it is amazing. Sonny Landreth (Louisiana swamp rocker and sometimes of the John Hiatt band) is a slide player extraordinaire, and he used to have about 10 guitars on stage for all the diff tunings he uses. Now, he has a Les Paul fitted with this gizmo. Between songs, he hits a button and in about 5 seconds he's retuned.

It ain't cheap, though.
Click to expand...

It seems like that thing would screw up the guitar neck because you would be changing the tension constantly.
 
And god help you if your playing at a quiet enough volume that you can hear the notes/strumming from the guitar going against the amp. Amp is outputting in Eb and your guitar is actually tuned to E, yuck.
 
I wouldn't trust anything beyond my ears and a good tuner. Too much to leave to chance, if you ask me.
 
Wireneck said:
And god help you if your playing at a quiet enough volume that you can hear the notes/strumming from the guitar going against the amp. Amp is outputting in Eb and your guitar is actually tuned to E, yuck.
Click to expand...


you're wrong there, it's not an electronical but rather a mechanical device that actualy retunes your guitar.
 
I use my Variax 600 all the time on stage and i have multiple tunings in the different presets. Drop D, open G, and half step down. If I record I always tune for real but for switching songs and alt tunings you can't beat it.
 
HogansHiro said:
I use my Variax 600 all the time on stage and i have multiple tunings in the different presets. Drop D, open G, and half step down. If I record I always tune for real but for switching songs and alt tunings you can't beat it.
Click to expand...

I tried to find out more about that instrument, but line6 has so much video crap on their website home page that I can't even get it to load. More is not necessarily better; if I had designed their website. I wouldn't have made it so that if you are looking through a firewall, or on a dialup, or don't have all the latest plugins, you can't even get their phone number. Or maybe I'm just grumpy on Monday mornings... ;^)
 
I know that this may not be an option right now for you, but have you considered an inexpensive guitar to keep tuned in what ever pitch you need to be in? (You might be able to pick up a nice inexpensive guitar for just a tad more than you would spend on a "gizmo" (?) )

Speaking of alt. tunings....

I was learning a song in Eb a few weeks ago so I tuned my LP to Eb to keep it simple for me. Well about a 2 weeks later I played an outdoor gig where it was very hot out and my guitar w/ floyd rose got way out of tune........so I grabbed the LP. (I totally forgot about tuning it to Eb as I never do that) I spot tuned it with my Boss TU-2, but in the sunlight I couldn't see the little dot that indicates "flat". It took me about 1/2 the song to figure out what the heck is going on........I felt like such an idiot after I realized what had happened.

Rick
 
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