I need help tuning my guitar!

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Turkish

Lifer
May 26, 2003
15,547
1
81
Ah damn, I was hoping you'd say once every week or something :D Oh well, do you guys have a recommendation for a tuner that would make my job easier? I don't think this value pack tuner is that good. Maybe I should get a better one?
 

Turkish

Lifer
May 26, 2003
15,547
1
81
Can I send a WAV file to one of you guys through email or IM and you can tell me if it sounds tuned?
 

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
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Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
What type tuner? Handheld with speaker? Or plugged through a cord (acoustic/elec)

If its a handheld, place it right in front of the sound hole. And pluck the string pretty hard

But not too hard. With extra energy, comes more ancilliary harmonics. This is why the 12th fret harmonic method is the most accurate.


QFT

But at this point hitting clean harmonic notes is probably beyond the OP's current abilities and would require some practice
Well, I never assume something is beyond anyone's ability without first hand evidence. I figure by getting this under his fingers, he'll be able to do the hardest part, getting it to tune accurately.

Besides, getting harmonics to hit is "inspiring", and if you're into YES, it's the first riff of FRAGILE. and dammit JIM, Steve Howe is AWESOME!
 

GuitarDaddy

Lifer
Nov 9, 2004
11,465
1
0
Originally posted by: Turkish
Ah damn, I was hoping you'd say once every week or something :D Oh well, do you guys have a recommendation for a tuner that would make my job easier? I don't think this value pack tuner is that good. Maybe I should get a better one?

Tuning newly installed strings is always the hardest, making tuning adjs to a slightly out of tune guitar is much quicker. And it does get quicker and easier in general once youv'e done it several times. I bet with Aliencrafts experience he can probably strip one, put new strings on and tune it in under 5mins, probably quicker with a string winder:)

 

GuitarDaddy

Lifer
Nov 9, 2004
11,465
1
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Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Well, I never assume something is beyond anyone's ability without first hand evidence. I figure by getting this under his fingers, he'll be able to do the hardest part, getting it to tune accurately.

Besides, getting harmonics to hit is "inspiring", and if you're into YES, it's the first riff of FRAGILE. and dammit JIM, Steve Howe is AWESOME!


Yep, one of the first riffs I ever learned:) Yes loved harmonics, one of my favorites

:music: In and around the lake, people come out of the sky :music:
 

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Originally posted by: Turkish
Ah damn, I was hoping you'd say once every week or something :D Oh well, do you guys have a recommendation for a tuner that would make my job easier? I don't think this value pack tuner is that good. Maybe I should get a better one?

Tuning newly installed strings is always the hardest, making tuning adjs to a slightly out of tune guitar is much quicker. And it does get quicker and easier in general once youv'e done it several times. I bet with Aliencrafts experience he can probably strip one, put new strings on and tune it in under 5mins, probably quicker with a string winder:)
My fastest time is 3:30 for a whole guitar ( strat, tele Les Paul, don't matter), under one verse /chorus for a single string. Stretched, in tune, and ready to switch BACK with the performer. I can do an AlienPrepped Floyd (sm) in less than 5 mins.
When I did guitars for Todd Rundgren, he would do a purposeful string break on the last song, and I would always be done before last section, as such, he would take the guitar back and do the dramatic guitar flailing flourish at the end of the song, instead of hanging on the mic stand, as he had been doing.

Stripping a guitar is a set of side cutters and 4 cuts. I only use a regular string winder, the power ones are for posers.

 

GuitarDaddy

Lifer
Nov 9, 2004
11,465
1
0
Originally posted by: Turkish
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/ckizilde/maybetuned.wav

Sorry, my microphone is a webcam microphone, so not great quality, but what do you all think?


Close enough for goboment work!:)

Thats in the ballpark, tuning is a precise science any many will tell you that even the best electronic tuners don't get it exactly. The best players usually tweak it by ear even after being electronically tuned. I use a tuner to make sure I stay around A440, but I always do the majority of tuning by ear.
 

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Originally posted by: Turkish
Holy crap, I think I managed to do it :D I got every corresponding LED to lit when I was playing the note :D Goddamn, it was hard :( How often will I have to tune the guitar? I remember someone saying that as time passes, guitars will need less tuning compared to when freshly purchased?

With new strings it will go out of tune pretty quick, so check it every so often you can use the tuning practice:) I always bang the heck out of it (play hard) for about 10-15mins then tune again. As the strings get settled in it should stay in tune much longer (depending on the quality of the instrument) And tuning like playing gets much easier as you get more practice
Stretching new strings is a personal thing. Neal Schon liked them STRETCHED OUT, Howard Leese liked a little stretch left in them and he would touch the guitar up after soloing.
Alien's StandaRd Stretch goes like this, 12th fret starting with the high E stretch all the way to the top of the fretboardAS you PLUCK It HARD, then repeat this with each string until you get to the D.
Then the A and LOW E grab the string at the 12th and wiggle it back and forth, hard several times.
Check the tuning and retune as necessary. Then do it again.
twice or three times should be enough.

 

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Originally posted by: Turkish
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/ckizilde/maybetuned.wav

Sorry, my microphone is a webcam microphone, so not great quality, but what do you all think?


Close enough for goboment work!:)

Thats in the ballpark, tuning is a precise science any many will tell you that even the best electronic tuners don't get it exactly. The best players usually tweak it by ear even after being electronically tuned. I use a tuner to make sure I stay around A440, but I always do the majority of tuning by ear.
My guitar rig has a strobe tuner, with a TS-12 and a headphone amp feeding my in-ear monitors. I always do everything by ear, but the tuners make sure I'm honest.
 

Turkish

Lifer
May 26, 2003
15,547
1
81
w00t w00t, i am happy, ok, time for gym, then i am coming home to find some tutorials online :)