How do you fine-tune?

[Verence]

Okay, you've tuned your guitar with your tuner, gotten it "In the ballpark", and now you have to fine-tune. How do you do it?

 

I use the 5th and 7th fret harmonics for EAD and G, but what about B?

 

I fret the fourth fret on the G and get it as close as possible, but it's not as accurate as using harmonics.

 

Probably a n00b question, but is there a better way?

[Gary Palmer]

Tuning by harmonics is an inherently inaccurate method for tuning guitar. B is usually tuned by matching its fifth fret harmonic with the seventh fret harmonic on the high E. The fourth fret harmonic of the G is also supposed to equal the fifth fret harmonic on the B string. The resulting open B tends to be too sharp in comparison to the open E by virtue of this perfect fifth method.

 

The reason behind inaccuracies in tuning by harmonics is that you're tuning in pure intervals, rather than by equal tempered intervals. Harmonics are perfectly fine and dandy for roughing in your instruments tuning, but guitars are crafted to play in equal temperament and this therefore makes equal temperament tuning the best system to use.

 

Using the 4-5 fret method of tuning will most often produce better results, but - just as with the harmonci method - much depends upon how well adjusted and compensated the instrument is in the first place.

 

Another accurate (If not more accurate) method is to tune your guitar by octaves.

[pipedwho]

...or, you could get a better tuner.

 

In all seriousness, if you have major tuning problems after you tune with a decent electronic tuner, then you probably have an intonation problem that should be fixed.

 

I use a TurboTuner ST-122 and have programmed it with some offsets (+/- 1 to 2 cents) that get my Buzz Feiten intonated guitar in perfect tune everytime. No need to fine tune.

[donut jones]

i try to listen for beats. i also have a pretty good ear and can hear if a string is in or out of tune most of the time. in tune guitars have a certain feel.

[Fred Fartboski]

 

How do you fine-tune?

 

 

 

I use a Boss TU-12. After that I make any micro-adjustments with my ears. Sometimes, for reference, I'll throw in the harmonics.

[Verence]

I have several good tuners. None of them tune perfectly, though.

 

What's "tuning by octaves"?

[totamus]

A guitar is never really in tune. Fretting notes stretches strings, which raises pitch. So it is (IMVHO) a waste of time to "perfectly" tune the open strings of a guitar. Again IMVHO, it is much more important to learn how to detune it so that it sounds best for the type of playing you do.

 

I tune to Standard with my tuner and then tweak for correct sound with the E and G chords. I will first play a G chord and make sure all three G notes match (The two fretted E strings and the open G). If it is out I make the two fretted E strings match the open G string. Then I make an E and tweak the D string (which is fretted to be an E note) to match the two open Es. I do this by holding the chord and letting it ring while I take my other hand and adjust the tuning as needed.

 

The difficult B string I will verify by fretting the 7th fret of the E string, which puts it as a B but an octave higher. Adjust the B, not the E to match (the octave up makes it easier to hear when the notes are the same).

 

The A string I will verify by fretting the 5th fret of the low E and the 7the Fret of the D. That makes two fretted A notes, one up an octave. tweak the open A, not the other two.

 

I have developed this routine over years - it works well for me and yields good results.

[garthman]

If the tuner says it's in tune, it's close enough for me.

[Gary Palmer]

A guitar is never really in tune. Fretting notes stretches strings, which raises pitch. So it is (IMVHO) a waste of time to "perfectly" tune the open strings of a guitar. Again IMVHO, it is much more important to learn how to detune it so that it sounds best for the type of playing you do. I tune to Standard with my tuner and then tweak for correct sound with the E and G chords. I will first play a G chord and make sure all three G notes match (The two fretted E strings and the open G). If it is out I make the two fretted E strings match the open G string. Then I make an E and tweak the D string (which is fretted to be an E note) to match the two open Es. I do this by holding the chord and letting it ring while I take my other hand and adjust the tuning as needed. The difficult B string I will verify by fretting the 7th fret of the E string, which puts it as a B but an octave higher. Adjust the B, not the E to match (the octave up makes it easier to hear when the notes are the same). The A string I will verify by fretting the 5th fret of the low E and the 7the Fret of the D. That makes two fretted A notes, one up an octave. tweak the open A, not the other two. I have developed this routine over years - it works well for me and yields good results.

 

 

Nice explanation of octave tuning. It's just as Totamus says, you'll never manage to have a guitar perfectly in tune, but you can tune its strings so that they play in sympathy to one another.

[totamus]

This is exactly why I now recommend that new players seek out a teacher. I have found that many of the things I have self discovered over the years is actually common knowledge. So I could have had a teacher explain octave tuning tuning up front or take many years to figure it out myself.

 

My understanding of music is based entirely on the fretboard and Chord positions. I was trying to explain this to a friend only to have him tell me I had discovered the CAGED system.

 

Self discovery is fun, but learning from the existing body of knowledge would have been infinitely better.

[fmw]

I don't fine tune if I tune with a tuner. And how many tunes could a fine tuner tune? When the tuner is done, so am I. If I tune without a tuner I use the 4th/5th fret method and listen for beats between the frequencies.

[Gary Palmer]

I should have added the provisor "if you don't have / without an electronic tuner you can do......" into my previous offerings.

[riffmeister]

For the B string I tune by 5ths......harmonic at the 7th fret on the A string and harmonic at the 12th fret on the B string.

 

I also play some fretted octaves for additional fine tuning.

[Bubbalou]

I use a peterson vs-1 strobe tuner. On a guitar that is particularly finicky about intonation (will intonate at the 12th fret but the chords on the first 5 or 6 frets are off some ) I will open tune each string then intonate at the 12th fret. Then I check the 5 and 7 frets and if it is off I adjust intonation slightly to compensate. I have only found this on a handfull of guitars that I suspect the nut being the problem. Since I play chords more than notes and hardly use the upper registers I would gravitate more toward finetuning intonation at the 7th fret. If I were to have a really good guitar with this problem (problem usually confined to cheaper stuff) then I would get a nut made by a luthier in my area.

 

I charish guitars that sound good all the up and down the fretboard.

[rjoxyz]

I usually use a clip on tuner. When restringing, I challenge myself by trying to get each string in tune before clipping the tag end of the string. I can get pretty close by ear now (for some reason, I have the most trouble recognizing the B) in comparison to the tuner reading. Sometimes, I will double check with relative tuning on the 5th fret.

 

Since I play for my own pleasure (or frustration), this is close enough for me.

[freetime]

fine tuning? WTF? If my ears fail me I just use the tuner to "fine tune". The tuner is more accurate than your ears

[stormin1155]

As several posters have pointed out, any tuning of a guitar will have compromises. If you tune it perfectly with open strings, it will sound out of tune as you play chords and notes. I tune with a tuner (open) than fine-tune using varous chords (E, C, A). That gets me close enough for my ears.

[burkedajerk88]

 

I don't fine tune if I tune with a tuner. And how many tunes could a fine tuner tune? When the tuner is done, so am I. If I tune without a tuner I use the 4th/5th fret method and listen for beats between the frequencies.

 

 

+1 i use this method too.

 

As a violinist, I tune open strings to each other (they are all perfect fifths). So maybe if you just found the fifths on your guitar then you could use this same method. It might take a couple years to develop though. lol. But on violin I'm never out of tune as long as I've got an A.

[Bubbalou]

 

As several posters have pointed out, any tuning of a guitar will have compromises. If you tune it perfectly with open strings, it will sound out of tune as you play chords and notes. I tune with a tuner (open) than fine-tune using varous chords (E, C, A). That gets me close enough for my ears.

 

 

 

Good idea for those guitars that are troublesome.

My 1979 Takamine is one of them. I am thinking about working on the saddle for better intonation of the low E and A string. Others are fine but those two intonate a little sharp.

[panhandler]

If the tuner says it's in tune, it's close enough for me.

 

+1

[32-20-Blues]

+1

 

Plus one here, too.

 

One of my beater guitars has an obvious intonation problem on the first few frets. I only have to fine tune when tuning this guitar. Everything else gets tuned with a tuner.

[guitarist21]

I'm lucky enough to have a good ear. But it also makes me kind of a tuner snob. I don't really like electronic tuners because they can't really tune a guitar with intonation issues (which is many of my guitars ). I often tune the guitar to a prevalent chord in the song I'm about to be playing.

 

My Gibson LG-0, while being a great little guitar, is in dire need of a serious intonation check. Sometimes an E chord will sound great, but a G chord might not. I just turn knobs until it sounds good.

 

I also find that I judge "sounds good" by fifths. For some reason, a perfect fifth is an interval I hear very accurately, so instead of putting my first finger on the fifth fret of the E string and comparing it to the A string (which can be an issue with my plagued LG-0), I'll just put my finger on the second fret of the A string and strum the E and the A together. Then I turn some knobs. Repeat as necessary.

 

Ellen

[Kozmo]

I start with the tuner then play various open positon chords. Generaly the B string has to be "averaged" between a cople different chords to sound more in tune on the over-all. A "tuner only" freind that I play with can never seem to get his axe to play in tune and is frustrated by how much better my tuning sounds. Iv'e tryed to explain it to him, but he can't hear the detail well enough to implement the advise.

[larsomatic]

I too use the 4 and 5 fret method and then tune to chords. Been doing it this way for 30 years and discovered that there is no such thing as a guitar perfectly in tune; it depends on your style. Have also discovered that the B string is always a pain in the butt to tune.

[Verence]

The tuner is more accurate than your ears

 

Not unless we're talking about a serious $200+ strobe tuner. And I don't own one of them.

 

 

 

Thanks for all the info, guys! I'll try them all and see what works best for me.