Sweetened Tunings (Peterson Tuner)

JezWynd

Recently got the iPhone version of the Peterson Strobe tuner to help set up the intonation on an ES125 and I see that you can purchase various add ons including sweetened tunings for guitar and bass.  They're not at all expensive if you select just the ones you require but are they a worthwhile add on or is it best to stick with the basic software?

interstellar

not sure about that in particular but i use one of their tuners and the sweetened bit works IMO...i would get it...probably because its money spent on guitar related gizmos, which i seem to be addicted too

JezWynd

interstellar said:

not sure about that in particular but i use one of their tuners and the sweetened bit works IMO...i would get it...probably because its money spent on guitar related gizmos, which i seem to be addicted too

Does your tuner show what sweetened tuning is comprised of, what differences to standard tuning?

Rocker

There are sweetened tuning settings on my Peterson tuner. I use them all the time. Go for it.

bacchanalian

I recently bought a Sonic Research strobe tuner.  It has programmable tunings so you can store your own.  I have been using James Taylor's tuning and think it does work.

https://www.jamestaylor.com/guitar/lesson-five-bonus-video/

JezWynd

I'm still getting to grips with it tbh. Some of the terms they use - eg Tempraments are a bit confusing. It's a good tuner though, very accurate. 

Wazmeister

I have a Peterson for sale in the forum, and they are incredible.

The sweetened tunings are presets, and are very accurate. 

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/137624/fs-peterson-stomp-classic-tuner-price-drop#latest

Wazmeister

https://youtu.be/yPvMwKbQFfA 

Wazmeister

https://youtu.be/V2xnXArjPts

57Deluxe

...then a shit playing technique means you play everything flat!

In a interview on YTube, Ian Hunter discusses how Mick Ronson's Les Paul was so out of tune all the time he would be retunnig mid-song and that Mick Ralphs developed a technique to play everything flat to compensate for his playing style's effect on his guitars.

ref: 

bingefeller

I bought the Strobe Plus and, I have to say, it's incredible.  So accurate and it does make a difference, especially with intonating.  Of course, you will never get the strobe to stop completely dead but you can get extremely close.  

Anyway, the offsets for the Sweetened Tunings are:

E1 = -2.3 cent
B2 = 0
G3 = 0
D4 = -0.4 Cent
A5 = -2.1 Cent
E6 = -2.3 Cent

JezWynd

bingefeller said:

I bought the Strobe Plus and, I have to say, it's incredible.  So accurate and it does make a difference, especially with intonating.  Of course, you will never get the strobe to stop completely dead but you can get extremely close.  

Anyway, the offsets for the Sweetened Tunings are:

E1 = -2.3 cent
B2 = 0
G3 = 0
D4 = -0.4 Cent
A5 = -2.1 Cent
E6 = -2.3 Cent

Thanks, that's really helpful. They're incredibly fine adjustments. Makes you realise when you compare a clip on, eg Snark, to a Peterson, that the chances are you're playing some recipe of sweetened tuning every time you tune up by default as the Snark lacks that clinical accuracy.

It's been really useful in getting the ES125, with its floating bridge, set up with accurate intonation. I'd returned the bridge to its original wooden one but the Peterson made me realise I was never going to get it accurately set up without returning it to the metal adjustable bridge unit it arrived with.

That said, even though the intonation may have been out with the wooden bridge saddles, the guitar always sounded sweet and in tune right up to the 12th fret even though it was some way out from correct intonation. 

bacchanalian

JT's tuning is (with adjustments in cent)

e  -3
B  -6
G  -4
D  -8
A  -10
E  -12

At those very fine adjustments it does pay to try to damp all the other strings while tuning. Although he does not mention it, you can see James doing that later in the video.

JezWynd

Tuners were one of the most important developments for learning and playing. When I think back to the amount of time I'd waste trying to get in tune when I started, using an A440 tuning fork. It was a constant struggle as I lacked a good ear. Having a decent tuner improved my ear enormously as I began to absorb what an in tune guitar sounded like. Nowadays, even though my hearing is not as good as it was, I can get a ballpark tuning by ear, having been taught by the tuner what is right (and what my ear favours - that final tweak).

Rocker

As one who is near obsessed with tuning my instruments, this happened a few weeks ago at band practice:

I had been out of the room before we ran through one song.  I thought it went fairly well until the singer said he agreed that it worked better in B.  The lads had played the song in B.  Problem was that I played it in the usual key, B flat.  Amazingly nobody noticed or were aware that I had everything 'wrong'!

We had a good laugh about it and ran through the song again with all of us playing in the key of B.  Just shows what you can get away with in a band situation...

Paul_C

The other thing you find out is just how easy it is to play sharp or flat depending on how hard you press or how you approach the string when you press down.

viz

Paul_C said:

The other thing you find out is just how easy it is to play sharp or flat depending on how hard you press or how you approach the string when you press down.

Absolutely, and in fact probably most of us sweeten our tunings on the fly as we play, to create a more musical sound, which we may categorise as ‘tone’ or ‘feel’ - especially on minor to major 3rds, and major 7ths.