Intonation - Can I Use A TU3 or Do I Need A Strobe ?

Wazmeister

First time Ive ever intonated one of my own geetars recently, and I was just wondering...

1.) Can I use a 'normal' tuner to do this (ie TU3) ?

2.) Do I need a Peterson style tuner ?

3.) What are the advantages of using a strobe type ?


Apologies if these are dumb questions

Wazmeister

And, thoughts on ths Peterson set up guide ?

https://www.petersontuners.com/beyond/?p=1163

ourmaninthenorth

I can lend you a Peterson strobostomp Warren, if you want to have a practise before you buy. 

http://76.12.22.162/media/pdf/StrobostompManualUpdate_0505.pdf

PM if needed. 

chromatuna

I have used Boss tuners for this purpose effectively - well as far as my ears can tell. First an ancient TU-12, then a TU-2, now a TU-3. Still have the first and the last 

ICBM

You can use a TU-3. The TU-2 is technically not quite accurate enough, although I doubt most people will notice the difference. The TU-3 is accurate enough, you don't need a strobe tuner.

You can do it really accurately by ear too if you want to - tune the E/B, G/D and A/E pairs perfectly in fourths using 5th/7th-fret harmonics, then use each string as a reference for the other by comparing the 12th-fret harmonic on the higher string against the 17th-fret note on the lower, and the 19th-fret harmonic on the lower string against the 14th-fret note on the higher. (This works because the error caused by tuning in perfect fourths rather than equal temperament are the same for both strings, so they cancel out.)

Essentially a strobe tuner is just doing a similar thing, by comparing the string against a reference tone and using the beat frequency to determine how far out it is.

hotpickups

ICBM said:

You can use a TU-3. The TU-2 is technically not quite accurate enough, although I doubt most people will notice the difference. The TU-3 is accurate enough, you don't need a strobe tuner.

You can do it really accurately by ear too if you want to - tune the E/B, G/D and A/E pairs perfectly in fourths using 5th/7th-fret harmonics, then use each string as a reference for the other by comparing the 12th-fret harmonic on the higher string against the 17th-fret note on the lower, and the 19th-fret harmonic on the lower string against the 14th-fret note on the higher. (This works because the error caused by tuning in perfect fourths rather than equal temperament are the same for both strings, so they cancel out.)

Essentially a strobe tuner is just doing a similar thing, by comparing the string against a reference tone and using the beat frequency to determine how far out it is.

How do you know this shit lol

ICBM

hotpickups said:

How do you know this shit lol

lol

Knowing that the TU-2 isn't accurate enough comes from reading the spec sheet (+/- 3 cents, whereas most other tuners are +/- 1 cent) and seeing what would happen if I tried to use one to set up a guitar. I set up a lot of guitars, so I'm always looking for short-cuts. It was close, but not quite dead on.

I actually came up with the harmonics method myself - or at least, independently . I don't often claim this sort of thing but it's actually true - because I use a lot of odd chord voicings played high up on the neck along with open strings, I realised that the important thing is that the guitar plays perfectly in tune with itself, because then if the open strings are correct then everything else will be. So logically there's no need to use anything other than itself to set the intonation… then it was just a case of picking the right harmonics to use.

To be fair, it was only afterwards that I realised why it doesn't introduce the error of tuning in perfect fourths.

Chalky

I always intonate higher, e.g. open E to the high A on the same string as I figure this gives better accuracy?

BoopDeWoop

I've always used a TU-2 and my ears. If it sounds ok and the tuner is within one light of green it's usually all good.

JezWynd

I never knew there were all these different methods. I use fretted and harmonic at 12th fret with a Boss TU80. Works well to my ears.

rico

If you have an iPhone or iPad and an interface then there is a Strobo tuner app. Could be a cheaper option!

Wazmeister

Thanks for the insights guys...

@ICBM - as ever, great knowledge

@Ourmaninthenorth - thats a very kind offer, Ill PM thee

clarkefan

Wow

So what tuner do you actually use @ICBM ?  I'd love to see how you stretch the strings first, I tend to break them far too often for my liking

Any additional tips for tuning guitars with Floyds?

ICBM

clarkefan said:

Wow

So what tuner do you actually use @ICBM ?  I'd love to see how you stretch the strings first, I tend to break them far too often for my liking

Any additional tips for tuning guitars with Floyds?

I use an old-fashioned tuning fork (held over the pickup on an electric guitar, so it comes out through the amp) and my ears, or the TC Polytune app on my phone, depending on what I'm doing. The TC is fantastic for floating trems, it really saves a lot of time - but you have to be slightly careful that it doesn't latch onto the wrong note and give you a wildly altered tuning, which it can sometimes.

I stretch strings by pulling up roughly in the middle - I can't remember the last time I broke one, presumably I just got the 'feel' for it. I always do it *as* I wind the string onto the post, as well as a bit afterwards - you're not actually "stretching" the string, they don't unless you reach the elastic limit which is when they break! What you're doing is tightly forming it to the post and the bridge saddle etc. You definitely don't need to pull it up at various points along the length as some people seem to do - it makes no difference.

Floyds are a bit of a pain because the bridge movement range is so big, but at least once the strings are stretched and clamped, they don't move.

Bod

I use the ReaTune plugin in Reaper.  Works a treat, but I'm interested in trying @Chalky ;'s method next time I restring.