Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

[Gary1983]

Hello !
Why using neck pickup with tone knob rolled to 0 , will make guitar tuning more smooth and accurate ?
A friend of mine tell me this and , this really works , but why ?

I'm using my old Boss TU80 (about 10 years old) and while using bridge pickup while tuning , tuner needle can be very unstable. I mean it sometimes says that I'm 2-3 cents sharp and second or two later the needle show me that guitar is perfectly in tune. It's annoying as hell , especially setting intonation on brand new strings , different gauge or different tuning.
Everything changes when I switch to neck pickup with tone on 0. Very smooth tuning and setting instonation is now much easier. My ears tells me this is much more accurate way and tuner only confirms that.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

The tuner is attempting to find the fundamental and ignore the harmonics (which are octaves but also other harmonic notes). By rolling the tone off you are filtering out a lot of those harmonics and making the job easier for the tuner to decipher the fundamental frequency.

That's my take anyway.

 

[stratguy23]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

Famed rock/metal producer Jack Endino agrees with PFDarkside:
http://www.endino.com/archive/tuningnightmares.html

Here's another tip to make your life easier. You know how when you plug a guitar in and pluck a string, sometimes the tuner needle (or LED display) wavers back and forth and drives you crazy? And you have to pluck it every which way before getting a "good reading" which finally "settles down?" Do these three things:

1) switch your guitar to its rhythm (neck) pickup, if it has one;
2) roll your guitar's tone knobs all the way off, to remove all the highs; and then
3) pluck the open string right over the twelfth fret, not over the pickup. Try it; you'll be amazed.

(Endino's detailed explanation of harmonics)

So... What is the tuner looking for? The fundamental note of the string, and nothing else! All the other tones made by the vibrating string "confuse" the tuner, making it indecisive. Roll off your highs, use the rhythm pickup, pluck near the middle... and just mail me a check, thank you very much. (Important: remember to switch everything BACK before you start playing the next song!)

 

[hydro]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

Interestingly enough, that's more or less the same advice offered to get the best tracking out of an octave box; turn the tone down on the neck pup.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

Never thought as bout it, but…yeah.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

when i used regular chromatic tuners, it would get "confused" on the B and high E.. Now I use a strobe tuner and have never had a problem with it locking onto notes.

 

[marcello252]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

do yourself a favour and get a TC polytune anyway

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

Immediately after picking a string, there is a transient peak that is usually the loudest part of the signal and slightly sharp. Adjust the tuning after the transient peak has passed.

 

[Gary1983]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

Thank you guys

This metod works great and getting a better tuner will also be good idea.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

I use the bridge p'up for tuning.

HTH,

 

[Artie]

Re: Can someone explain me this ?(tuning)

This is why this forum is awesome. I've never heard of doing this before. Just tried it, and it works great.