What's a good tuner for intonation?

Progrockabuse · Post by **Progrockabuse** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:27 pm

i've intonated the tele with my tu-2 and it sounds fine. in fact i was quite surprised at how well the tele intonates with the three saddles bridge. it's pretty much spot on across all the strings.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:35 pm

The Baja is perfect with 11s. Intonates dead easy

Progrockabuse · Post by **Progrockabuse** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:37 pm

11's are brilliant on the baja, but not so on the strat. that still has a 10-52 on it.

mezzio13 · Post by **mezzio13** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:38 pm

Mike should model his gear demos after this guy....

[youtube][/youtube]

Post by **Doog** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 6:04 pm

It's such a classic demo.

IT'S A LOCK ON

Post by **Mike** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 7:35 pm

Yeah that guy is immense. I almost quit after that one, he's quintessential.

chisa · Post by **chisa** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:39 pm

Mike wrote:
chisa wrote:For intonation you really need a strobe tuner. Otherwise all the pedal ones are pretty similar with the exception of bypass as has been stated
Not true. Any decent tuner is fine for intonating a guitar.

a non strobe tuner cannot get close enough for proper intonation. if you want it right you need the extra accuracy that a strobe tuner gives you.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 1:01 am

mezzio13 wrote:Mike should model his gear demos after this guy....

[youtube][/youtube]

BRILLIANT

Post by **Mike** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:44 am

chisa wrote:
Mike wrote:
chisa wrote:For intonation you really need a strobe tuner. Otherwise all the pedal ones are pretty similar with the exception of bypass as has been stated
Not true. Any decent tuner is fine for intonating a guitar.
a non strobe tuner cannot get close enough for proper intonation. if you want it right you need the extra accuracy that a strobe tuner gives you.

Bullshit.

chisa · Post by **chisa** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 1:54 pm

any guitar tech worth his salt uses a strobe tuner for set up.

you might know about pedals, i know how to set a guitar up

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 2:50 pm

chisa wrote:any guitar tech worth his salt uses a strobe tuner for set up.

you might know about pedals, i know how to set a guitar up

Ears are better. And yeah, I know how to set guitars up.

chisa · Post by **chisa** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 3:02 pm

you can't intonate a guitar with your ears.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 3:53 pm

chisa wrote:you can't intonate a guitar with your ears.

Bull. Fucking. Shit.

Post by **Doog** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 4:06 pm

I'm with Chisa- show me a guitar intonated by ear and I'll show you some nasty soloz.

These tools exist for a reason, normally for people who make these sort of adjustments for a living, rather than a guitarist doing an okay job on his own.

chisa · Post by **chisa** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 4:07 pm

Doog wrote:I'm with Chisa- show me a guitar intonated by ear and I'll show you some nasty soloz.

you need the accuracy. you'll never get it right by ear.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 5:30 pm

Are you both insane?

Oh, right. They NEVER intonated guitars or any other instrument prior to the invention of digital tuners!!!

What the fuck is wrong with you? Doog? Seriously? I never would have expected something like that from you. Think about this for a minute.

If you tune the 12th to match the open 12th harmonic, it's FUCKING INTONATED.

Goddamn.

Post by **Doog** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:19 pm

It's the difference between "reasonable" and "dead-on". The human ear is not as accurate as a strobe tuner that is pumping out SCIENCE. These things exist for a reason. Some of 'em even have tempered tuning modes since the guitar is never 100% in tune across the neck because it's impossible.

Sure, people have intonated fretted instruments across the ages without digital tuners, doesn't mean it was more accurate. Hell, strobe tuners have existed since the 30s, so there's always been a call for accuracy, the technology just wasn't there prior to that.

Show me a sample of a guitar tuned and intonated by ear, have it stand up against one tuned with a decent tuner and I'll shut mah holes.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:05 am

Doog wrote:It's the difference between "reasonable" and "dead-on". The human ear is not as accurate as a strobe tuner that is pumping out SCIENCE. These things exist for a reason. Some of 'em even have tempered tuning modes since the guitar is never 100% in tune across the neck because it's impossible.

Sure, people have intonated fretted instruments across the ages without digital tuners, doesn't mean it was more accurate. Hell, strobe tuners have existed since the 30s, so there's always been a call for accuracy, the technology just wasn't there prior to that.

Show me a sample of a guitar tuned and intonated by ear, have it stand up against one tuned with a decent tuner and I'll shut mah holes.

Can the human ear hear the difference? If it can't, then the strobe tuner is no more "accurate" than the ear. Because if the ear can't hear the difference, it might as well not exist.

People have been tuning shit to octaves since the Golden Greek Era. Mozart was conducting and expecting his violins to be in tune centuries before. You want to hear an instrument that is more sensitive to tuning variations than the guitar, it's the goddamn violin. They tune by ear. Period. It's an essential skill that any professional is required to have, the ability to hear and tune with your ear.

Frankly I'm shocked by this attitude, the first time I heard such bullshit was by guitarists on the HC forums. It's mojo bullshit, just like most mojo shit.

There is nothing more accurate than a human ear for tuning an instrument, because it's meant to be heard by human ears.

And actually, I've heard plenty of "tuned" instruments done by tuner that was fucking off. Especially when two guitarists tune up to their tuners and aren't in tune with each other. Conversely, the guitar tech who taught me to do a set up showed how it's done by ear, and every one of the guitars set by him was fucking perfect. Can I show you? Fuck no I can't, not everything is on youtube.

It's just sad how in the last decade almost every guitarist I meet can't properly tune without a tuner anymore, compared to 15 years ago when you were looked down on if you couldn't do it. Fuck it.

Besides, the original statement is still complete bullshit. "You can't intonate a guitar by ear" is the biggest lie I've heard on this forum, it almost sounds like it belongs on HCF. Like the first time I heard it. In fact, it does belong on HCF. Fuck anyone that believes that horseshit.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:21 am

Before the invention of digital/strobe tuners people would use a clock or other such time piece to tune instruments. The human ear is good, but it has never been good enough.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:23 am

BacchusPaul wrote:Before the invention of digital/strobe tuners people would use a clock or other such time piece to tune instruments. The human ear is good, but it has never been good enough.

Source. I know right now three concert violinists who tune and intonate by ear. And they play professionally in a symphony. This whole concept is fucking surreal. You all can't actually believe this.