Hi, all,
I am having a discussion with a bud. I recall learning, many moons (OK, years) ago that when tuning up, you should turn all effects (reverb, delay, chorus) off, as they will give you an inaccurate pitch. He says it ain't necessarily so. Anybody else know about this? No big deal, no bets or anything, just a friendly disagreement...thanks in advance.

Welcome to the forum
When I tune my guitars I leave the effects off, but thats just so I can hear it better. I`m not saying with effects on it won`t be accurate, but that`s just how I do it and its usually right on that way.

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i was told that it is best to put the tuner at the beginning of the effects chain. it is supposed to be more accurate that way.

i would imagine you should turn off all built-in amp effects before tuning as well.

if you are like me- 56 years old and 50 years of playing- tuning by ear just doen't happen

i have the tc electronics poly-tune, and just love it

Joe, personally I normally turn off any effects while I tune up, but that's more down to habit rather than any reasoning behind it. I guess it depends on how good your ear is?!

Hi, Phreddybee,
Well, close, I am 59 and been playing 40+ , and, yeah, I use a tuner most of the time. I'm mostly referring to amp-included reverb. It just seems to me that back in the fog-shrouded past, when I was learning, someone told me tune with no effects. I was just wondering if I was hallucinating, or what? Thanks, to all those who have responded, rock on!

I'm also 59 ( for a few more weeks) and I use a tuner. I'm so uptight that if the radio is on while I'm tuning, I turn it down so no rogue frequencies get picked up. I also quiet the strings with my hand before moving to the next one. But I'm obsessive. Monk is one of my heros. I couldn't imagine tuning with effects on. I'd never believe it was in tune and I'd have to stop and redo it.

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Whether you tune by ear, or by tuner, you want the signal to be as pure as can be. Switching off amp reverb if you rely solely on a tuner is a bit overkill. As the tuner is before the reverb so doesn't ever see it.

Chorus and other modulation effects are the main culprits for throwing tuning off. Reverb isn't that bad all told.

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No no and no

Like Niki said, if you were to try to tune up (by ear) with almost any kind of modulation effect (phase, vibrato/tremolo/whatever, chorus, Leslie, Univibe, etc.) an envelope filter or an octave effect, the "wobbling" in the frequencies would make it very difficult.

If you had any of those effects before an electronic tuner (like a TU2 pedal) it could conceivably screw with the accuracy as well.

...but this is all conjucture and supposition on my part, so who knows?

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Modulating effects such as vibrato,chorus,flange,phaser and even tremolo will greatly impede your ability to tune to proper pitch because pitch change is a quality of these effects.It is impossible to accurately tune a guitar while you have vibrato engaged as the pitch is constantly changing therefore making it impossible to hear the proper pitch you're supposed to be tuning to.I prefer to tune with all effects turned off and just one pickup engaged,with the treble on the guitar turned way back and the bass turned up this negates the chance of getting too many overtones that could further impede tuning. Your friend would certainly never get a job tuning Eric Johnson's guitars for concerts with his approach to tuning.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Haha! I remember tuning before there was such a thing as a tuner. It used to make me crazy when I was listening intently to my guitar while one of the other guys would just break in and start playing something. I would just reach over and put my hand across his guitars' neck. I know, rude, but I just couldn't hear!

Nowadays I might adjust one string by itself, but for general tuning I use a tuner. What can I say? It's DIGITAL BABY!!

Gridlok

Thanks, guys, more food for thought. Nikininja, maybe that is what I am thinking, chorus and such definitely mess with the pitch, good point..
Guitslinger, good one, I'll definitely point that out to my friend, he'll be crushed!

Tuner ALWAYS the first thing the guitar dumps into = the most accurate tuning possible.

That being said, if you have an acoustic with an onboard tuner, other things going on can impact your ability to tune (I've noticed problems trying to tune while sitting next to an organ player).

If your buddy can tune a guitar with the chorus and vibrato going it should be no sweat for him to thread a sewing machine while it's running.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

When I use a tuner I do not turn off effects, but the tuner is at the beginning of my chain. When I tune by ear, yes all effects get turned off so I can hear the tone by itself. I have been known to tune with just the distortion on when I use harmonics to tune with. But I do not do it that way any more.

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RK

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