Straight up or otherwise

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 13 Jun 2008 11:55 pm

Would like to know how many players tune straight up(open and all pedals and knee levers) and how many tune otherwise. Don't need to know why. Jody.

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 14 Jun 2008 12:02 am

When I had my Carter D-10 I would tune the E's straight up then tune the rest to the E's by ear and it seemed to work fine with the Carter. When I get my Sho-Bud on Monday the only thing different is I'm gonna try tunin the E's Straight up with the A and B pedals down then tune the rest again to the E's by ear.

Carl Vilar · Post by **Carl Vilar** » 14 Jun 2008 1:32 am

Recently changed to straight up.

Robert Thomas · Post by **Robert Thomas** » 14 Jun 2008 1:52 am

Since I started on pedals after years without pedals I have always tuned straight up. Started on a new Sho-bud D-10 in 1971 for 27 years and since then on a HWP Mullen D-10. Straight up always. That makes 37 years for straight up.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 14 Jun 2008 2:16 am

Open E's @ 441 , then straight up, then tweak to the ear..

Is this an answer ?

tp

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 14 Jun 2008 2:23 am

I tune straight up.....then adjust where needed to make my ears happy.

Finis Spier · Post by **Finis Spier** » 14 Jun 2008 6:29 am

you can tune straight up if you want to play out of tune
that only works with a fiddle and six string guitar I tune with an a440 tuning fork with b pedal down third string and the rest by ear

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 14 Jun 2008 6:47 am

Recently, a reputable steel player said to me that Buddy Emmons tunes pretty much straight up - and can do so and sound in tune because he's Buddy Emmons and can play around all those flat and sharp notes like he's walking the dog.

James Sission · Post by **James Sission** » 14 Jun 2008 8:15 am

Newman Chart

Mike Shefrin · Post by **Mike Shefrin** » 14 Jun 2008 8:43 am

I tune my third string with the B pedal engaged to an A-440 and then tune the rest of the open strings and all pedals and knee levers by ear. Works just fine for me.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 14 Jun 2008 9:15 am

When I first got a Korg tuner I tuned everything straight up on my 71 PP D-10 Emmons. Everyone kept telling me I was out of tune. I found the Jeff Newman tuning chart (with E's referenced to 440, not 442.5 as the later chart is) and started tuning with that chart, slightly modified for my guitar, and after I started using the Newman chart no one ever told me I was "out of tune". I still use the Newman chart (slightly modified) for my D-10 Franklin.

The one that used to really get on me about tuning was lead guitar player "Billy Charles". He would have me give him an A or A chord then he would tune his open high E string against the A or A chord (try doing that...).

Twayn Williams · Post by **Twayn Williams** » 14 Jun 2008 11:10 am

I tune the open strings straight up, then I tweak the knees and pedals.

Course, it doesn't help when the upright player plays everything flat, and the lead singer doesn't know how to tune with a capo!

Bill Mayville · Post by **Bill Mayville** » 14 Jun 2008 12:19 pm

Even a piano doesn't tune to straight up.
Like Jeff Newman said.Not everyone has that good enough of a ear to tune with out a tuner.
I remember Doug tuning at a Dallas show in 04.And he is one of the world's great one's.
I thought it was pretty neat when I saw him tune to his ear.Till the second song came along and a re-tune, With the songs 4 and five ,the same thing.
I am not saying he can;t tune by ear.Just that one time maybe.If I use a lot of lever for a set,I re-check right away at break time.The Emmons or the Mullen, never go out of tune.The Jackson hasn;t been in public yet,and maybe never will be.I will be ordering A D-10 Jackson.That will go in public.
The s-10 is such a personalized guitar,I am afraid
to go near a drunk.

Bill

Don Sulesky · Post by **Don Sulesky** » 14 Jun 2008 12:46 pm

When I started playing years ago I used and E tuning fork for the 4th string then tuned straight up.
After doing that with several other tuners along came the Peterson tuners and I stopped using the ear method and trying to tune with players all playing around me.
Now I just have my presets in my Strobo-Flip and tune up in less than two minutes.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 14 Jun 2008 1:03 pm

I have come to the conclusion that we just have to tune according to what sounds the best to ourselves. I have seen some pretty darn good players tune straight up and it sounds awesome. Other super players tune according to a chart and that sounds awesome too.

As for me, I don't trust my ear any more(hearing loss due to noisy job) so I tune the 4 to 440 with AB Ped down. Then tune the 8 to the 4. The rest I tune to Jeff's chart, plus tweaking after that.

Every guitar is a bit different. That is why tweaking is required.

Tucker Jackson · Post by **Tucker Jackson** » 14 Jun 2008 1:29 pm

B0b did a poll of this last year. Only 17% of players on the Forum reported that they tuned "straight up."

See all the results of the poll here:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... light=poll

Robert Thomas · Post by **Robert Thomas** » 14 Jun 2008 1:56 pm

If you don't have a good ear you should use a meter for every string you pick since your bar may not be precisely where it needs to be to be in tune. Technically everyone who plays a steel plays out of tune to some degree. So we all end up playing what sounds good to our own ears.
I hope this doesn't start a controversy!

Roual Ranes · Post by **Roual Ranes** » 14 Jun 2008 2:32 pm

I laid my tuner on an electric piano and it matched on all notes. I tune straight up to that tuner and am with the piano. If I try to tune by ear, I know that an octave on any string will be flat at high end.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 14 Jun 2008 2:39 pm

This has the potential for becoming another long, long discussion of the merits of ET or JI or tempered tuning or "tampered" tuning.

Jody just asked how many tune "straight up" and how many tune otherwise.

I used to be in the "straight up" category, but have drifted slightly into the "otherwise" category.

Lee, from South Texas

Pete Cormier · Post by **Pete Cormier** » 14 Jun 2008 2:48 pm

I'M JUST A BEGINNER,SO WHAT IS STRAIGHT UP.I TUNE
MY STEEL TO -G- TUNING AT 440 ALL STRINGS,THEN DO THE
PEDALS.---AM I DOING IT CORRECTLY.
PETE

JACK HEERN · Post by **JACK HEERN** » 14 Jun 2008 4:50 pm

Jody
I thought you used a tempered tuning on "Waltzing Matilda, I could be wrong. Did you tune the 8th string in "L" ? It sure sounded like L

Jack
However I do tune straight up on tub bass

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 14 Jun 2008 7:23 pm

Hi Jack. I still tune my swineette straight up on "Waltzing Matilda". Jody.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 14 Jun 2008 7:55 pm

Jody Sanders wrote:Would like to know how many players tune straight up(open and all pedals and knee levers) and how many tune otherwise. Don't need to know why. Jody.

Less than 1 in 5, from a sampling of 198 forum members. Click here

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 14 Jun 2008 8:08 pm

I still tune by ear, pretty much the way I stated back in the Feb 07 poll. I'm messing around with the meantone approach being discussed in THIS THREAD.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 14 Jun 2008 8:31 pm

straight up 440 all around.

JB

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