Straight up or otherwise

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

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 · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

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 · From: New Jersey USA

Recently changed to straight up.
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JCH 9/7
1971 Blond Twin Reverb 15" custom
Randall Steel Man 500

Robert Thomas · From: Mehama, Oregon, USA

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 · From: Charlotte NC

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

Is this an answer ?

tp

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

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

Finis Spier · From: Texas, USA

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 · From: Canada

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.
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Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com

James Sission · From: Sugar Land,Texas USA

Newman Chart

Mike Shefrin · Posted 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 · From: Kansas City, MO

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 · From: Portland, OR

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! Muttering

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Primitive Utility Steel

Bill Mayville · From: Las Vegas Nevada * R.I.P.

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
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Bill Mayville
06 Jackson Commemorative ,S 10
Black.For Sale . $18,000 Kidding

Don Sulesky · From: Citrus County, FL, Orig. from MA & NH

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 · From: London,Ontario, Canada

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 · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

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/viewtopic.php?t=103915&highlight=poll

Robert Thomas · From: Mehama, Oregon, USA

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 · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

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 · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

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 · From: Eunice, Louisiana, USA

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
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SUPRO---MAN
49&51 SUPRO SINGLE NECKS
54 DOUBLE NECK SUPRO
2006 D-8 PEDALMASTER
1994 D-8 PEDALMASTER

JACK HEERN · From: MURPHYSBORO,IL. USA

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 Laughing

Jack
However I do tune straight up on tub bass

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

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

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

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 · From: Longmont,Co,USA (deceased)

straight up 440 all around.

JB
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2 Fulawka D-10's 9&5
Sho-Bud Pro 2 8&5

"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"

"Your FIRST mistake was listening to your wife instead of your steel instructor." (H.Steiner)

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