How often do you retune during gigs?

[Cagey]

The answer to the original question is, obviously, "whenever I'm out of tune".  :icon_biggrin:

Perzactly. Odd that wasn't a choice. As if tuning was a scheduled thing. You do it or don't depending on need.

 

[AndyG]

The answer to the original question is, obviously, "whenever I'm out of tune".  :icon_biggrin:

Perzactly. Odd that wasn't a choice. As if tuning was a scheduled thing. You do it or don't depending on need.

To be fair to the poster of the question, checking your tuning doesn't necessarily mean that your instrument is out of tune ... but you check to make sure.  When you check, if your instrument is out of tune, you need to retune.  So by asking "how often do you retune during gigs" is more about how well your instrument holds its tuning rather than how obsessive the player is about checking.

 

[Cagey]

That's one way to read it. Another way might be "why is everybody kicking my ass about tuning for 5 minutes out of 20?

I know a couple/few players that are absolutely miserable about tuning, and still never get it right. One guy even carries one of those old electro-mechanical Conn Strobotuners to every gig, and sets it right on his amp. Has to "tune up" after every song, and if God was good to him, he'd allow him to tune while he was playing. Comes to my house, retunes whichever of my guitars I've got out on stands, and leaves them all out. It's funny - my brother will come over and grab one of my guitars and say "has Jeff been over here?" You can tell.

I've got a niece who's a pretty competent player, and she's another one. No matter what guitar you hand her, including her own, the damned thing's never in tune if you ask her. Gotta tune it at least every song, or it's the end of the world.

Old friend from Detroit who's been playing longer than most of us have been alive - same way. He's actually literally smashed guitars because they wouldn't tune. Of course, this was a while back when we were all playing 60's and 70s guitars that didn't tune worth a damn, so his frustration was understandable. Plus, her has anger management problems. But, he never lost the obsession with tuning. He's another one who'll spend 5 minutes out of every 20 tuning.

I've seen many more, but you get the idea.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I'm going to have a go on a Min-E-Tune guitar (or one with Tronical tuning) at NAMM if I possibly can. Surely it's the answer to the tuning obsessive's dreams? As far as I can see, aesthetics (if you care about how the back of your headstock looks) and price (as much as a set of really nice pickups) are the only downsides.

 

[Cagey]

The geek in me wants a Tronical tuner, just for the fun of it. But, at the price, it may be a luxury I'll have to pass on. I just don't have a tuning problem. To me, it's pretty quick and simple. I sorta equate automatic tuners with getting an automatic zipper opener for your pants. If you can't handle tuning, you've got more serious problems than automation will resolve. People are going to point and make fun when you pee your pants. I mean, what kind of musician can't hear a note? That's what tuning boils down to. I need an E on the 1st and 6th strings. There should be an A, D, G and B in the middle strings. If I can't hear that, I'm in deep meaningful sheep dip and perhaps shouldn't be trusted with an instrument.

 

[Updown]

I'm going to have a go on a Min-E-Tune guitar (or one with Tronical tuning) at NAMM if I possibly can.

If it's a Gibson, just make sure the strings are put on right, as those idiots at gibson don't know how to string these properly.
ie: less than one wrap, NOT 4+ wraps that gibson does  :doh:

This is the strat one that will fit a Warmoth strat neck.
http://store.tronical-components.com/tronicaltune-type-c1/?guitartype=Strat%20style

What type for which guitar ....
http://www.tronical.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/TronicalTune_PCB_Template.pdf

A friends report on a SG with Min-Etune
http://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=10208.msg73493#msg73493

BTW ... I use to own the Dark Fire that had similar tuners.
But these are now made in Germany, not switzerland as the robot series were.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I think it'd be a waste of time if I was only ever in standard tuning. I think the system comes into its own for people who are using 5 different tunings dotted throughout a gig, and they don't want to take 5 guitars with them.

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

I got told off by a mate at our last gig for checking my tuning too often between songs. It's a bit of a bad habit, and a nervous thing I guess, as the guitar is rarely out of tune. If I'm using my Ibanez S470 it won't even be out of tune when I take it out of the case, so I don't know why I keep checking it!

 

[Jumble Jumble]

You could get one of these - one quick strum between songs and both you and your friend are happy.

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

That's what I've got! Well, the first version. I'd actually forgotten it had that feature.

 

[bagman67]

I think it'd be a waste of time if I was only ever in standard tuning. I think the system comes into its own for people who are using 5 different tunings dotted throughout a gig, and they don't want to take 5 guitars with them.

Bingo. 


I have a few friends I grew up with playing in Vegas who are now professional musicians in various capacities working the cover/show band circuit - and you gotta keep the set movin' with minimal time to fool with gear when it's Friday night and you have a hotel lounge full of customers.  Pressing a button to go from covering Can't You Hear Me Knocking (open G) to Jumpin' Jack Flash (open E) during your crowd-pleasing Stones medley is worth the snickers of the internet forumites of the world when you're getting paid union scale as a veteran.


But otherwise, no, I don't see it being worthwhile for the guy (namely me) who does most of his playing in standard tuning and on his couch.

 

[jay4321]

On my 25.5" guitars with fixed bridges I don't have to turn very often. I don't do anything all that special, just stretch the strings out on install and make sure the nut is cut well, plus I usually have better tuners equipped.

One guitar in particular, an inexpensive Schecter Damien Elite (TOM bridge), Fender scale, tuned C#/drop B - it's like a rock. I didn't change the tuners on it either. Somewhat heavy strings is probably a big factor but it's definitely a freak.