Tuner issues, or intonation issues?!?!

[DeivoxCarnal]

I'm kinda flabbergasted by this one.

I'm using a Korg CA-30 tuner and it's set at 440 Hz but whenever I tune my bass by the Korg I end up being like 10-20 cents sharp on each string....

The only reason I know this is because I started playing along with some records to learn a few songs and everything was a little off.

First thing i did was check my intonation.
It did need some adjusting, but now that I've got it really close my OPEN strings are 20 cents sharp...

I checked against an online tone generator. When I tune to the tone it sounds correct, but the tuner is telling me that I'm 20 cents flat...

Normally I would chalk it up to a cheap tuner, BUT here's where it gets interesting.

When I check my 12th fret on the D and G strings they're great, both the fretted note and the harmonic are dead on, but on my E and A strings when I play the harmonic it's dead on, but if I fret the note it's like 5-10 cents sharp.

Do I need to adjust my truss rod? Is it the action on my E and A? It's not particularly high, but it's higher than the D and G.

The neck looks fairly straight, but it's hard for me to look directly down the neck because of the bridge.

This is driving me insane!!!! PLEASE ME!

[JLS]

The only reason I know this is because I started playing along with some records to learn a few songs and everything was a little off.

More likely that your record player (!?!?) is off.

First thing i did was check my intonation.
It did need some adjusting, but now that I've got it really close my OPEN strings are 20 cents sharp..

? Doesn't make any sense.

Forget playing in tune with the record player, first. The intonation has to do with the bass playing in tune with itself, not an outside source who's pitch accuracy is questionable.

When I check my 12th fret on the D and G strings they're great, both the fretted note and the harmonic are dead on, but on my E and A strings when I play the harmonic it's dead on, but if I fret the note it's like 5-10 cents sharp

Set the saddles so that the E&A strings are intonated, fretted 12th fret & octave harmonic.

Do I need to adjust my truss rod? Is it the action on my E and A? It's not particularly high, but it's higher than the D and G.

I think you need to have a professional setup, frankly--you're shooting in the dark.

[grendle]

Originally Posted by DeivoxCarnal

I'm kinda flabbergasted by this one.

I'm using a Korg CA-30 tuner and it's set at 440 Hz but whenever I tune my bass by the Korg I end up being like 10-20 cents sharp on each string....

The only reason I know this is because I started playing along with some records to learn a few songs and everything was a little off.

First thing i did was check my intonation.
It did need some adjusting, but now that I've got it really close my OPEN strings are 20 cents sharp...

I checked against an online tone generator. When I tune to the tone it sounds correct, but the tuner is telling me that I'm 20 cents flat...

Normally I would chalk it up to a cheap tuner, BUT here's where it gets interesting.

When I check my 12th fret on the D and G strings they're great, both the fretted note and the harmonic are dead on, but on my E and A strings when I play the harmonic it's dead on, but if I fret the note it's like 5-10 cents sharp.

Do I need to adjust my truss rod? Is it the action on my E and A? It's not particularly high, but it's higher than the D and G.

The neck looks fairly straight, but it's hard for me to look directly down the neck because of the bridge.

This is driving me insane!!!! PLEASE ME!

Stop now before you break something. It dosent sound like you have the required knowledge of the instrument to do a complete setup. Take it to someone & have it setup correctly.

When playing with a recording , the recording is almost never in tune.

[DeivoxCarnal]

First, I got laid off a couple weeks ago, and taking it to a pro is not an option.

Second, what am I going to break by adjusting my intonation?
I doubt that this problem has anything to do with the relief in my neck, so I'm not going to just start blindly twisting my truss rod.

Third, are you saying that professional recording artist almost never tune before recording?
This isn't just about one recording being slightly off, it's every song I try to play.

I'm not using an actual record player, I'm listening to MP3s, so it's not that.


maybe my OP wasn't clear enough. This isn't just an issue with me playing along with songs.

I already adjusted my intonation with my tuner because I don't trust my ears to get such a fine adjustment correct.

according to the tuner I'm great, no problems (except that my 12th fret harmonics are slightly off from the fretted note only on the E and A strings)

The only reason I started questioning my tuning is because ALL of the songs I try to play with are slightly off from what my tuner says is correct.

To verify that I'm not going insane I used a tone generator and tuned my bass by ear (I know enough about my intrument to do THAT )

After tuning by ear w the tone generator the songs sound correct.

BUT my tuner now tells me that all of my open strings are like 10-20 cents flat.

I hope I've made this clear enough

[longfinger]

Perhaps the battery in your tuner is dying and the tuner is giving inaccurate readings. The easiest thing to do would be to compare your tuner with a friend's "I have no complaints" tuner.

[darkocuk]

Have you tried a different tuner just for comparison?

[lowfreq33]

Tuner needs new batteries.

[ChasBass]

Maybe your tuner is not properly calibrated. Adjust it to 420 and tune your bass.
Or, get another tuner.

[C.Linton]

Just because it's an MP3 player is no guarantee it's exactly in tune with A440. During the recording process, from the initial recording to the final mastering, even just a tiny difference at each stage can add up. I can pretty much guarantee, if you take just about any commercial recording and analyze it, you'll find it's off from A 440 to some degree. There's no absolute guarantee any one recording will be accurate to A 440.

[gfaulkner]

If you know anyone with a Peterson strobe tuner,they give a true reading and will assist in a proper intonation set.Without that reference point you'll drive yourself crazy.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by ChasBass

Maybe your tuner is not properly calibrated. Adjust it to 420 and tune your bass.
Or, get another tuner.

420?

There's a joke here...

[deafman]

If I tune the bass plugged directly into the tuner, then tune it using the microphone picking up the sound from the speaker it is about 15c sharp. I am no expert but this may relate to your differences.

[Slowgypsy]

Originally Posted by JLS

420?

There's a joke here...

Yeah... 420 and everything'll sound just fine.

[john grey]

Peterson makes a good product. Frankly a great many tuners are not all that great. IF you can't get a fine quality tuner, get a lone of three inexpensive ones and work with that intonation (via harmonics obviously). You may find it's as simple as a tuner/intonation issue.