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How often do you tune?

icecycle66

icecycle66

Feb 4, 2009
1,005
62
Arizona
#1
How frequently are you tuning?
And why?

This question came to mind while reading this thread, http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/anybody-giving-up-tuner-pedals-headstock-tuners-815654/.

I don’t gig weekly or anything, so I haven’t experienced the wide array of environs that many of you may have. I have played a hand full of 4 hour gigs (two hours, break, two hours) and I play call-in for a few guys around town every once in a while (2 hour bar jaunts). Other than that, I play on my own a lot.

In any of these situations, I don’t ever recall needing to tune my bass multiple times.

Tune up before the show and don’t mess with anything until afterwards. I’ve tuned before and after shows, just to find that after the show I am still right on the mark.

I understand needing to detune and retune if you are a four string player. But other than that, what are your guys doing to your bass that you necessitate headstock and floor tuners to be active and ready at and instants notice?
 
#2
On my own or when practicing with a band I tune up me bass before starting. Durring a gig I tend to check my tuning after every 2 or 3 songs. I usually don't need to make any adjustmenst durring a gig but if the tuning is off the slightest bit and I know it then it'll drive me nuts.
 
#4
I COULD go an hour of solid playing before any adjustments need to be made- but I think the important question isn't what can I get away with, but how often should I be checking to make sure nothing wonky went on? (It's happened to all of us)

Rather than setting a song limit or time limit, looking at a setlist I can usually see where there is a part or a break where I wont be playing. I'll take that time to just double check and make sure any adjustments are made.

In the end I'm sure you know what's right.
 
#5
a bass left at home on a stand is pretty solid tuning wise but ....gig bags knock the pegs around so i always tune when the bass comes outta the bag.....

on gigs ...at the start of every set and check every so often in the set...

yes ....i think some of the better vibration tuners could slow sales of pedal tuners ....i have a 'snark" brand and it is awesome for bass ....many guitar headstock tuners don't work well for bass but the snark is all killer no filler!
 
#6
sammyp said:
a bass left at home on a stand is pretty solid tuning wise but ....gig bags knock the pegs around so i always tune when the bass comes outta the bag.....

on gigs ...at the start of every set and check every so often in the set...

yes ....i think some of the better vibration tuners could slow sales of pedal tuners ....i have a 'snark" brand and it is awesome for bass ....many guitar headstock tuners don't work well for bass but the snark is all killer no filler!
Click to expand...

I'll second that emotion! The Snark is in my opinion (and others as well) the BEST headstock tuner out there. Nothing else I've tried picks up the E and A string vibrations as fast as a Snark! :D
 
#10
The temperature changes between my van, my house, and certain stages we play can wreak havoc on my Spector's. I pump up the heat in the van, but sometimes it does not do the trick. I usually do not bother tuning my basses until 5 minutes before we start playing - trying to let the bass get adjusted to the temperature/humidity conditions of the room. I check the tuning when I can in between songs and/or songs with extended "no bass" intros. Strings do go flat, but usually not too much.
 
#12
Unless the temperature is really hot or really cold, or I'm near a heating/cooling source, I tune at the start of the night and that's it.

An important point is that I make sure the Bass has been out of the case on a stand long enough to adjust to the room temperature before I tune up.
 
#14
phatbass said:
An important point is that I make sure the Bass has been out of the case on a stand long enough to adjust to the room temperature before I tune up.
Click to expand...
after which, the strings will warm up to your body temperature during the first song, expand, and go a little flat!

sorry, but bass players going on stage with no way to silently, accurately and quickly tune is something that drives us guitar players crazy :rollno:

with a good, well-set up bass you could probably be in the ballpark just pulling it out of the case and playing; to be actually in tune, you want to check with a real tuner after the first song, at which point you should be good for the rest of the set.

still, there's no excuse not to be able to quickly and accurately check occasionally, (like at the same time the guitar player does), just to make sure.
 
#15
sammyp said:
a bass left at home on a stand is pretty solid tuning wise but ....gig bags knock the pegs around so i always tune when the bass comes outta the bag.....
Click to expand...

This. Since I don't gig (yet), I only play on my own and with my band, so I only really tune often whenever I get a band rehearsal, since I go on bus and the bass can bump somewhere and detune itself. I'm clumsy, you see.

Other than that, I sometimes check the tuning when at home whenever I feel like it's needed. Can't be too careful.
 
#16
before every set, whether at a gig or a practice with others. If I'm just by myself practicing, it doesn't matter as much. But when you're playing with others, I think it's right to check before every set. Your gig bag will knock it out of tune, as can the weather, as can you if you play hard for a set.
 
#18
Before every practice and for sure before every trip into the studio/recording room as well as obviously every gig. I may also tune if we have a little break between songs or if something just sounds way off. Amazingly my bass stays in pretty good tune consistently so it is generally not a huge problem or hassle to tune.
 

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