Tuner detects wrong string

[Killing Floor]

No! You're wrong. The TC Electronics Uni tune is very good and extremely accurate. Read the reviews

I’m happy it works close enough for your needs.

 

[west al]

My most reliable tuner. Plug the instrument cord into the in jack, turn it on, and that's it. It runs on a 9 volt battery. Very good accuracy as well, compact enough to slip into a pocket.

 

[Mushroo]

Here is the most idiot-proof, accurate, beginner-friendly way to tune a bass by ear:

Tune each open string to a known-good reference pitch. Tune the open G to a G reference, D string to a D reference, A string to an A reference, and E string to an E reference.

If you need a good set of reference pitches, go on YouTube and search for "bass tuner." There are lots of videos on youtube, that give you the EADG reference pitches.

 

[rashrader]

Detune the string down a few steps and then tune it back up to E. If that doesn’t work, use the harmonics to tune the E off of the A String.

 

[Pilgrim]

If your intonation is set...

True, but chances are that it's at least close. And the advice is a good reminder for all players.

 

[Bboopbennie]

Had problems with my Snark on the headstock with false readings. Now I have a T C electronic tuner pedal that's really good. The early Korg tuners were kind of iffy too. The TC gets my vote.

 

[skycruiser]

True, but chances are that it's at least close. And the advice is a good reminder for all players.

I agree. But it is worth pointing out the value of a tuner if you want to set your intonation. I tuned by ear for a year or so and never set the intonation on my guitar and bass. When I finally got around to picking up a clip-on and set the intonation on my guitars, playing above the 5th fret sounded so much better. I should not have gone so long without the tuner!

 

[LBS-bass]

F is a bit unusual, though, since it's not a harmonic of E

My clip-on tuners (Snark, Korg, NS/Daddario) often lock to harmonics of a fourth or fifth...B when playing E is pretty common...even when I have the other strings muted. I never see this when I use plug-in tuners either plugged in or when using the mike.

I'm assuming in this case the F is the first harmonic; IOW the string is a half step sharp.

But with the lower strings, sometimes the tuner will pick up a second or third degree harmonic from that string or another string, if they aren't all properly muted. I use twelfth fret harmonics to tune E and B strings for this reason.

The OP needs a reference tone of some sort to bring him into the ballpark (I posted one last night) and then he needs to downtune and then retune upwards until he hits the E.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

All clip on tuners suck so I won’t single out any brand. If you want a tuner get a tuner. Or be cool with it working intermittently like all clip ons for 50 years.

You know that tuners you plug into are out by electromagnetic energy being slowed down the length of cable plus the length of pickup windings? And are affected by radio waves and other broadcast electromagnetic energy? Whereas contact tuners get the pure vibration energy from the string which as we all know can't be affected by anything except the absence of tort.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I have a snark super tight tuner that I just started using, the problem is that when I pluck the E string the tuner says its the F string. How do I fix this?

Get a better tuner. Preferably a pedal version. I absolutely love my Polytune 3.

 

[Killing Floor]

You know that tuners you plug into are out by electromagnetic energy being slowed down the length of cable plus the length of pickup windings? And are affected by radio waves and other broadcast electromagnetic energy? Whereas contact tuners get the pure vibration energy from the string which as we all know can't be affected by anything except the absence of tort.

Fair point. Tort reduces hysteresis. It’s a cooling factor.

 

[skycruiser]

You know that tuners you plug into are out by electromagnetic energy being slowed down the length of cable plus the length of pickup windings? And are affected by radio waves and other broadcast electromagnetic energy? Whereas contact tuners get the pure vibration energy from the string which as we all know can't be affected by anything except the absence of tort.

Maybe so, but the clip-on ones are affected by vibrations from tectonic plate shift induced tremors along the mid-Atlantic ridge. So it's a bit of a trade off...

 

[lermgalieu]

All clip on tuners suck so I won’t single out any brand. If you want a tuner get a tuner. Or be cool with it working intermittently like all clip ons for 50 years.

I liked my TC clip on....until it broke.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

All clip on tuners suck so I won’t single out any brand. If you want a tuner get a tuner. Or be cool with it working intermittently like all clip ons for 50 years.

I agree, 100%. I purchased a Peterson Stroboclip a couple years ago. It worked pretty well with the exception of my E string. It would continually read it as a B... irritating! I did discover that if you place a clip on tuner at the tip of the headstock, it yields better accuracy. In the long run however, I ended up with a Polytune 3. Very fast AND accurate. No more "false" readings. Highly recommended.

 

[Fat Nermil]

After all of this it turns out the poor guy has a busted display that drops the _ off his E.

 

[Killing Floor]

Jaco didn’t need a clip on tuner…

 

[Bill Murray]

I have a snark super tight tuner that I just started using, the problem is that when I pluck the E string the tuner says its the F string. How do I fix this?

Snark tuners suck on bass and clip on tuners in general are basically a gimmick.
I still use them lol I usually tune the G and D string and then do the rest by ear using harmonics.

it’s definitely worth investing in a good plug in tuner or better yet a strobe tuner, than you can setup your own instruments

 

[MrLenny1]

I've had 3 Snark tuners and they all work well
with an acoustic 6 string to a bass with low B string.
Turn off & try again.

 

[BigJohnAZ]

I have 2 Snarks and never had a problem. The E string can be problematic once in a while, just reposition the tuner a little on the headstock and/or hit the 12th fret harmonic and you should be good to go.

 

[Roxbororob]

Geewhiz talkbass is a hoot!