Tuning down silently on the fly -- suggestions welcome!

[matthewbrown]

I just started rehearsals for a production of Heathers, the Musical, and there are several occasions when tuning my lowest string to D would help. In one section of the score, instructions to do so are written in. So I tried that out last night and my SNARK tuner did not succeed. I wound up having to ignore the low string entirely until I could retune it between tunes -- something I couldn't do in performance, clearly. I have an electronic tuner in my Zoom A3, but it's not much better.

Are there any steps that would help, in your experience?

 

[jeff62]

You need something other than a clip on tuner. Most, if not all, in line tuners kill your signal when you stomp on the switch to tune.

 

[Slevage]

Peterson strobe stomp.
Best I've ever used.

 

[JimmyM]

Hipshot Xtender

 

[s0c9]

Buy a 5-string bass?

 

[pingvuiini]

Hipshot D-tuner would be the cheapest and fastest solution. Although their customer service has been kind of sketchy lately.

 

[Microbass]

D-tuner or pedal tuner is the way. Boss, TC Electronic or Korg Pitchblack will do a fine job for less than the Peterson. Personally love the Korg PB Advance for screen size and colour.

Everyone raves about the Peterson but 200+ for a tuner seems wild to me.

 

[Killing Floor]

D-tuner. Easy to install and basically instant. Hipshot and others make them.

or a 5 string.

Or the tired but perfectly fair question, "doesn't your current bass have a D?"

 

[pingvuiini]

D-tuner. Easy to install and basically instant. Hipshot and others make them.

or a 5 string.

Or the tired but perfectly fair question, "doesn't your current bass have a D?"

What other brands make D-tuners??

 

[Altitude]

Hipshot detuner is the answer. You can install it yourself in an evening, they work well and the effect is instantaneous.

I had one on my Yamaha BB1600 for a couple of decades and used that bass in dozens of musical pit gigs.

 

[peterfrey2000]

You could try playing the harmonic at the 12 fret and trying to tune down to the D. I have found in my experience that sometimes helps the not track better. Sometimes with a clip on tuner, my bass reads the E string as a B. I prefer to use a pedal tuner personally, I use the Sonic Research tuners.

 

[Jefenator]

Pedal tuners & hipsot de-tuners may not be utterly essential, but man, are they ever a solution to a problem.
I've been using both for longer than I can remember.

 

[pineweasel]

Another vote for the Hipshot Xtender. You just need to be aware of how to initially set them up, then you have 100% reliable and instant switching between E and D

 

[FullumMusic]

Options:
1- Get a 5 String bass
2- Install a Hipshot D-Tuner
3- Peterson StroboStomp Mini tuner. Accuracy of a Peterson strobe tuner in a small pedal. You can mute your bass while tuning (or whenever you want it muted). Mute, down-tune, unmute. Takes all of 2.5 seconds.

Option 1 is good because you get to buy a new bass and no de-tuning and re-tuning.
Option 2 is good because you don't need to buy a new bass but do get new gear, and it takes zero time to flip tunings.
Option 3 is good because it doesn't require buying a whole bass or modifying your current bass.

 

[2thAche]

As said, Hipshot D-Tuner is a no-brainer. Just remember to check it with your tuner before the gig; the thumscrew can move and needs to be checked when you do your regular tune.

 

[mikesmallrules]

I use a Hipshot Bass Xtender for this.

Now I can even switch to drop D and back in the middle of a song.

It is humanity's all-time third-greatest invention.

 

[Kansas]

Clip on tuners are ok in a quiet environment but they get easily confused otherwise. My fav is the Pitch Black pedal, accurate and lightning fast, mutes to tune.

 

[DonaldR]

Any tuner pedal will work, I have $40/used Korg Pitchblack working well with my 5-string basses, even my cheap $25 Amazon Basics Tuner works well.
If you have to tune in the middle of the score, then definitely an Hipshot D-Tuner or a 5-string bass.

 

[eeyorebass]

What other brands make D-tuners??

I'm curious about this too. A web search only brings up Hipshot. And, as far as I know, they are the only ones. In fact, I've known many people that refer to d-tuners/xtenders as "having a hipshot."

 

[Fuzzbass]

My permanent solution was to get a 5 string bass. 5 string turned out to be Goldilocks for me: I quickly learned that the greatest advantage to 5 string isn't the five notes below low E, it's the extended playing range across the entire fretboard. After all, the low B is usable at and above the 5th fret! 5 became so useful to me that I no longer own any four strings.

If you have no interest in five string, then the Hipshot Xtender/D-Tuner is what you want. Once I discovered it I had them installed on all my basses... this was decades ago, back when I was 4-stringing.

I use a Hipshot Bass Xtender for this.

Now I can even switch to drop D and back in the middle of a song.

It is humanity's all-time third-greatest invention.

^^^My sentiment exactly! Once you become familiar with the device and it gets broken in, it works this well. You may need to put graphite in your nut slot, but I rarely needed to.