Tuning down silently on the fly -- suggestions welcome!

[SC Bassboy]

As others have suggested, either a pedal tuner or a D-tuner on the E string will solve the issue.

 

[Wood and Wire]

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?

Options :

1) leave the bass permanently tuned drop-D

2) use any tuner pedal that mutes the signal whilst engaged (BOSS TU- models, etc. Pretty much every tuner pedal available)

3) instal a Hipshot D-tuner machine head, replacing your existing E tuning peg

4) use a 5 string bass

 

[brianrost]

Things to try:

First find tuners that pick up the low D and E well…many don't, especially clip-ons. Korg makes a bass specific clip-on that picks up low B, so D and E should be no problem. Korg AW-LT100B

Try tuning the octave instead of the open string.

Use a pedal tuner that allows you to mute while tuning

Use an amp that mutes to allow silent tuning with either a clip-on or plug-in tuner.

Use an amp with an onboard tuner.

 

[JazznFunk]

Play 5-string, or get a Hipshot D-Tuner. Trying to de-tune, then fine-tune on the fly is a recipe for disaster unless you can time it juuuuuust right.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

All of my basses have a Bass Extender on them with the exception of the Kubicki and it has its own take on an extension. Uprights have been doing it forever.

 

[newwavefrank]

Buy a 5-string bass?

or a kubicki

 

[Carl Hillman]

If you're going to be doing more shows in the future, I'd advise you to get a 5-string.

Just about every score in the past 20+ years calls for notes below E. There are some lines that can only practically be played with a low B string.

 

[Killing Floor]

What other brands make D-tuners??

Only others I can think of off top of mind are Schaller, Pitch-Key, Timara, EVH, Bishop, and Grover.
I suspect the Grover is made by Hipshot.

Of course the ones I'd trust are Schaller and Hipshot.

 

[redwood]

....or buy a used Kubicki Factor. Only a few grand.
Think of it as an investment. ;-)

 

[AgingEngineer]

When I used to play 4-string, I struggled with this a lot. I got pretty good at just hitting the open D string and the 12th fret harmonic of the low E and tuning it down until I could feel the beat notes disappear through the body: no tuner needed.

The Hipshot is a game changer, and an easy fix!

 

[devnulljp]

Get a Hipshot D-tuner. Flip the switch and you're tuned to drop D (or Db or whatever you set it up for)

 

[FunkHead]

Welp, I'm lost. Any decent tuner will work in just a few seconds. Make sure you tune down below the Drop D and then slowly back up. I have done it with every tuner I own.

If you try just tuning downward, It will not work. You must tune below the desired note and then back up.

 

[Unmost]

My vote goes for the Digitech "The Drop" pedal. I no longer want to bother with different tunings. The Hipshot X-Tender would do this one trick only though.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

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?

Yes. Use the harmonic on the 12th fret, aka that octave D note. I believe a Snark or really any tuner should pick that up, and allow for accurate tuning.

 

[Cleezmo]

Not much new to add here. A pedal tuner is easy, we have several Drop-D songs on our setlist, and when I'mplaying a 4-string I can mute/tune/unmute in a couple seconds. Easy. Not as fast as a Hipshot Extender, but still quick. I have never liked clip-on tuners for this very reason, I want to be able to mute when I tune.

But my longer-term solution was to go back to playing 5-strings more often in this band, it just gives you more flexibility and you don't have to think about flipping a lever or trying to detune/retune as fast as possible. Now I'm playing new 5-er 90%+ of the time in this gig.

 

[tpa]

Alternate tuning (E->D) single string or all four (and relearn the fretboard )

 

[matthewbrown]

If you're going to be doing more shows in the future, I'd advise you to get a 5-string.

Just about every score in the past 20+ years calls for notes below E. There are some lines that can only practically be played with a low B string.

Yes, I plan to, and this has been in the back of my mind. OTOH, the keyboard player in this pit band is sticking to his usual keyboard with no extra patches, and the director didn't hire a guitar player (!). I think a Yamaha 5-er with passive pups would work nicely and not break the bank. It seems there's a gap between what's called for in the scores and what local pit bands offer up, at least so far IME. Although the scores often call for URB, I don't play one. It seems that often the Heaters score calls for URB rarely and only briefly -- and somewhat impractially, IMHO. 16 measures of arco followed by 16 more of pizz and then it's back to electric. It's mostly a rock/pop score, I think.

 

[seescottrock]

I'd like to be the 40th to suggest the Hipshot X-tender.

 

[nickpc]

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

Ok, granted the Spork is #1, but what's your #2?

 

[ghiggin1079]

Ima get exotic and say digitech drop pedal or there's something in the line 6 hx that does it. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that since this is a production of some sort you're ampless and running to a board which is why you can't use your amps volume or mute switch to tune