Tuning lesson learned

[PJSShearer]

Sounds like a nice-to-have but way too expensive for an amateur!

As I recall you could always spot the amateurs/semi-pros, they all the good gear because they had jobs and so they could afford it

 

[kraigo]

I always have lots to do before I actually play. The first thing I do is take the bass out of it's case. At some point I'll have my amp set up and at that point, I tune. Then I do the slew of other things I have to do. Then, before the downbeat, I'll tune again.

Having a stomp box tuner (Korg has been good to me, Boss TU-2 has not been at all good to me) which lets me mute and tune is the perfect thing.

KO

Last night just before leaving home I've tuned my bass in order to 'save time' at church where we're practicing for a play coming up in a fortnight. We did not follow the usual pattern of first 'setting up' the band and a few seconds into the first song I realised that something's very wrong! I checked my bass' tuning and ALL of my strings were way too flat!

The band went ahead full-steam and I had to improvise in order to tune (placed the tuner right in the bass amp's face) - no opportunity to unplug the cable & plug in the tuner as the soundman had his own problems in setting up the vocalists (now that I'm thinking of it - I should check whether the amp has a line out and plug in the tuner in advance every time we're playing)!

Lesson 1 learned: Always leave your bass for a few minutes at the venue where you'll be playing (to adjust to temperature differences) before tuning!

Lesson 2: Always insist on a proper setting-up session before playing the first song!

 

[tobie]

Having a stomp box tuner (Korg has been good to me, Boss TU-2 has not been at all good to me) which lets me mute and tune is the perfect thing. KO

I've just discovered last night that my Seiko chromatic tuner has a mute button - never saw it before!

I'm not too sure I'd like to always route my bass through a tuner though. My gut-feel tells me that there might be a slight loss in sound quality. But my gut-feel is not always right, of course...

 

[E2daGGurl]

Yeah, everyone should be in tune before you start.