Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

sloop_john_b wrote:Worry not, Jake. College will turn you into a consummate proofreader. Or, you'll gain 50 pounds and a serious addiction to Milwaukee's Best.

haha, YES. Especially if you major in English.



I gave up alternate tunings the day I finally escaped my Sonic Youth addiction. Though I am partial to Em (or Capo at 2nd) if I'm on vocals....for some reason it's easier.

Good question, and I've heard it from some visitors, mostly non-players. I suppose keeping them in a nice climate-controlled environment helps, but when I pick one up, it's never far off pitch, if at all.

JakeK wrote:The title of this topic says it all: How do you keep your guitars tuned?

Very well, thank you.

JakeK wrote: Some people (Roger McGuinn) like to keep their guitars tuned down a half-step from concert pitch. Others (Tom Petty, Mike Campbell) keep some of their guitars tuned a half-step up from concert pitch. Most everyone, though, keeps his guitars in concert pitch.

I, like everyone, keep my guitars in concert pitch...always.

A=440hz.
I seldom ever use alternate tunings. Matter of fact, I only use DADGAD on one song, and Dropped D on only a handful. Mostly I'm in usual guitar tuning; EADGBe. I tend to use a capo quite a bit, especially at the third fret so I can sing in that nice middle range of my voice. This gives me all the keys guitar players hate; Bb, and Eb in particular.
Something I learned from a songwriter friend of mine is the use of multiple capos. I tried it once, putting my good ol' swing arm Hamilton on the third fret, and covering the first four strings (I think, or is it first five?) at the seventh fret with my Shubb. Playing D position chords, I am now in the key of G and I have what effectively is Dropped D without retuning. More of a parlor trick than something useful, I think.
JimK

JakeK wrote:"Free Fallin", All written in "F"

It's been many years, but I thought TP played Free Fallin on Saturday Night Live with a Capo....

Funny little button-looking things on the headstock. You twist them.

kiramdear wrote:Funny little button-looking things on the headstock. You twist them.

So THAT'S what those things are for.....


...NOW she tells me....

JakeK wrote:How do you keep your guitars tuned?

I don't know what you guys are doing wrong - mine were all in tune when I bought them.

collin wrote:Huh?

I plug it into a tuner and twist the little knobs at the end of the neck until the lights turn green on the tuner.

Beat me to it!

Perfect concert pitch tuning is a function of perfect intonation. Therefore my answer is a compound one even though yours was not a compound question. I keep my guitars and basses set up perfectly and as a result they rarely go out of tune.

eatswodo wrote:

JakeK wrote:How do you keep your guitars tuned?

I don't know what you guys are doing wrong - mine were all in tune when I bought them.

Oh, you bought those pre-tuned strings too, eh?
JimK

I, like everyone, keep my guitars in concert pitch...always.

Well, I don't know about that.

I don't think I could ever keep mine in concert pitch.

Mine are more likely back of the garage pitch.

8mileshigher wrote:

JakeK wrote:"Free Fallin", All written in "F"

It's been many years, but I thought TP played Free Fallin on Saturday Night Live with a Capo....

Right ! You see TP using a capo on the "Runnning Down A Dream" Gainsville concert DVD as well when playing Free Fallin'.

"Free Fallin" is capoed.

I don't worry about tuning, I've got a little tape player in the back of it like Agent 86 of "Get Smart" had in his trumpet. Plays perfect every time!

Concert Pitch, and I do my best to maintain constant humidity and temp in my music room (usually a dismal failure!)