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Old 03-02-2018, 11:40 PM
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BoneDigger BoneDigger is offline
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Default Acoustic bass guitar tuner?

I own a Tacoma Thunderchief AEB and my Snark tuners have real issues with the low frequencies of a bass guitar. The tuners say they work with all instruments, but I'm doubting that claim. Is there a clip on tuner that works well with an AEB guitar?

Todd
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Old 03-02-2018, 11:58 PM
Jeff Scott Jeff Scott is offline
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I find that most electronic tuners don't do exceedingly well with very low frequencies. Try playing the harmonic at the 12th fret for better tuning ability with the Snark (or, just about any electronic tuning device, really).
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Old 03-03-2018, 01:42 AM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Todd, for a while I owned a Tacoma Thunderchief acoustic bass guitar and a McAlister acoustic baritone guitar at the same time. I still own the McAlister, and will never willingly part with it, but as you've brought up, getting those low frequencies to register with a clip-on headstock tuner can be challenging.

What I found when I was using the Snark tuners is that the battery had to be very fresh to work with my baritone; once the battery gets past the first flush of youth the ability of the tuner to "hear" lower frequencies rapidly declines. These days I've mostly made the transition to TC Polytune and Unitune tuners, and these do much better with those low notes.

The TC Polytune costs $50 pretty much wherever you find it; the TC Unitune is twenty dollars cheaper. It's exclusive to Sweetwater, and it's perfect for me, as it's just as accurate as the Polytune, it just lacks a couple of the features from the Polytune that I never use anyway.

Here's the Polytune:



TC Polytune

And here's the Unitune:



TC Unitune

Try one of those, and I think you'll find it easier to tune those lower notes.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller
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Old 03-03-2018, 08:36 AM
RustyAxe RustyAxe is offline
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I have a Thunderchief and a Guild B50. I haven't found any headstock tuner that can reliably read the low E string. If it's giving me a hard time I usually just fret the 5th and tune the A. In performance I ALWAYS use a pedal tuner.
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Old 03-03-2018, 08:45 AM
paulp1960 paulp1960 is offline
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I can also vouch for the Polytune working well with bass instruments.
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Old 03-03-2018, 08:46 AM
Sonics Sonics is offline
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Tune to the 12th fret harmonic. Works well with 5 string basses too!
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Old 03-03-2018, 11:01 AM
vindibona1 vindibona1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonics View Post
Tune to the 12th fret harmonic. Works well with 5 string basses too!
Yeah... I think the harmonic is really the only way to tune basses with clip-ons without wrestling the tuner. I don't have any acoustic basses so am always plugged in and no longer even bother with clip-ons. Actually I want ease and precision so with either guitar or bass I chain two tuners, a Korg CA-40 to a Korg Pitchblack. I like the needle on the CA-40 but there is no mute so I use the Pitchblack as a mute/confirmation thing. Crazy, I know. But it works extremely well and my tuning is always precise which is even more important with regular acoustic 6 string. I think you can pick up a CA-40 for less than $20. Also works acoustically.
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Old 03-05-2018, 08:55 AM
MikeBmusic MikeBmusic is offline
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I use a $3 Reverb.com tuner for my bass, isn't always super accurate 9specially on the low E), but close enough for me. It has a switchable range - Guitar-Violin-Bass-Chromatic.
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Old 03-05-2018, 10:25 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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You may do better tuning to the harmonic with any bass with any tuner.
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Old 03-05-2018, 10:27 AM
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I found the Snark to work fine with an upright bass - same notes as the ABG's but more power in them. I think the issue is most ABG's just don't put out enough sonic energy, though the Thunderchief is the best one I've played yet.
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Old 03-05-2018, 11:54 AM
Athens Athens is offline
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Default 12th fret harmonic tuning

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Scott View Post
........ Try playing the harmonic at the 12th fret for better tuning ability with the Snark (or, just about any electronic tuning device, really).
I do this with my acoustics. I tune open strings then the 12th fret harmonics as a "fine tuning".
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