Petersen tuners of cf guitars

[GuitarDoc]

Seen a few threads on their use and “sweetened” tunings. Is this something we need on carbon fiber guitars? Do carbon guitars have the same overtones or whatever makes a wooden guitar play out of tune? Anybody sweeten a 12 string carbon fiber?

[Chipotle]

Unless you have a compensated saddle/nut, I don't see there will be much difference from a wood guitar. I regularly have to tweak the tuning on my CA GX when playing a song in C vs in E vs in drop-D.

The advantage of a CF guitar is that the tuning doesn't change over time due to temp, humidity or tension differences.

[B. Adams]

I don't have a 12 string, but I do use Peterson sweetened tunings on my X20 because it sounds more in tune. IMO, whether or not it has different overtones than a wooden guitar is another issue entirely, independent of tuning.

One of my Taylors is V-braced and supposedly doesn't have as many out of tune overtones as most guitars, and it also sounds better with sweetened tuning. All of my guitars sound better with sweetened tunings, actually.

And just for the record I guess, I love my Peterson tuners.

[Matt_Adamas]

I use sweetened tunings on all my guitars regardless of their type or brand. It's not a CF or wood thing.

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by Matt_Adamas

I use sweetened tunings on all my guitars regardless of their type or brand. It's not a CF or wood thing.

Likewise for me.

[jwellsy]

Sweetened tuning from a Peterson Strobe Tuner definitely improved my X30. My X30 came tuned nicely right out of the box to itself 555455. But after tuning it to my Peterson sweetened strobe, strumming the open strings went from the usual fingernail on a chalkboard dissonance to actually a sweet sounding harmony. IDK but, that may be where the term sweetened comes from.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by GuitarDoc

Seen a few threads on their use and “sweetened” tunings. Is this something we need on carbon fiber guitars? Do carbon guitars have the same overtones or whatever makes a wooden guitar play out of tune? Anybody sweeten a 12 string carbon fiber?

Hi G-Doc

Precision-Intonation is a achieved via a precision-setup…with fresh strings on a masterfully built instrument, by a competent tech.

Alas…no matter how masterfully they are built, all guitars play out-of-tune (relative-tuning versus just-tuning discussion/research project). But a good setup will make it more enjoyable to play, and generally guitars which have been intonated properly will sound better to the player and require less fritzing-around-with-the-tuners.

Sweetened tunings are a mixed bag, and work well for some players, and not for others. I don't mean they do not have any affect, or that you cannot hear them…rather that one's ears and perception determine whether they are effective for you. And the audience will not know if you are using a sweetened tuning or not (and will not care).

I own several Peterson tuners, yet never use sweetened tunings. I tried them, and gave them a good testing period of several months…and they proved to be meaningless to my style of play and to my ears.

I do micro-adjust strings on each of my guitars, and have played them enough years to know which guitars require tiny tweaks on which strings (each is different).

If possible, it would be good to try a Peterson tuner before purchasing one to see if your guitar/ears warrant the investment. Otherwise you may end up with a clip-on tuner which is not all that convenient for live play situations.

I find my Polytune Clip better for live play on acoustic, and my Korg Sledgehammer with my electrics for live play. Either will allow me to tune a guitar in the middle of a band in the middle of a song. The Peterson will not do that…