How did you tune up before tuners?

[Stomp]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

Pitch pipe? Tuning fork? Other?

1952 Peterson tuner

[Joe Beamish]

In this video at about 2:50 Danny Gatton provides the intelligence that the old dial tone on the phone was tuned to F. So if you were desperate, that’s what you could use. Then you would tune your low E string to F, then fret the string at the fourth fret to get an A tone, and go from there.

I love all that stuff.

When I tune all of my strings to the A string as a single reference, I get the best tuning. But the clip on tuners are fabulous for gigs.

Dang, that Tele! [emoji7][emoji7][emoji7]

https://youtu.be/rqqbFmgOFHs

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

Pitch pipe? Tuning fork? Other?

Tuning fork works well. I have a D fork I’ll pull out from time to time for nostalgia.

[phavriluk]

Tune, that is. A half-century ago I flowed instream in the folk revival and tried to teach myself. That lasted until college graduation.

Fast-forward to 12 years ago. Retirement, revived interest in play and building. Electronic tuners.

[mr. beaumont]

I grew up in the era of tuners being available, but I hardly ever used one. Tuning was with the record, if I was playing alone, with a piano, if there was one, or with whoever else said they were "in tune" if there were other guitar players.

I wonder how often I was actually in tune?

When I got my first electric I did get a tuner, but I found quickly that my ears were better. I'd use it for the low E and do the rest myself.

Later, I had a battery powered KORG for years. Worked pretty well.

About 12 years ago, a friend bought me a Snark, and I was amazed how close they got at such a low price. I've been a clip on convert ever since. My ears are still best, but it's nice to be able to tune even in a loud room.

[westview]

I used an E tuning fork.
The rest of the strings I tuned by ear.
Then I told myself I was in tune.

[Stonehauler]

Relative tuning when playing solo

Pitch pipe when playing with others or having a single person tune up, then matching them.

I remember when I was in band, we "went around the room" every day. Our oboe player or flute player tuned to a machine, then everyone else went off her

[Gee Man]

Another A440 tuning fork user here. Well, back in the day, now its the stroboflip.

[goodtimeshow22]

Always used a Harmonica

[gerhardp]

Usually I just tuned my guitar so it sounded right in itself.
As a reference I used the telephone tone once in a while, it gives you an A, first string fifth fret. From then on with the harmonics, 5th and 7th fret etc.

Although I use these little tuners now, I don't think they're very precise. And slow too.

[Planemaker]

The intro to More than a Feeling by Boston

[HogsNRoses]

Originally Posted by Stomp

1952 Peterson tuner

What a treasure!

[Guitars44me]

Back in the dark ages, when dinosaurs roamed the earth….

A440 fork on the bridge. Then tune by harmonics from the A string

Hopefully that put me in tune with my harmonicas ….

If a piano in the band, tune to that and hope IT was in tune.

Life is easier with my TC clip tuners

Cheers

Paul

[Skip Ellis]

'E' tuning fork

[Rockysdad]

"A" tuning fork. Still have it.