[danbhoy67]

Just re-strung my guitar, using electronic tuner to help me tune it.
I have all the strings spot on, but the guitar does not quite sound right. The frequency recorded on the tuner is 438, apparently it should be 440. How can I change the frequency on my tuner,(or indeed should I )?

[allthumbs]

Yes you should be tuning to 440. There must be a switch or button to move it to 440. If not, the tuner is broken.

[danbhoy67]

Originally Posted by allthumbs

Yes you should be tuning to 440. There must be a switch or button to move it to 440. If not, the tuner is broken.

Cheers allthumbs, will try to alter the tuner. Could it be that I have to go up a full octave?? I,m scared to in case I snap the strings!!

[Doug]

Well that's less than 1/2 a percent off. I'd be surprised if that would make any difference.

[danbhoy67]

Originally Posted by Doug

Well that's less than 1/2 a percent off. I'd be surprised if that would make any difference.

Dead right Doug, Set it to 440, only a very slight adjustment needed.
Still doesn't sound right. Maybe I'll wait for strings to stretch some more.

[Doug]

There is an online tuner at the top of the page - just use your ears to tune the strings to the on-line tuner.

The standard way of tuning a guitar is to:
tune the 5th (A) string to the 6th (E) string's 5th fret
tune the 4th (D) string to the 5th (A) string's 5th fret
tune the 3rd (G) string to the 4th (D) string's 5th fret
tune the 2nd (B) string to the 3rd (G) string's 4th fret
tune the 1st (E) string to the 2nd (B) string's 5th fret

When you do it this way, errors can accumulate across the strings. So it is a good idea to check this by comparing the 6th string to the 1st string - they're the same note just spread by a number of octaves. Your ears should be able to hear them as the same note. Try adjusting the high E until it sounds correct compared to the low E. Then work backwards from the list above to correct the errors so that all the strings sound correct relative to each other.

There are other ways of checking if strings are in tune relative to each other - play the same note in two different places and adjust the strings so that they sound the same.

On some guitars that have intonation problems, you have to adjust the tuning as a compromise. You get to know your guitar - sometimes you have to tune a string a bit sharp or flat so that you get the best compromise.

Hope that helps. Oh - I just saw you've been playing for over a year so what I typed is probably not new to you.

[Stratrat]

Originally Posted by danbhoy67

...How can I change the frequency on my tuner,(or indeed should I )?

What brand/model of tuner is it? The method of changing the setting varies from tuner to tuner. If you have the user manual (or can view/download it online) it should tell you how to change the setting to A440.

[GotDeeBlues]

Some tuners will reset themselves to a default 440 if you remove and reinstall the batteries. I have a Seiko that does.

[danbhoy67]

Thanks Doug...., all good advice. My ears haven't really been trained yet, but you are right,I should practice tuning by ear.