TUNING TIPS
Most musical instruments have peculiarities that can cause annoying tuning problems. Fortunately, most of
these peculiarities can he overcome by following these simple procedures.
FRETTED INSTRUMENTS
1.
PLUCK THE INSTRUMENT ONCE PER SECOND AT THE NORMAL VOLUME WHILE YOU ARE TUN-
ING. THIS WILL KEEP THE NOTE “FRESH”
Plucked strings go noticeably flat soon after they have been plucked.
2.
TUNE STRINGED INSTRUMENTS FROM A PITCH THAT IS FLAT UP TO THE PITCH YOU DESIRE
.
This procedure removes any slack in the gears of the instrument’s tuning heads. If you tune from SHARP to
IN TUNE, the gears will slip as you play and the instrument will go flat.
3.
IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY GETTING A NOTE TO REGISTER ON THE TUNER, TRY TOUCHING (MUTE)
THE OTHER STRINGS LIGHTLY TO STOP THEIR VIBRATIONS.
This will eliminate any extraneous overtones that may disturb the tuning.
4.
USE GOOD STRINGS.
Old strings tend to lose their uniformity and will not vibrate evenly.
5.
ALL SOURCES OF FRICTION WILL CAUSE PROBLEMS.
For example, if the slot in the instrument’s nut is too tight, the string will be pulled flat as it is played. A tight nut
(or capo) will cause the string’s pitch to change in steps rather than evenly.
6.
AVOID PRESSURE ON THE INSTRUMENT WHILE TUNING.
Even moderate pressure on the neck of a guitar will cause a noticeable change in pitch.
Also, press the strings straight down to the fingerboard. Bending the strings sideways is very common,
especially on difficult chords, but causes the strings to be pulled sharp.
A NOTE FOR ADVANCED FRETTED INSTRUMENTALISTS.
All fretted instruments, and most other instruments, are constructed to play an “even-tempered scale.” Sabine
tuners are also calibrated to this scale. The “even-tempered scale” places equal tonal spacing between all
notes in the scale so that the musician will not have to retune to change keys. A disadvantage, however, is
that the third note of the scale sounds a little flat (14 cents, to be exact). For example, when playing in the key
of “C”, the “B” will sound flat. If you tune the “B” string so that it sounds correct in an open “C” chord, other
chords using the “B” string will sound out of tune. The musician may choose to optimize the tuning for a
particular key or use the tempered scale. Much depends on the musician’s style, but generally, it is best to
tune exactly as your Sabine tuner indicates.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions:
1 rack space (19” W x 4.5” D x 1.75” H)
Weight:
3.75 lbs
Scale:
Even-tempered, 12 notes per octave
Range:
7 octaves, chromatic (A0 to C6)
Accuracy:
+/- 1 cent (quartz crystal)
Auto-Recalibration:
To any pitch
Manual Recalibration
Range:
12 ea. 1 Hz steps A=435 Hz to A=446 Hz
Tone Out:
2 octaves, chromatic
Power:
9VDC @ 225mA. Use the 9VDC 300mA 12OVAC adaptor supplied
Input:
2 ea. ¼-inch (one on front panel, one on back panel), connected in parallel - 25OK
Ohms Impedance – (max input 5V peak to peak)
Output:
2 ea. ¼-inch (one on front panel, one on hack panel), direct)y connected to both inputs
unless MUTE is active
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
