BBC Pick of the Pops

[Arpeggio]

Iain / Jim, I do know sufficient to say that the Shads generally were less than happy with the poor intonation of those particular Strats - but I'm sure that it would have been borne out of the irritation to have to be frequently checking / tweaking / re - tuning them. No. Bruce's problem was that he came to believe that ANY guitar he was playing was out of tune (even when it patently wasn't to everyone else listening). So thus, yes, being the perfectionist that he was / is...it would have severely dented his 'self - image' (viz: driving rhythm / harmony /support guitar - but always perfectly 'in time' and 'bang in tune') etc., etc.

Bests....Rob

[RayL]

Equal Temperament, as used in Western music (where the intervals between semitones are arranged to be in the same ratio, allowing fretted instruments and keyboard instruments to play in any key) means that a guitar will never be perfectly 'in tune' to a really critical ear (I'm told). I'm sure we've all had the experience of tuning a guitar by ear to make a particular chord (say E major) sound perfect and then finding that C major sounds awful.

What tuning aids were available in the early sixties? Tuning forks and those little 'pitch pipes' (six harmonica pipes arranged so you blew through three on one side for E, A and D then turned it over for G, B and E). Hours of fun

In his autobiography, Bruce mentions that John Rostill used harmonics (though he must have used a tuning fork or a pitch pipe as a starting point).

With everyone using electronic tuners these days the ear is used to equal temperament. Even human voices are 'Auto-tuned' to 'perfection' !

Ray

[Arpeggio]

Hi Ray,
Many, many years ago - whilst researching John Rostill's life story, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of hours with Big Jim Sullivan at his home studio in Billingshurst (this was ca. 1985). He demonstrated (very capably of course) how John Rostill tuned by using harmonics (as stated in Bruce's autobiography). He did comment on John's incredible sense of pitch. Although he didn't say so outright - I do wonder if John had perfect pitch (then he would not have needed to use a tuning fork or pitch - pipe as a starting point). Certainly as a youngster - John Rostill (initially untaught / untutored) was one of those individuals (like the the Flee - Rekkers' Dave 'Tex' Cameron) who could hear a piece of music just once or twice and then go straight to a piano / guitar and 'simply' play it by ear - perfectly.

Rob

[RayL]

one of those individuals who could hear a piece of music just once or twice and then go straight to a piano / guitar and 'simply' play it by ear - perfectly.
Rob

Do you know, I'm almost the same. Except that I play it by ear - badly.

Ray

[GoldenStreet]

I'm sure we've all had the experience of tuning a guitar by ear to make a particular chord (say E major) sound perfect and then finding that C major sounds awful.

The main tuning problem I've always experienced is with the G string (!), particularly when tuning it ideally, to my ear, for D maj, it then sounds jarringly sharp with E maj, thus necessitating the compromise of slightly undertuning for D, to reduce the overtuned sound with E.

Certainly, I've always assumed it was impossible to tune any stringed instrument 'perfectly', and that even modern electronic devices are merely an aid to achieve the closest approximation.

Bill

[cockroach]

If you use a wound third it will tune up better- I've always found that a plain third is often out of tune as they are thinner and more easily pushed down too hard, making the note slightly sharp. Nearly always shows up between playing the open G and then the Ab on the first fret...

I have an A tuning fork which I bought in 1967, which I still use- no batteries or mains power needed, and never seems to wear out!

Then again, unless you have say, a keyboard in the band, if it's only guitars and bass, being slightly out hardly matters, as long as everybody is in tune with everybody else, and each instrument's strings are in tune with the others on the guitar!