FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Classical Guitar Tuner

Question:
So what about electric calculators? Or computors? Are they bad for you? What about those pianists who rely on a professional piano tuner. Shouldn't they be able to tune their own pianos? Is it un-macho to use a guitar tuner?

Answer:
I would think that nylon-stringed guitars still require some amount of compensation, but the the compensation required is almost the same for all strings: while there is a 4x difference in diameter of the largest and smallest strings for a steel string, there typically less than a 2x difference in diameter for the largest and smallest diameter strings in a nylon set. In addition, stretching a nylon string has less impact than stretching a steel string a similar distance. All of this is why steel string acoustic guitars have saddles set at an obvious angle, while the saddle of a classical guitar appears to be straight across. Quality acoustic guitars (either classical or steel string) don't have adjustable bridges because fixed bridges sound better (mechanical adjustments are a potential source for buzzes and typically result in reduced transmission of vibrations). Small adjustments to the compensation for individual strings can be accomplished via filing the saddle. While I'm at it, an electric tuner does not tune a string to perfect pitch. The tuner attempts to measure how close you are to a pitch, and it makes the measurement within the error tolerances of the tuner. That said, the typical +/- 1 cent accuracy of a reasonably decent tuner is pretty darn good, but it is not perfect. If the instrument is properly set-up, an electronic tuner will work nicely for a classical guitar, although the strings are more prone to false intonation (manufacturing defects) than steel strings. Nylon is a dynamic material that changes shape after it is made or remanufactured. It is apparently also more senstive to moisture or humidity than most of us realize.