How to tune a bass guitar

Bass tuning: the notes

A standard 4-string bass is tuned E A D G, low to high — the same notes as the four lowest guitar strings, one octave lower. A 5-string adds a low B below the E. Some 5-string players add a high C instead, and 6-strings use both: B E A D G C.

These frequencies are very low. A cheap phone speaker can barely reproduce them and some microphones hear the second harmonic (an octave up) more clearly than the fundamental — which is why a good bass tuner is tuned for low notes rather than just using a guitar algorithm.

How to tune a bass with a tuner

1. Open your tuner. For the online bass tuner, allow microphone access and hold the phone or laptop close to the bass (or the amp’s speaker cone).
2. Pluck the open E string with a firm, consistent fingerstyle stroke — about the force you play with. Mute the other strings with your fretting hand.
3. Wait half a second for the note to settle. Bass strings are noticeably sharp during the first moment of the attack, and the tuner reading jumps around until the string calms down.
4. Turn the tuning key: tighten if the note is flat, loosen if sharp. Bass tuning keys usually have a lower gear ratio than guitar pegs, so small turns make big changes.
5. Repeat for A, D and G (and B on a 5-string).
6. Check every string a second time.

Tune up to pitch, not down. Like guitar strings, bass strings hold pitch better when you approach the note from below. If you overshoot, drop below and come back up.

Tuning tricks for low strings

• Pluck over the neck pickup or the end of the fretboard. This gives a rounder tone with a stronger fundamental that tuners read more easily.
• Use the 12th-fret harmonic. Lightly touch the string above the 12th fret and pluck. The harmonic is an octave higher, sustains longer and is very clean — ideal for the low B and E strings.
• Plug in. A clip-on or pedal tuner reads vibration or signal directly and ignores room noise, which helps on stage.

Tuning a bass by ear

Start from a good low E (a reference tone, keyboard or a guitar’s low E — one octave higher, but the same note). Then:

1. Press the E string at the 5th fret (A) and tune the open A string to match.
2. Press the A string at the 5th fret (D) and tune the open D string.
3. Press the D string at the 5th fret (G) and tune the open G string.
4. On a 5-string, press the B string at the 5th fret (E) and adjust the B until that note matches the open E.

Unlike the guitar, there’s no exception: every pair of bass strings is a perfect fourth apart.

The harmonic method

Touch the E string above the 5th fret and the A string above the 7th fret, and pluck both. The two harmonics are the same note. When they’re slightly apart you’ll hear a slow pulse (“beating”); turn the A peg until the pulse stops. Do the same for A–D and D–G. Because harmonics ring for a long time, this method is surprisingly precise and lets you tune with both hands free for the pegs.

Drop D and other bass tunings

• Drop D (D A D G): lower the E string a whole step to D. Common in rock, metal and some funk for a heavier low end. Check the result against the open D string (an octave higher) — see drop D tuning.
• Half-step down (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭): every string down one semitone, matching guitarists who tune down.
• BEAD: a 4-string strung with a low B instead of high G, for 5-string range on a 4-string neck. This needs a heavier string set and often a nut adjustment.
• Tenor tuning (A D G C): used by some soloists for a higher range.

Changing tuning on a bass changes neck tension more than on a guitar. If you switch often and notice buzzing or a high action, the truss rod may need a small adjustment.

Intonation and the 12th-fret check

If your bass is in tune on open strings but sounds out higher up the neck, check intonation: tune the open string, then play the note at the 12th fret. It should be exactly one octave higher (the same note name, 0 cents). If the fretted note is sharp, move that string’s saddle back (away from the neck); if it’s flat, move it forward. Retune after every adjustment. A strobe tuner shows fractions of a cent, which makes this job much faster.

Why bass strings go out of tune

Tuning with the band

Tune to the same reference as everyone else — normally A4 = 440 Hz. In a band, the bassist and guitarist should use tuners set to the same reference, or tune to the keyboard if there is one. A bass that’s 5 cents off the guitar is far more noticeable than two guitars 5 cents apart, because low frequencies beat slowly and audibly.

Once you’re in tune, the best next step for a bassist is time: practise with a metronome or a drum machine and lock to the kick drum. That habit matters more than anything else you play.