Free · No download · Any device
Electric Guitar Tuner
The tuner listens through your microphone.
Tune your electric guitar with your device’s microphone — unplugged or through your amp. Play a string and the tuner shows the note and how far off it is, in standard tuning and every popular drop tuning.
- Works unplugged or through a clean amp
- Standard, Drop D, Drop C♯, Drop C, half step down and more
- No pedal, clip-on or app needed
Standard tuning: E A D G B E
From the thickest string to the thinnest, these are the notes and frequencies the tuner aims for in standard tuning:
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (thickest) | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 5th | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 4th | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 3rd | G3 | 196.00 Hz |
| 2nd | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
| 1st (thinnest) | E4 | 329.63 Hz |
How to tune an electric guitar with a microphone
An unplugged electric guitar is quiet, so the microphone needs to be close to it:
- Press Start tuning and allow microphone access.
- Unplugged: hold your phone a few centimetres from the strings, between the pickups. Through an amp: put the device near the speaker and use a clean sound.
- Pluck one string firmly and let it ring. Needle left means flat — tighten it; needle right means sharp — loosen it.
- Tune all six strings, then check them once more.
Turn off distortion, chorus, delay and other effects while tuning — they add extra pitches that make any tuner’s reading unsteady.
Tremolo and floating bridges
On a guitar with a floating tremolo (for example a Floyd Rose or a floated Stratocaster-style bridge), the strings and the bridge springs balance each other. Tightening one string pulls the bridge forward and slightly lowers all the others, so expect to go around the strings three or four times, getting closer each pass. On a locking system, unlock the nut, tune roughly with the pegs, lock it, then finish with the fine tuners.
Check your intonation
If the open strings are in tune but chords higher up the neck sound off, the intonation may need adjusting. Tune a string, then play it at the 12th fret: the tuner should show the same note, one octave higher, still in tune. If the fretted note is sharp, the bridge saddle for that string needs to move away from the neck; if it is flat, move the saddle towards the neck. Then retune and check again.
Popular electric tunings
-
D A D G B E
Drop D
Standard tuning with the low E lowered a whole step to D — heavier riffs and one-finger power chords.
-
E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭
Half Step Down (E♭)
Every string lowered one semitone — slinkier strings and a darker tone, loved by blues and rock players.
-
C♯ G♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ D♯
Drop C♯ (Drop D♭)
Half step down with the low string dropped a further whole step — a heavy, one-finger power-chord tuning.
-
D G C F A D
Full Step Down (D Standard)
All six strings lowered a whole step — D G C F A D — for a big, heavy sound with familiar chord shapes.
-
C G C F A D
Drop C
D standard with the low string dropped another whole step to C — the heavy sound of modern rock and metal.
-
D G D G B D
Open G
Strum the open strings and you hear a G major chord — the classic sound of slide guitar and Stones riffs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I tune an electric guitar without plugging it in?
Yes. Hold the microphone close to the strings and pluck firmly — the tuner picks up an unplugged electric guitar fine in a quiet room.
Is electric guitar tuning different from acoustic?
No. Electric and acoustic guitars both use standard tuning, E A D G B E, and the same alternate tunings. Tips for acoustic guitars are on the acoustic guitar tuner page.
Why does my guitar go out of tune when I use the tremolo arm?
Usually the strings are catching at the nut or haven’t fully settled. Stretch new strings, make sure they are wound neatly around the pegs, and a little graphite or nut lubricant in the nut slots helps them return to pitch.
Can I tune a 7-string guitar or a bass?
The six standard strings of a 7-string guitar work in Chromatic mode, but notes below about 62 Hz — the low B of a 7-string and the lowest bass strings — are below the tuner’s range for now.