Bass Tuner
Tune your instrument quickly and easily
Tap a pegto tune by ear
Or use your micto tune automatically
This online bass guitar tuner listens through your microphone and shows how far each string is from the correct pitch, so you can tune a 4-string or 5-string bass in a few seconds. You can also play a reference tone for each string and tune by ear. Use it in any browser on your phone, tablet or laptop, with no app to install and no account.
How to tune a bass guitar
Keep your device near the bass or amp
Stand or sit with the bass in playing position and keep your device close to the bass or its amp speaker. Pause any backing track.
Start the tuner
Start the tuner and allow microphone access when your browser asks.
Tune the E string
Pluck the open E string firmly and let it ring. Turn the tuning peg until the tuner shows the string is in tune.
Then A, D and G
Tune the remaining strings in order: A, then D, then G. On a 5-string bass, tune the low B string first.
Tighten in small steps
Turn the peg in small steps. If you pass the note, loosen below it and tighten up again, so you finish from below.
Check all strings again
Play each string once more. Tightening one can nudge the neck slightly and shift the others a little.
Bass guitar tuning: E A D G
A standard 4-string bass guitar is tuned in fourths: E, A, D and G, from the thickest string to the thinnest. These are the same notes as the four lowest strings of a guitar, but one octave lower. This is standard electric bass tuning.
5-string bass tuning (B E A D G)
A 5-string bass adds a low B string below the E, so the strings are B, E, A, D and G. The other four strings stay the same as on a 4-string bass. Choose 5-String (B E A D G) in the tunings menu to tune the low B with this tuner.
Upright bass and string bass
A double bass, also called an upright bass, string bass or contrabass, is tuned E, A, D, G in fourths too. You can use the notes on this page to tune it.
Tips for keeping your bass in tune
Check before every rehearsal or gig
Temperature changes in a van or a stage room move the pitch, so tune before you start.
Pluck evenly
Play each string with a steady, medium pluck. Hitting it too hard makes the pitch jump sharp for a moment and the reading unstable.
Replace worn strings
Old, worn strings lose their clear tone and are hard to tune accurately. If a string will not hold its pitch or sounds dull, it may be time to replace it.
Saddle adjustments
If every open string is in tune but notes higher up the neck sound off, the bridge saddles may need adjusting. A technician can set the intonation.
String winding angle
Ensure bass strings wind downwards toward the headstock face to maximize break angle over the nut.
Bass tuner FAQ
A 4-string bass is tuned E, A, D, G from the thickest string to the thinnest. A 5-string bass adds a low B below the E. These are the same notes as the four lowest strings of a guitar, one octave lower.
Press start, allow the microphone and pluck the open E string firmly. A flat reading means tighten the peg; a sharp reading means loosen it. Then move on through A, D and G.
Tune the low B string first, then E, A, D and G. The four upper strings are tuned exactly like a 4-string bass. Low strings need a firm pluck and a little patience to settle.
Yes, if it is a chromatic tuner that can read low notes, because bass notes are an octave below the four lowest guitar strings. This page is set to the bass strings, so you do not need to work out the target notes yourself.
Yes. An upright bass, double bass or string bass uses the same four notes, E, A, D and G, tuned in fourths. Bow or pluck one open string at a time and tune it the same way.
Yes, in a quiet room. Bass notes are very low, and small microphones find them harder to pick up. If the reading jumps, move the device closer to your amp or the body of the bass, and pluck a little more firmly.
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