Using the buzz feiten system

[evan47]

How are us parrallaxe users tuning with the buzz feiten system instruments?
At the moment I am just tuning normally but was wondering how to do things properly and how big of a difference it really makes.
I got a little paranoid about how I was sounding but it just turns out it was the way I fret certain open chords when I am tired!
I have a korg dt7 on its way to me,,,,,,,has any body used this tuner with their parrallaxe or are they just using ordinary tuners and which method are they using for best results?
It is said that something like the dt7 is just for initial set up of a buzz feiten system ( so I should not really need it ) and consequent tuning can be done normally, is this correct?

[Tony Raven]

I only have two guitars with the BFTS. I'm not impressed.

I have two external tuners, the Sabine STX-1100 & the Snark SN-1; no, I don't use them together, the Sabine is better in noisy environments but bulkier.

I fine-tune at fret 5. If the intonation is correct, the tuning will be close enough for ~98% of notes.

The accuracy of the BFTS guitars is not noticeably better (or worse) than my other guitars.

[evan47]

I have been tuning using the Anderton method (all strings tuned to E using the 1st for reference) and it worked well, now I have the dt7 and use it in feiten mode, open and this works well too.
There is a slight difference in sound that is enough to make things worthwhile.
Chords ring out a little more clearly and harmonics are a little sweeter.
Its not a night and day difference but still a rather pleasing one.

[Tony Raven]

I have a bunch of (potentially relevant) thoughts.
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Over the years, I've played a  range of guitars -- & by "range" I mean that I'm a gear addict. Anyway, a very common problem, IME, is that the nut is worn, ever so slightly, & particularly under the wound strings; if an electric guitar has seen lots of vibrato use, this wear can extend all across. As a result, it's impossible to properly tune such a guitar relying on the open-string tone: to do so would make all fretted notes sharp, however slightly, & adjusting the bridge based on the open note would screw up ALL fretted notes.

When I adjust a bridge, I put a capo at Fret #1 (though, as I'll get to, maybe #3 would be better). And when I tune a guitar, I tend to adjust for where I'm playing, so an acoustic will be tuned to sound best on first-position chords, a rhythm guitar for accuracy around frets 5-7, & an electric for soloing work around fret 10.
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Though I have been critical of the Buzz Feiten Tuning System, I should make clear that it is an excellent fix for an inherent problem of the guitar, namely the "break angle" over the nut. See, in a mechanically ideal system, the edge of the nut ought to be as close as possible to the exact center of the string. Instead, not only do strings vary in diameter, but some of them have further wraps that push the string up from its proper break point (not unlike the mounting end of strings in an autoharp or piano). As a result, when fretting the thicker strings, pressing down stretches the string, raising its pitch. The BFTS is a very simple & smart way of compensating for this.
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However, this is NOT some miraculous cure-all. Feiten's own literature states that this compensation is intended to make up for problems in the first two or three frets. Anything higher on the fretboard is probably imaginary.

This eliminates sharp notes at the first three frets.

[url]http://www.buzzfeiten.com/howitworks/howitworks.htm[/quote]
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Ultimately, though, it's a game of "close enough for jazz" (or whatever). It is impossible to tune ANY guitar perfectly, because even temperament is a compromise... but that's another discussion for another day.

[Tony Raven]

A-ha!! Found the post I was thinking of --

http://forums.washburn.com/index.php/topic,24104.msg153467.html#msg153467