B Standard Tuner
Tune your guitar to B standard (B E A D F♯ B) using your microphone. The tuner below is already set to B standard — press Start Recording and pluck a string.
Auto-select string
Switches to string automatically
Target 61.74 Hz
Action Required
Start tuner and pluck highlighted note.
Peg Rotation & Offset
Standby
Headstock Alignment
Tap a peg to tune that string specifically.
Instrument
Tuning Preset
Reference Pitch
Concert pitch for A4. 440 is the standard; many orchestras use 442.
Quick Tuning Guidelines
- 1.Tap the Start Recording button at the top to initialize your microphone.
- 2.Pluck one string cleanly at a time. Let it vibrate naturally to get a continuous frequency reading.
- 3.Adjust your tuning pegs until the dial centers in the green zone (around 0 cents).
- 4.Watch indicators: amber is the currently selected note, green is the automatically detected audio feed.
String-by-String Frequency Chart
These are the exact target frequencies this tuner listens for, at A4 = 440 Hz equal temperament. String 1 is the thinnest (highest) string.
| String | Note | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | B1 | 61.74 Hz |
| 5 | E2 | 82.41 Hz |
| 4 | A2 | 110.00 Hz |
| 3 | D3 | 146.83 Hz |
| 2 | F♯3 | 185.00 Hz |
| 1 | B3 | 246.94 Hz |
How to Use This B Standard Tuner
- Press Start Recording on the tuner above and allow microphone access.
- The B Standard preset is already selected.
- Each string drops five semitones: E→B, A→E, D→A, G→D, B→F♯ and E→B. If your guitar is strung for standard, change the strings before you start — see below.
- Tune all six, then go round again two or three more times. A neck that has just lost this much tension keeps moving for a while.
What is B Standard Tuning?
B standard is B E A D F♯ B: ordinary standard tuning moved down a perfect fourth. It keeps the guitar's usual shape — fourths between the strings, with a major third between strings 3 and 2 — so nothing you play changes except its pitch. The low B is B1, 61.74 Hz, the same note as the low string of a standard 7-string guitar.
It is the lowest of the lowered-standard tunings most players will meet, one step below C standard. Below this, a six-string with normal construction really cannot cope, and players move to 7- and 8-string guitars instead.
Baritone Guitars
A baritone guitar is a six-string with a longer neck — usually a 27" to 30" scale instead of 25.5" — built to sit lower. B standard is its most common tuning. The extra length is what makes it work: tension rises with the square of the scale length, so a 28" baritone gets about 20% more tension from the same string at the same pitch. The low B is firm, intonation is easier to set, and the guitar still plays like a guitar.
That is why baritones turn up in surf, twang and film music as well as metal: the sound is a deep guitar, not a bass, and a guitarist can pick one up and play it straight away.
B Standard on a Normal Guitar
It is possible on a 25.5" or 25.5"-plus scale guitar with the right strings, and many heavy bands do it. What to expect:
- Strings: .013–.062 at a minimum, .014–.068 if you want the low B to feel tight. Check the string tension calculator for your gauges and scale.
- Nut: a .062 or .068 will not fit a nut slot cut for .046. Have it widened, or the string will bind and jump in pitch as you tune.
- Tremolo: a floating bridge will be completely unbalanced. Expect to change the spring setup.
- Intonation: the saddles will need to move back, possibly further than some bridges allow. The intonation checker will tell you where each one should go.
- Shorter scales:on a 24.75" guitar B standard is a real struggle. Consider C standard or Drop B instead.
B Standard or Drop B?
Both reach the same low B. Drop B (B F♯ B E G♯ C♯) keeps the top five strings higher, so it is less muddy, and gives one-finger power chords. B standard keeps every chord shape you know and makes the whole guitar sound low and dark. Choose by what you play: riff-based music suits Drop B; chords, arpeggios and anything written in standard tuning suit B standard.
Related: 7-string guitar tuner, Drop A tuner for 7-string, and the full tunings chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the notes in B standard tuning?
B E A D F♯ B, from the lowest string to the highest. It is standard tuning moved down five semitones — a perfect fourth — so string 5 ends up on E, the note string 6 normally plays.
Is B standard the same as a 7-string's low strings?
No, and the difference catches people out. A 7-string's lowest six strings are B E A D G B; B standard is B E A D F♯ B. The top two strings differ, because B standard keeps the major third between strings 3 and 2 where standard tuning has it. Tabs for one will not quite work in the other.
Can I tune a normal guitar to B standard?
You can, but it needs strings around .013–.062 or .014–.068 on a 25.5" scale, and even then the low B feels loose. A baritone guitar, with a 27" or longer scale, is built for this range and B standard is its most common tuning.
Why does the tuner struggle with the low B?
B1 is 61.74 Hz, near the bottom of what phone and laptop microphones pick up cleanly. Pluck firmly over the neck pickup, mute the other strings and let the note ring. Plugging in and holding the phone near the amp helps a lot.
Do I need to relearn chords in B standard?
No. Every string moves down by the same amount, so every shape is unchanged. An open E shape sounds as a B chord, and an A shape sounds as an E.