8-String Guitar tuner – Standard F#
F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E · Standard
Press “Start tuner” – the browser will ask for microphone access. Sound is analysed on this device and never uploaded.
This free online tuner listens through your microphone and shows how close each string of your 8-String Guitar is to Standard F# tuning (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E). Play a string, watch the needle, and turn the peg until the meter glows green. If you prefer tuning by ear, tap any string card to hear its reference tone.
About Standard F# tuning
Standard F# is the reference tuning for the 8-String Guitar – the pitch the instrument normally ships at, and the starting point every other tuning on this page is measured from.
Played open, the strings sound F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E – from F#1 at the bottom to E4 at the top, a span of 2 octaves and 10 semitones. Step by step across the neck the intervals are a fourth, a fourth, a fourth, a fourth, a fourth, a major third, a fourth, and that is what decides how chord shapes fall under the hand.
Standard F# adds a second string below the seven-string's B, reaching F# – a note that overlaps comfortably with the bass guitar's range. Above it, the instrument is still tuned exactly like a guitar.
Eight-strings are built for this: a 27" scale or longer, and heavy strings on the bottom courses. On a shorter instrument the low F# turns to mud, which is why extended-range guitars are designed around the tuning rather than the other way round.
History
8-String Guitar
Guitars with more than seven strings existed in the 19th century – extra bass strings were a common experiment for classical players – and in the 1990s the classical guitarist Paul Galbraith commissioned an eight-string “Brahms guitar” from David Rubio, played resting on a small cello-style endpin. In jazz, Charlie Hunter played custom eight-strings that combined bass and guitar strings on one neck, covering both parts at once.
The eight-string as a metal instrument arrived in the 2000s. Meshuggah adopted custom-built eight-strings mid-decade and tuned them all the way down to F, and in 2007 Ibanez launched the RG2228, the first widely available production model with a low F#. The instrument became a fixture of progressive metal and djent, with Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders as one of its best-known voices.
Where the Standard F# tuning comes from
F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E extends the seven-string's pattern downward by another fourth. It became the factory standard in 2007 with the Ibanez RG2228, the first widely available production eight-string, and has been the reference tuning of progressive metal and djent eight-strings ever since.
Other 8-String Guitar tunings
Chords for this tuning
How do I tune my 8-String Guitar to Standard F#?
Allow microphone access, pluck a string, and the tuner will detect it automatically. The needle shows whether the string is flat or sharp – adjust until the reading is within ±5 cents (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E).
Which notes are used in Standard F# tuning?
Standard F# tuning for 8-String Guitar uses the notes F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E, listed from the lowest string to the highest.
Can I tune without a microphone?
Yes. Every string card plays a reference tone – tap it and match your string to the sound by ear.