How do you tune with a chromatic guitar tuner?

How do you tune a base guitar using a chromatic tuner?

• I just got a new bass, and im new to bass but because it was shipped to me from europe it is insanely out of tune. I have a chromatic tuner that i use for my clarinet and my saxophone but as different instruments are in different tones the wrong note names come out on my tuner. It was a cheap one, thats why it doesnt recognize the different instruments. for example, when I play a C on my clarinet it comes out on the tuner as an A# or something. Does anyone know what the tuner will say when i play an E A D or G on the bass? I really need help tuning it and im having too much difficulty to do it by ear. Thanks.

• Answer:

  Turn on the Chromatic Tuner and place place it somewhere that you can view as you hold your guitar. Play a string and watch the tuner's readout to see whether it is sharp or flat. Remember that the strings should be set to the following notes for standard tuning: (E, A, D, and G) If one of your strings is too far away from its proper note, you may have to adjust it with its tuner key before the Chromatic Tuner will recognize it as the proper string. Adjust the string with its tuner key as necessary until the tuner readout shows it is neither flat or sharp. Continue the process of steps 2 and 3 on each string. Make sure you use the proper tuning key for each string, or you may inadvertently change the tuning on the wrong string. Hope this helps Mouse