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LESS TUNING. MORE PLAYING.

12-String Guitar Tuner: Octaves & Unisons.

Six courses. Twelve strings, checked individually.

Tune open strings first. Fit your capo, then switch on “Check with capo on”.

12-string standardE E A A D D G G B B E E
REFERENCE TONEA4 = 440 Hz
E2
E · 6th string82.41 Hz

Choose a string below to hear its note.

PLAY A STRINGThickest Thinnest
12 strings · 3 seconds each
Sound & advanced settings

A gentle ping follows a steady note within 5 cents. Its volume follows the sound slider. Microphone audio stays on your device.

Check your intonation.

Compare one open string with the same string pressed at fret 12. Remove your capo and mute the other strings.

  1. 1. Tune and measure the open string
  2. 2. Press at fret 12 and measure again

Press just behind fret 12 with normal pressure. Do not play a harmonic. Repeat the comparison to confirm the result.

Check your six strings.

Press start, then sweep gently across all six open strings, from thickest to thinnest. Let them ring together.

Experimental: overlapping notes can be unclear. Select any result to measure that string alone in this window.

Check a known reference.

Play a steady reference from another device or instrument whose frequency you know. Enter that frequency below.

This compares your input with the reference you supply. It is not a certified calibration. Only numbers are saved, never audio.
Acoustic, electric & classicalFree. No download. Just play.

By ear: click a note, match your string, then move to the next. Keyboard: 1–6 to play · Esc to stop

KNOW YOUR TUNING

12-string standard: E E A A D D G G B B E E

Mute the partner string and tune each string separately. Courses 6, 5, 4 and 3 use octave pairs; courses 2 and 1 use matching pitches. Physical string order can vary, so follow each main or partner label.

The table shows the open-string setup at A4 = 440 Hz. For capo pitches, use the capo controls above.

12-string standard notes and frequencies from thickest to thinnest
StringNoteHzFrom standard
12 · thickestE282.41Use the labelled target
11E3164.81Use the labelled target
10A2110.00Use the labelled target
9A3220.00Use the labelled target
8D3146.83Use the labelled target
7D4293.66Use the labelled target
6G3196.00Use the labelled target
5G4392.00Use the labelled target
4B3246.94Use the labelled target
3B3246.94Use the labelled target
2E4329.63Use the labelled target
1 · thinnestE4329.63Use the labelled target

THE TUNEGUITAR GUIDE

Understand 12-string standard

TuneGuitar guide · Updated 6 October 2026 · How we prepare our guides

Tune courses, but measure one string at a time

A twelve-string guitar has six courses, each containing two strings. In this standard layout, the lower four courses pair a main string with one an octave higher. The B and high-E courses use unisons. Tune one member while muting its partner; otherwise the microphone may correctly detect the louder member while the other remains wrong.

The G course is an easy place to make an octave mistake

The main G is G3 at approximately 196 Hz; its partner is G4 at approximately 392 Hz. The thin octave string is not another G3. Follow the main/partner labels and your instrument's actual physical string order, which can vary. Do not infer the target solely from which string your pick touches first.

Finish by listening to each pair

After the twelve isolated checks, sound one course at a time. Unison pairs should be close in pitch; octave pairs should retain their register difference. A chorus-like sound from two strings is not proof that each target is correct. Recheck a questionable pair separately, then compare a gently fretted chord to see whether normal pressure is introducing sharpness.

Check the register of every target

Individual strings at A4 = 440 Hz
String / courseNoteHz
6 mainE282.41
6 partnerE3164.81
5 mainA2110.00
5 partnerA3220.00
4 mainD3146.83
4 partnerD4293.66
3 mainG3196.00
3 partnerG4392.00
2 mainB3246.94
2 partnerB3246.94
1 mainE4329.63
1 partnerE4329.63

The order follows this preset, not an instruction to rearrange the physical strings. On paired courses, identify the main string and its partner before plucking. A single-note detector cannot prove that two strings sounding together are independently correct.

READY FOR THE FIRST CHORD

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GOOD TO KNOW

Questions about 12-string standard

Are all twelve-string pairs tuned an octave apart?

No. In this standard setup the E, A, D and G courses use octave pairs. The B and high E courses use unisons, with both strings at the same pitch.

Should I pluck both strings of a course for the microphone check?

Check one member while muting its partner, then swap. A combined reading may follow the louder string while missing a mistuned partner. After both individual checks, play the pair together to hear its unison or octave relationship.

Why are there two targets labelled G with different octaves?

The G course contains G3 and its octave partner G4 in this layout. They are not a unison pair like the B and high-E courses. Follow the main and partner labels, then match them to the actual physical string order of your instrument.

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Saved guitars, setlists and your ping preference are stored in this browser on this device. You can delete each guitar in “My guitars”. Clearing site data removes these settings and the offline cache. The offline cache contains the tuner’s pages and the code that generates reference tones, never microphone recordings.

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Last updated 13 September 2026.

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