Guns N' Roses · 1991 · Studio album
Use Your Illusion II tuning.
E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 1 of 14 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E♭ Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredCommunity
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Mobile Fidelity UDCD 712 (1997 gold remaster) | −3.0 ¢ | A 439.2 | 14 | −4.7 to −2.1 ¢ | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E♭ Standard, with no pitch given (community).
The same sessions and the same E♭ Standard as Part I. Civil War is the last recording with Steven Adler. Slash's banjo on Breakdown is a six-string banjo tuned like a guitar, and Izzy Stradlin plays a Coral electric sitar on Pretty Tied Up. TuneLit measured the album about 3 ¢ flat, which counts as concert pitch; My World, with no guitars, sits about 20 ¢ sharp.
14 songs · 1 tuned differently
Every song, ready to tune
Tune opens the tuner in that song's tuning, pitch included. Play along opens the song player set to that tuning, so the track plays in yours. What the labels mean
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1. Civil War
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Recorded in 1990 with Steven Adler on drums. The acoustic intro and the electric parts are tabbed in E♭ Standard.
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2. 14 Years
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Izzy Stradlin sings lead.
On its own, this song measures flatter: CD −8.2 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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3. Yesterdays
E♭ StandardMeasured
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4. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Bob Dylan's G, D, C and G, D, Am shapes in E♭ tuning, so the band's version sounds in G♭, a half step below Dylan's key.
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5. Get in the Ring
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
The riff sits on E, A and D, all first-fret notes in E♭ tuning. TuneLit's audio check also hears a low D that E♭ Standard cannot reach, so it is not sure about this one; the only tab says E♭. Check by ear.
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6. Shotgun Blues
E♭ StandardMeasured
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7. Breakdown
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Slash's banjo is a six-string banjo tuned like a guitar and played with a pick, so a guitar in E♭ covers it.
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8. Pretty Tied Up (The Perils of Rock N' Roll Decadence)
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Izzy Stradlin plays the riff on a Coral electric sitar; Songsterr tabs it in E♭ like the guitars.
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9. Locomotive (Complicity)
E♭ StandardMeasured
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10. So Fine
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Duff McKagan sings lead.
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11. Estranged
E♭ StandardMeasured
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12. You Could Be Mine
E♭ StandardMeasured
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13. Don't Cry (Alt. Lyrics)
E♭ StandardMeasured
Notes
Same music as the original version on Use Your Illusion I, with different lyrics.
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14. My World
Different pitch
E♭ Standard +20 ¢Measured
Notes
No guitars: Axl Rose with drum machine and keyboards. TuneLit measured it about 20 ¢ sharp.
Songsterr transcribes every song in E♭ Standard, guitars and bass, the same setup as Part I.
What the labels mean
- Measured
- TuneLit measured the pitch on an original CD or LP. The tuning name still comes from the sources.
- Official
- The band, a member, their producer or their guitar tech said it.
- Widely reported
- Trusted outlets, guides and tabs agree, but the band did not say it directly.
- Community
- From community tabs, or from players who tune along with the record.
- Disputed
- Sources disagree. The likeliest setting is shown; the notes name the other one.
Each song shows one label, the strongest it has, in this order. How we measure recordings →
Questions
What tuning is Use Your Illusion II in?
Guns N' Roses recorded Use Your Illusion II (1991) in E♭ Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. My World uses E♭ Standard +20 ¢.
Why does Use Your Illusion II sound out of tune with my guitar?
My World sits about 20 cents sharp (A ≈ 445), so a guitar tuned to A 440 clashes with it. The Tune buttons on this page set the tuner's reference to match the record, so you only tune the strings.