Kyuss · 1990 · EP
Sons of Kyuss tuning.
C♯ Standard, about 40 cents flat (A ≈ 430), measured on the CD. 1 of 8 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
C♯ Standard −40 ¢
About 40 cents flat (A ≈ 430), measured on the CD.
MeasuredDisputed
Measured by TuneLit
40 ¢ flat
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Black Highway Music BH001 (2000 CD issue of the 1990 vinyl EP), MP3 copy | −39.7 ¢ | A 430 | 8 | −44.8 to −40.2 ¢ | Low |
Before we measured, sources said: C♯ Standard, with no pitch given (disputed).
The debut, recorded in 1989 at Headway Studios in Westminster, California, and released in April 1990 under the name Sons of Kyuss: 500 copies on vinyl, with Chris Cockrell on bass. TuneLit measured a later CD issue in C♯ Standard about 40 ¢ flat (A ≈ 430), halfway between C and C♯, from a band that had no tuner at the time. Deadly Kiss and Black Widow reappear on Wretch as they are; Love Has Passed Me By, Katzenjammer and Isolation Desolation were recorded again for it.
8 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. Deadly Kiss
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Tabbed in C♯ Standard with Cockrell's bass, and the check from the audio agrees. The same recording opens side two of Wretch.
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2. Window of Souls
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
The open low string hardly ever sounds, so the check from the audio cannot tell C♯ from D here; it keeps the EP's setting.
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3. King
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
C♯ is the commonest low note, more than a third of all of them, and the C under it never sounds.
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4. Isolation Desolation
Different pitch
C♯ Standard −28 ¢Measured
Notes
Tabbed in C♯ Standard, with the riff on the open low string; on the record C♯ makes up almost half of the low notes. TuneLit measured it about 28 ¢ flat (A ≈ 432.8), 12 ¢ above the rest of the EP. Recorded again for Wretch as Isolation.
The tabs disagree: Songsterr's tabs of Deadly Kiss and Isolation Desolation are in C♯ Standard, with the bass in C♯ too, Happy Birthday's in C Standard and Katzenjammer's in E♭ Standard. TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears the open low string on C♯ on six of the eight songs, and measured the record about 40 ¢ flat (A ≈ 430), so the setting is C♯ Standard −40 ¢.
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5. Love Has Passed Me By
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Recorded again for Wretch, in C Standard there.
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6. Black Widow
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Hard to measure: its low notes point to an open string about 70 ¢ under C♯ (C about 30 ¢ sharp), a third of a semitone below the rest of the EP, but the pitch reading is too weak to set it apart. Check it by ear. The same recording is on Wretch.
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7. Happy Birthday
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Its one tab is in C Standard; the check from the audio sides with the EP's C♯.
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8. Katzenjammer
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Its one tab is in E♭ Standard; the check from the audio hears C♯, a third of the low notes, and no C under it. Recorded again for Wretch, in B.
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.
- From tabs
- 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 Sons of Kyuss in?
Kyuss recorded Sons of Kyuss (1990) in C♯ Standard, about 40 cents flat (A ≈ 430), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Isolation Desolation uses C♯ Standard −28 ¢.
Why does Sons of Kyuss sound out of tune with my guitar?
The record sits about 40 cents flat (A ≈ 430), 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, song by song, so you only tune the strings.