Kyuss · 1991 · Studio album
Wretch tuning.
C Standard, about 40 cents flat (A ≈ 430), measured on the CD. 5 of 11 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
C Standard −40 ¢
About 40 cents flat (A ≈ 430), measured on the CD.
MeasuredFrom tabs
Measured by TuneLit
40 ¢ flat
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Dali (1991), MP3 copy | −40.0 ¢ | A 430 | 11 | −73.5 to −41.7 ¢ | Low |
Before we measured, sources said: C Standard, with no pitch given (community).
The first album as Kyuss, on Dali, recorded at Headway and at Master Control in Burbank with Nick Oliveri on bass, except Deadly Kiss and Black Widow, taken from the Sons of Kyuss EP. It was not made in one tuning. Most tabs say C Standard and the album's main pitch is about 40 ¢ flat (A ≈ 430); Deadly Kiss, Black Widow and Isolation sit in C♯, Big Bikes in Drop C♯ and Katzenjammer in B, and Hwy 74, The Law and I'm Not read about 75 ¢ under C (B about 25 ¢ sharp).
11 songs · 5 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. (Beginning of What's About to Happen) Hwy 74
C Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Both human-made tabs are in C Standard, with the riff on the open String 5 (F). On the record that note sounds about 78 ¢ under F, nearer to E, and the check from the audio prefers B as the lowest string: B Standard about 22 ¢ sharp. The pitch reading is too weak to set the song apart, so it keeps the album's setting; compare it with B Standard +22 ¢ by ear.
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2. Love Has Passed Me By
C Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
A new recording of the Sons of Kyuss song, a half step lower this time: the check from the audio hears C, more than a third of the low notes, and no B under it.
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3. Son of a Bitch
C Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Tabs disagree: Ultimate Guitar's tab is in C Standard, Songsterr's (its tuning corrected in 2026) in B Standard. TuneLit measured it about 47 ¢ flat, close to the album; the song has too few low notes for the check from the audio to decide.
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4. Black Widow
Different tuning
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's C Standard: Every string up a half step.
The Sons of Kyuss recording, with Chris Cockrell on bass, so it keeps the EP's C♯ Standard. As on the EP, its low notes point to an open string about 75 ¢ under C♯ (C about 25 ¢ sharp), but the pitch reading is too weak to set it apart; check it by ear.
Taken from the Sons of Kyuss EP (Wikipedia, from the Wretch liner notes), whose tabs and TuneLit's semitone check put the guitars in C♯ Standard.
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5. Katzenjammer
Different tuning
B Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's C Standard: Every string down a half step.
String 6 sits 5 half steps below its standard E2 (counting the record’s pitch). On a normal set (.046) it keeps only about 55 % of its usual tension and feels loose. For the usual feel use about a .063 string, or a baritone guitar.
A new recording of the Sons of Kyuss song, this time with the open low string on B, more than a whole step below the EP version. Its only tab, machine-made, says B Standard, and the check from the audio agrees. Its own pitch reading is weak, so it takes the album's −40 ¢.
Songsterr's machine-made tab puts this version in B Standard, and its lowest notes (B, E and A) are the ones the record leans on. TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears B as the lowest open string and almost no B♭ under it.
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6. Deadly Kiss
Different tuning
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's C Standard: Every string up a half step.
The Sons of Kyuss recording, with Chris Cockrell on bass, so it keeps the EP's C♯ Standard. It reads about 45 ¢ flat here and 42 ¢ flat on the EP: the same recording, mastered twice.
Taken from the Sons of Kyuss EP (Wikipedia, from the Wretch liner notes). Its Songsterr tab, with Chris Cockrell's bass, is in C♯ Standard, and TuneLit's semitone check from the audio agrees.
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7. The Law
C Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Tabs disagree: a 7-string tab tunes A D G C F A D, another tab D Standard, a machine-made one B Standard. TuneLit measured it about 74 ¢ under C, the same as B Standard about 26 ¢ sharp, and the check from the audio hears B as the lowest note, almost half of all the low notes, with nothing under it. The reading falls just short of the confidence needed for a setting of its own, so it keeps the album's; compare it with B Standard +26 ¢ by ear.
On its own, this song measures flatter: CD −74.4 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's −40 ¢.
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8. Isolation
Different tuning
C♯ Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's C Standard: Every string up a half step.
A new recording of Isolation Desolation from the EP. Its one tab says C Standard, but the riff's open low string sounds on C♯ on the record, about 39 ¢ flat, as on the EP version: it is listed in C♯ Standard.
Songsterr's tab of this version is in C Standard, with the riff on the open low string. TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears that string on C♯, as in the EP version, which its tabs put in C♯ Standard.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears the open low string on C♯, about 39 ¢ flat, not on the C of the tab: the same tuning as the EP version.
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9. I'm Not
C Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Two Ultimate Guitar tabs are in C Standard; Songsterr's machine-made tab has Drop B. TuneLit could not get a usable pitch reading from this song; its low notes lean on B, like The Law's, so if the album's setting sounds off, try B Standard about 25 ¢ sharp.
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10. Big Bikes
Different tuning
Drop C♯ −40 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's C Standard: String 6 up a half step (C → C♯), String 5 up 3 half steps (F → G♯), String 4 up 3 half steps (B♭ → C♯), String 3 up 3 half steps (E♭ → F♯), String 2 up 3 half steps (G → A♯), String 1 up 3 half steps (C → D♯).
Brant Bjork's song. Tabs disagree: a human-made tab plays it in Drop C, Songsterr's machine-made tab in C♯ Standard. Both build the riff on the open low string, and on the record that note is C♯ (about 27 ¢ flat), so it is listed in Drop C♯.
A human-made tab (Guitar Tabs Explorer) is in Drop D tuned down a whole step, Drop C; Songsterr's machine-made tab is in C♯ Standard. TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears the open low string on C♯, so the song is listed in Drop C♯: the human tab's shapes, a half step higher.
TuneLit's semitone check from the audio hears the open low string on C♯, about 27 ¢ flat, not on the C of the Drop C tab.
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD −27.1 ¢ (medium confidence). Tune uses the album's −40 ¢.
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11. Stage III
C Standard −40 ¢Measured
Notes
Brant Bjork's instrumental. The tab puts the riff on the first fret, C♯, which the check from the audio takes for an open string; the tab's C Standard stands. It reads near concert pitch, with low confidence.
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 Wretch in?
Kyuss recorded Wretch (1991) in C Standard, about 40 cents flat (A ≈ 430), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Black Widow, Deadly Kiss and Isolation use C♯ Standard −40 ¢; Katzenjammer uses B Standard −40 ¢; Big Bikes uses Drop C♯ −40 ¢.
Why does Wretch 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.