TUNELIT

ZZ Top · 1973 · Studio album

Tres Hombres tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 1 of 10 songs are tuned differently.

Tres Hombres album cover

Album tuning

E Standard

At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.

MeasuredFrom tabs

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 10 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD, Warner Bros. 7599-27381-2 (Germany, 1987 remix)+3.5 ¢A 440.910+2.5 to +5.4 ¢High
 Offset from concert pitch (A 440). Spread: the middle half of the songs, when four or more share the album's pitch. Confidence: how well the notes agree with one grid.

Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).

E Standard throughout. The 1987 CD remix and the 2006 remaster of the original mix measure the same, at concert pitch (+3.5 ¢, A ≈ 440.9), and Jesus Just Left Chicago runs about 24 ¢ sharp on both.

10 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

  1. 1. Waitin' for the Bus

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Runs straight into Jesus Just Left Chicago on the record, which sits about 20 ¢ higher.

  2. 2. Jesus Just Left Chicago

    Different pitch

    E Standard +24 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    The slow blues that follows Waitin' for the Bus without a break. TuneLit measured it about 24 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 446.1) on both the 1987 remix and the 2006 remaster.

    Every song is tabbed in E Standard. Gibbons said La Grange was a 1955 Stratocaster straight into a Marshall Super Lead.

  3. 3. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  4. 4. Master of Sparks

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. Hot, Blue and Righteous

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  6. 6. Move Me on Down the Line

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  7. 7. Precious and Grace

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. La Grange

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    Gibbons recalled a 1955 Stratocaster straight into a Marshall Super Lead, the fuzz coming from the amp. E Standard, 4 ¢ sharp on the CD, which rounds to concert pitch.

  9. 9. Sheik

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  10. 10. Have You Heard?

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

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 Tres Hombres in?

ZZ Top recorded Tres Hombres (1973) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. Jesus Just Left Chicago uses E Standard +24 ¢.

Why does Tres Hombres sound out of tune with my guitar?

Jesus Just Left Chicago sits about 24 cents sharp (A ≈ 446), 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.