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Drop B tuner: B F# B E G# C#, free, with your mic

This is a free online guitar tuner, already set to Drop B. The strings become B F# B E G# C#, the shape of Drop D a step and a half lower. Press Start, play one string on its own, let the note settle, then aim for 0 cents. The tuner widens its analysis window on this preset, because the low B, at 61.74 Hz, is a slow wave that needs a longer look. No account, no download. It sits alongside the rest of our free guitar tools.

What Drop B tuning is

Drop B takes the guitar down to B F# B E G# C#, from the thickest string to the thinnest. You gain depth in the low register, and the shapes stay familiar if you come from Drop D: the bottom three strings, B F# B, are a root, its fifth and its octave, so one finger laid flat across them gives you a power chord anywhere on the neck.

Think of it as the same shapes, lower. Every interval between the strings is the one you know from Drop D, which itself has the intervals of Drop C. Drop B is Drop C a half step down, or Drop D a step and a half down.

It is a modern metal tuning first. It brings weight and a precise attack, and leads still cut through the mix under heavy distortion. For reference points to listen to: Slipknot, Psychosocial; Architects, Hereafter; Bring Me The Horizon, Throne; Parkway Drive, Wild Eyes.

How to tune to Drop B from standard

The sixth string goes down a fourth, from E to B. The five others go down a step and a half each. That is a lot of slack at once, so expect to go round more than once.

String Standard Drop B Distance Target, at A 440
Sixth, the thickest E B down five half steps B1, 61.74 Hz
Fifth A F# down three half steps F#2, 92.50 Hz
Fourth D B down three half steps B2, 123.47 Hz
Third G E down three half steps E3, 164.81 Hz
Second B G# down three half steps G#3, 207.65 Hz
First, the thinnest E C# down three half steps C#4, 277.18 Hz

Reference tones, A4 = 440 Hz

One button per string in Drop B, from the low B up to the C# on top. Play the string on the guitar and bring it to the same pitch.

Each tone is synthesized by your browser at the exact frequency, with A4 at 440 Hz as the reference, so it stands in for a tuning fork. No audio file is downloaded.

  1. Bring the sixth string down to B and let the note settle before you trust the reading.
  2. Set the fifth to F#, the fourth to B, the third to E.
  3. Fine tune the second to G# and the first to C#.
  4. Play an open chord, then go round again, aiming for 0 cents on each string.
  5. Stretch new strings gently and check the intonation at the twelfth fret: the harmonic and the fretted note should read the same.
The tuner opens the same wider analysis window as on Drop C, because the low B, 61.74 Hz at A 440, is lower still than the low C. A longer window means a reading that arrives a moment later, and it is steadiest when the string rings freely. Play it on its own, pick it once, and wait.

String gauges and setup for Drop B

  • Gauges. 12-60 is the usual recommendation, or 13-62 on a short scale guitar. For a tighter feel, try a hybrid set: 10 or 11 on top, 60 or 62 at the bottom.
  • Nut and bridge. Check that the thick strings sit properly in their slots, then set the intonation with the new set on.
  • Truss rod. A quarter turn can be enough to settle the neck under the new tension.
  • Sound. Cut a little of the muddy low end on the amp and push the low mids. Keep the palm mute firm, and a light compressor smooths the attacks and helps the sustain.

For the reasons behind those numbers, and how Drop B compares with Drop C, C standard and the baritone, see the string gauge chart for drop and low tunings.

Low does not have to mean blurry

The trap in Drop B is to add gain and bass when the riff mostly needs to be readable. Work on the palm mute first, on the exact length of each note, and on keeping time with the online metronome. If the placement is vague, the sound gets massive and unreadable very quickly.

Before you look for heavier, look for cleaner: less gain, a steadier attack, a controlled low end, and a regular check of the tuning.

Drop B vs Drop C

Drop C is easier to set up and keeps a slightly brighter grain. A half step lower, Drop B brings more weight and is a natural base for metalcore. If Drop B will not hold on your guitar, stay in Drop C, or move to a baritone guitar or a heavier set of strings.

If you want the low B without dropping a string at all, a 7 string guitar adds it underneath standard tuning. And if you would rather keep the regular spacing of standard tuning, C standard takes every string down two whole steps instead.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Drop C and Drop B?
Drop B is a half step lower than Drop C on every string: B F# B E G# C# against C G C F A D. It is heavier, and it stays precise as long as the strings are up to it. Drop C is the easier of the two to set up and keeps a slightly brighter grain. The Drop C tuner opens on it.
Do I need new strings for Drop B?
Yes. Below Drop C, aim for at least 12-60. On a short scale guitar, 13-62 helps. A hybrid set with a light top and a heavy bottom is another way to keep the bends easy and the low end firm. The string gauge chart for drop tunings puts Drop B next to its neighbors.
Can I play in Drop B on a regular guitar?
Yes, with a setup. Plan for a truss rod adjustment, a look at the bridge and the intonation, so the strings do not buzz against the frets. On a baritone guitar, with its longer scale, Drop B gains definition and sustain.
Can this tuner read the low B?
Yes, and the Drop B preset is set up for it. At 440 Hz the low B is 61.74 Hz, below the low C of Drop C, so the preset opens the same wider analysis window as Drop C. The reading takes a moment longer than on a high string. Let the note ring rather than tapping at it.
What about Drop A?
There is no Drop A preset, and we do not promise one. Each Drop A string sits a whole step below a Drop B string, so on the way down the tuner still measures against the string you left: the line under the note names it and the message says tighten. Within about 20 cents of the new note that line goes blank and the tuner reads the plain note. The limit is the low A itself: the analysis was checked on the low B, not below it, so take the sixth string reading as a guide rather than a guarantee.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris. He teaches adults: people with jobs, limited practice time and a clear idea of the songs they want to play. The tools come out of his lessons, which is why none of them asks you to sign up before it works, and why this one shows you cents rather than a green light. The rest of our free guitar tools work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.