Guitar Scribble is a free online bass tab maker and editor. It opens on a four string bass staff tuned E A D G, and five string BEADG, drop D and the rest are one menu away. Type fret numbers and the tab draws itself, with no rhythm entry required. Paste any plain text bass tab and it becomes a clean, editable, printable one. Playback uses a sampled bass voice, so you hear your line the way you wrote it instead of a guitar.
Quick Guide: Click to set cursor • Type 0-9 for frets. Letters are also allowed in TAB • Spacebar adds a blank column (space) at the cursor • Backspace deletes behind the cursor, Delete removes the note under it • Arrow keys to move •
Symbols: Select notes, then click buttons to add hammer-ons, slides, bends, pre-bends, vibratos, harmonics, or palm mutes (P.M.). Most buttons cycle through options (click repeatedly). •
View Full Instructions & Help →|What's New →|Request a Feature →|Editor Tips: On|Guitar Trivia →|Install App →
Create a free account to save your tabs to the cloud and access them from any device. · Pro: unlimited cloud saves, full playback, watermark-free exports, and more.
Go Pro →
Install the Tab Editor as an app: full screen, its own home-screen icon, and it opens even without a connection.
Install the Tab Editor App
Free, no app store needed. The tab editor becomes an icon on your home screen and opens full screen like a regular app. Once installed it opens even without a connection, so you can keep writing and save to the cloud when you are back online.
iPhone & iPad (Safari)
Tap the Share button (the square with an up arrow) at the bottom of Safari
Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen
Tap Add in the top corner. Done!
Android (Chrome)
Tap the ⋮ menu in the top right of Chrome
Tap Add to Home screen (sometimes labeled Install app)
Paste a plain-text tab (lines of dashes and fret numbers). Guitar Scribble reads the strings, tunings, bar lines, and notes, and splits long lines across staffs. Importing replaces the current tab.
✨ The editor is a working view. Your PDF/PNG export prints cleaner — solid lines, no grid.
Preview the output →
⭐ Go Pro: unlimited saves, watermark-free exports, tool presets & more
Upgrade →
💾 Save Tab
💾 Save Your Tabs to the Cloud
Create an account to unlock cloud save features! Your tab is kept on this device and will be restored here when you come back.
💾 Up to 3 free cloud saves
☁️ Access from any device
🔄 Never lose your work
✏️ Edit anytime, anywhere
🖼️ Export PNG
This is exactly what downloads — cleaner than the editor view:
Choose your background type:
👁 Export Preview
This is how your tab looks when exported to PDF or PNG — solid lines and clean spacing, sharper than the editor's working view.
⭐ Pro accounts export without the watermark. The faint guitarscribble.com mark you see here is removed on Pro PDF & PNG exports.
Go Pro →
♪ Add Chord
Enter chord name (e.g., Am, C#m7, Bb):
Section Label
Label this line (e.g., Verse, Chorus, Intro, Solo, Bridge):
Text Note
Placement
Size
Color
Heads up: “Above” can overlap picking marks, bends, or chord names on the top line. Pick a clear column, or use “Below.”
Song Structure
Marks are placed above the staff at the cursor position. Pick the same mark again to move it below the staff (handy under an ending bracket); a third pick removes it. You can also tap a placed mark to delete it.
Navigation marks
Repeat signs
Ending brackets (volta)
Select a range of columns first, or the bracket will run from the cursor to the next bar line.
Custom Tuning
Enter the note for each string, from the highest (top line) to the lowest.
tap a spot, then
Bass tab maker questions
Is this bass tab maker free?
Yes. Writing and editing bass tab is free, with no download and no account needed to start. A free account adds PDF and PNG downloads for printing and sharing, and saves your tabs to the cloud so you can pick them up on another device, and Pro adds full playback, watermark-free exports and unlimited saves.
Does it write five string bass tab?
Yes. Set Strings to 5 in Song Details and the staff becomes a low B B E A D G bass. Four, five, six and seven string staves are all supported, so a six string bass works too.
Can I paste a bass tab I already have?
Yes. Click Paste ASCII Tab, drop in any plain text tab from a forum or a text file, and it becomes an editable tab in one click. Bar lines, repeats and technique symbols come across with it.
Can I hear my bass tab played back?
Yes. Playback uses a sampled electric bass rather than a guitar tone, so the line sounds like a bass. Free playback previews the first measure, and Pro plays the whole tab with a count-in and a click track.
Does it handle drop D and other bass tunings?
Yes. The Tuning menu has bass standard, drop D, half and whole step down and more, and you can type any custom tuning you like. The playback pitches follow the tuning you pick.
Can I print bass tab or export it?
Yes. With a free account, export a PDF for printing or a PNG to post online. A plain text version to paste into a forum needs no account at all. Free exports carry a light guitarscribble.com watermark, and Pro removes it.