Guitar Tuner For Doing Bridge Setups?

[aniss1001]

Basically I need the cheapest possible tuner that is suitable for doing bridge SETUPS.

Any recommendations?

[Dad3353]

Snark..?

[iim7V7IM7]

I have a Snark and it is great!

[Gabe]

The snark is meant to be good although I don't really like their display, I use a Korg AW2G which is really really good.

[Atticus]

Another vote for the Snark. Vibration and microphone means you should be in great shape. I have the red all-instrument tuner and use it for just about everything too- most of our band borrows it from me before gigs.

[monkmiles]

I use and like the Snark. Amazon has them for $10. I have two and keep them in the case with the guitar.

[PTChristopher]

Yep. The Snark is a very serviceable tuner for the low $$$. Lost of fans. Very good for actual playing (which I hope is the idea after all).

For professional setup work, it may lack the accuracy that is typically used. Much like a Korg GA-30 (or similar) it is maybe a little too forgiving for tech work.

The only clip-on tuner I have used that I think can be really used for pro setup work is the Peterson StroboClip. The faux-strobe display is a little odd, but the accuracy is really great.

Chris

[mr. beaumont]

Snark. It's cheap and good.

[tele jazz]

If you need it for intonation then you're looking at something like a strobe tuner. You can get apps for iPhone and stuff which are pretty good and not costing a fortune

[SamBooka]

Planet waves have a strobe that I hate hate hate.. loved it at first but too damn noisy. Still use it tho.

My fav is actually the strobosoft tuner for Iphone.

[Jabberwocky]

I like the Sonic Research Strobe Tuner ST-122A so much that I bought two, in the new anodized black aluminum case. I know you said cheap but you know what they say about not being rich enough to buy cheap things. Buy cheap, buy over and over.

My friend calls it 'Dat Tooner' but he's from Brooklyn so he's pardoned.

Charge $10 bucks to set it up for someone else in Cordoba and after 18 archtops, the thing would have paid for itself.

(I am not a card-carrying member of the iPhone-carrying cabal/sorority so the Strobosoft App solution is out for me. iPhones are for girls, not that there is anything wrong with being a girl. Just to rake the mud a little.)

[oldane]

I use a Peterson Stroboflip. Not exactly cheap, but it's as accurate as they come.

[kenbennett]

Accuracy is what you're after.

The digital display tuners like the Korg GA30 will be within +/- 1 cent (a hundredth of a semitone).

The Boss TU12, which spec says +/- 1 cent, includes a nice analog needle display that lets you zero in a little tighter.

The strobe types (Peterson 490, 590, StroboClip, StroboSoft software and iPhone app) are +/- .1 cent (a thousandth of a semitone).

The Sonic Research ST122 and ST200 claim +/- .02 cents.

I have been using the Boss TU12 at gigs and in the shop for many years. When it came out it was the best thing you could get for $100. I think it's time to upgrade.

The Sonic Research is only $129.

The StroboSoft software package (Mac or PC) is $109. That would be great for recording too, since it works as a VST plugin.

I just downloaded a free one for my Android called gStrings. It seems to be as good as my Boss TU12.

The Peterson StroboClip is only $69.

The winner (most accuracy for the money--if you already have the phone) is the $10 iPhone app by Peterson, iStroboSoft.

[aniss1001]

Hey guys thanks for the replies..

A lot of love for the Snark. Only according to Chris it may not be accurate enough (and he usually knows what he's on about). Also I get the feeling that it can't be found in the shops here. I should have pointed out that I would rather avoid buying online and having it shipped here. If it costs $10 online I would end up paying $30+. Not sure it's still a good option then. Especially since I need it now rather than in a couple of months when the argentinian mail service may feel inclined to deliver it.

So brands like Korg, Seiko or whatnot may be preferable since I can buy them in shops here.

And I'm specifically looking for a tuner to do SETUPS. So all I want is accuracy. I use the tuner in my Cube40 for actual tuning and it works fine for that. What I certainly don't need is another tuner that isn't accurate enough for setups! So it doesn't have to be clip-on, true-by-pass or whatnot. For all I care it could be a huge ugly box with just a jack input and requiring external power as long as it's accurate.

That is why I created this thread. I have no idea which ones are accurate enough for this.

Ah and I don't have an iPhone but I do have a usb-guitar-link for connecting my guitar to my PC. I tried the tuner in Guitar Rig and it's not very good at all so I assumed it just wasn't possible to go the software route. But if it is I may wanna check that option. Especially if there is some free software around that would suffice?

Anyhoo I'll look into the options mentioned here and go check out what the shops carry here.

All suggestions are still welcome.

Ah I found this one used on the local "ebay". Anyone knows how accurate that would be? (60 pesos is like 13 bucks)

[JensL]

I have a boss TU12 that I am very happy with.
There's a free tuner for Android phones called DaTuner which is also pretty good.

Jens

[kris]

I use Korg Ot-120 for guitar bridge setup.Very good .
I do not think clip tuners are good for acurate setup.

[Dad3353]

I don't wish to appear flippant, but if we're not talking professional workshop, then I would propose my method, which has given me satisfaction for many years.
Once I have the reference pitch established (usually the 5th string 'A'...), all the rest of my setting up is done by ear alone. Tuning between the strings and intonation do not, imho, require any more than a touch of patience and a reasonably quiet environment. I insist, this is for my own instruments, I'm not a professional guitar tech, so 'rentability' is not important to me. I would add that I tune my drums this way, too (there is little in the way of 'strobe' for this...). When I worked in a music workshop, years ago, accordion reeds were tuned using strobes, to get the 'musette' sound, as were the pianos, but in the end, the final touch of the wrench was dictated by the trained ear of the techs.
On stage, for 'quick and dirty' tuning up, I have no problem with tuners (I use the Snark myself, but there are many others...), but for setting up my own park of guitars/basses/what-have-you, my ears are as accurate as my ears can tell.
It doesn't get much cheaper, that's for sure.
Ymmv, of course; hope this helps...

[kenbennett]

I use Korg Ot-120 for guitar bridge setup.Very good .
I do not think clip tuners are good for acurate setup.

That tuner is also accurate to +/- 1 cent. Not as good as the strobes, but equal to all the other digital tuners. Plus, it has an incredible 8-octave range.

The Peterson StroboClip is a clip tuner with 10 times the accuracy of the Korg OT120.

[aniss1001]

Hey thanks again for the replies...

Ah BTW I checked out some free software for this (including a the fancy looking and supposedly accurate PitchPerfect) but it just doesn't work properly. It's unstable and there are latancy issues. It beats me how it is possible to make usable applications for Android and iPhone when I can't get it to work on PC (which has a LOT more processing power). Maybe I should buy a jack-to-mini-jack-converter and plug it into the mic in instead of using the usb-link (which should be vastly superior to using the mic in though). Perhaps I just need to reinstall windows.... Dunno....


PS: Has anyone used this Snark fellow for SETUPS???

That tuner is also accurate to +/- 1 cent.

Hmmm... I'm not quite sure what to do with these numbers you mention? I mean what would be the minimum accuracy for doing a decent setup?

Also you mentioned tuners that cost $129 which means that here it would cost like $300. That is some leap from the $10 Snark and furthermore way above my price range.

So again I am looking for the CHEAPEST tuner that is accurate enough to do a decent setup. Even if it isn't fancy or meant to last for decades.

I don't wish to appear flippant, but if we're not talking professional workshop, then I would propose my method, which has given me satisfaction for many years.

Thanks but I allready find this setup business too fiddly for me. I'm looking to simplify things. So I'm not considering doing it by ear unless I will truly have to pay 100s of $ for an appropriate tuner.

[SamBooka]

Off topic a little... but Dad3353 reminded me of something.
When I was working in a music shop doing setups full time I swore by a .. TUNING FORK! This was the early 90s. I didnt have a strobe tuner and I could tune a guitar more accurately with that and my ear than with anything Boss or Korg was putting out. It took longer.. a strobe tuner would have been a godsend back then.. but I had good results with A 440 forks. That was almost 20 years ago.. these days I dont think my ear is that atuned anymore.

Back to your regularly scheduled program.

[tele jazz]

You can always measure it and use some maths. As for the software - I dunno why there are no decent tuners for pcs. I guess that in the app store you pay and it is easy to do, on a pc you will find it more difficult to make money out of an application. I have done a setup using a line6 pod farm software tuner, ballpark not absoutly 100% but it worked ok. And the lower down the neck you play the more 'in' it will sound

[bluefonia]

If you have an iPhone you might want an iStroboSoft Peterson Strobe Tuners - iStroboSoft? for the iPod touch® and iPhone?

It will cost you $5 and will do setups nicely, - precision +/- 0.1%!!!

You can attach a jack>minijack converter and plug your guitar directly instead of using the build in iPhone mic.

Works perfect for me.
Peterson is know to make some of the very best tuners out there

PS: You can allways have the discussion if a setup-tuner needs to be 1 or 0.1 or whatever % precise. When you are actually playing the guitar you use different pressures on the strings, bend them a bit for side to side and so on, all of which will make the tuning drift a bit. Anyways, - imo it´s good to have the best basic.

[jazzbow]

PS: Has anyone used this Snark fellow for SETUPS??

Hey Annis, how's your Tele?

First and foremost when setting intonation make sure you have quality strings! Having spent/lost time setting intonation with customers own strings I now insist on using quality strings in what ever material or gauge they like as they are more consistent in manufacture than cheapo ebay/market stall strings.

I use the Snark for quick set ups and then rely on my ears to get more accuracy.

Using 12th fretted note to 12th fret harmonic with individual saddled bridge I do this (I grabbed the photos off the net, just click the links);

1. Set truss rod relief and action under desired tuning using Snark.


2. Measure top E string (the thinnest string) from edge of nut to the centre of 12th fret then with this distance, measure from the centre of the 12th fret to your top E saddle, adjust saddle to where the string break off point meets the measured distance (nut to centre 12th fret).


3. Notice the spacing for these saddles? Top E is set at your nut/12th fret distance, B is back a little, plain G is back a little (wound G would be same as top E) D is same distance as B, A is back a little bit and then bottom E is back a little bit. Move your saddles to this setting, this is surprisingly close to where you should be.

4. Start intonation with Snark and ear, flat fretted note forward to neck, sharp note back.

This is relatively close, the G and B will need more ear correction further up the neck especially in chords, oh, and take your time.


Hope this helps.

[krueger]

I use gStrings for Android as my "on the fly" tuner. It seems to be quite accurate. I use the ad-supported version which is free.

On my pedal board I have a Korg Pitchblack which is nice too.

Depending on which computer you have access to, perhaps a software tuner is a good option if it is mainly to be used for intonation. I'm a Mac user and have used the built-in tuner in Garageband to set intonation.

[PTChristopher]

I guess this has drifted around to setups as well as tuners.

In my view:

Setups (and for that matter, piano tuning) can be done with a single tuning fork. It requires practice and a very good understanding of the inherent inaccuracies of a guitar. But it can certainly be done.

It is somewhat funny to use a modern accurate tuner and to then use this tuner to match the 12th fret harmonic to the 12th fret note.

The use of the 12th fret harmonic vs. 12th fret note is the traditional, and reasonably OK, way to do it by ear. But only checking the 12th fret note gives away pretty much all of the benefit of using a tuner. And yet this remains probably the most common way "intonation" (really bridge compensation) is done in the world.

Once you have a tuner, you do not need to base the bridge compensation on a single note (the 12th). A single note can be off a bit, and it is far better to check a number of notes.

Notes below about the 7th fret are significantly affected by nut height and position and are not practical for testing bridge compensation.

Notes above the 17th fret (more or less) are too affected by string stiffness (and inharmonicity) to be a good guide for bridge compensation.

I suggest using a tuner to check a number of notes between the 7th and 17th frets, then setting the bridge for a best-fit within this range.

And of course, this is all a waste of time if the nut is not right.

Despite any claimed specifications, I find that you can hear the inaccuracy of some tuners. But that does not mean that they are useless. If you use them to get close, then listen for any problems, it seems to me to be a very workable way to do a setup. It will be quite a bit slower than with a very accurate tuner, but if you are talking about a single setup, then this is no big deal.

Blathering on about tuning:

The only harmonics that can be used for tuning purposes are the octaves at the 12th and 5th frets. The other harmonics are "pure" intervals, and not the tempered intervals used to position the frets on a guitar.

EDIT: And as Jazzbow mentions, this is all pointless with dirty, old, or otherwise inconsistent strings.

Chris