Clip Tuners - which one to choose?

[TH]

Snark has one that isn't mounted on a stem. It's compact, visible when mounted on the front or back of the neck and very accurate.
S-3 son of a snark.

It's all I use now. I also bought a package of chinese batteries on ebay, like 100 for 15 bucks or something. Now I give them away to all my friends. Too many to use in a lifetime.

David

[Greentone]

This might be an unwelcome opinion, but I really dislike ALL of the clip on tuners. It's an aesthetic thing. I used to use them. (I had three over the years.) However, they made the guitar look really funky onstage. I got tired of the look. I also got tired of folks seeing me staring at the headstock. GONE!

Just sayin'.

[mr. beaumont]

Well...you don't have to leave it ON...

I like the Snarks. I have a few, buy my batteries at the dollar store (4 for a buck), they last a few months...

I've broken a few, but I'd break anything, so why not break something cheap?

Snark, rare combination of cheap and good.

And Lt. Kojack...tuners are for getting in the ballpark--your ears determine whether or not you get to swing the bat, so to speak.

[GNAPPI]

Wow! Looks like nobody uses their ears to tune anymore... sad!

You're right if tuning in a bedroom were the only use for them, but especially with new strings a tuner is a blessing and onstage or in a group environment you can kill the volume and still tune quietly, not so with the ears? :-)

[docbop]

This might be an unwelcome opinion, but I really dislike ALL of the clip on tuners. It's an aesthetic thing. I used to use them. (I had three over the years.) However, they made the guitar look really funky onstage. I got tired of the look. I also got tired of folks seeing me staring at the headstock. GONE!

Just sayin'.

So for you it was all about cosmetics not convenience. I like clip on tuners for the convenience which is the main reason I like them, don't need to hook up a pedal, easier to hear than my tuning forks, to me its put in on and forget it, just turn on when I need it.

On a side note I have been using a tuner less and less as a form of ear training. I heard it dicussed in a somewhere that people are getting so into tuning devices they are missing a chance to develop their ear. So I tune up one or two strings with the tuner, then tune rest of guitar from those two strings using harmonics and checking with fifths and octaves like a piano tuner.

[Hep To The Jive]

I have the D'Addario/Planet Waves NS Micro tuner. Very discrete. I've never needed to push more than the power button.

Attachment 47718

That's all I use too. Never leaves my guitar, and the battery last forever.

[Brian B]

So for you it was all about cosmetics not convenience. I like clip on tuners for the convenience which is the main reason I like them, don't need to hook up a pedal, easier to hear than my tuning forks, to me its put in on and forget it, just turn on when I need it.

On a side note I have been using a tuner less and less as a form of ear training. I heard it dicussed in a somewhere that people are getting so into tuning devices they are missing a chance to develop their ear. So I tune up one or two strings with the tuner, then tune rest of guitar from those two strings using harmonics and checking with fifths and octaves like a piano tuner.

THIS.

Tune the low E with a tuner (clip on , integrated on an acoustic, etc) and tune the other 5 to it.






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[wintermoon]

like Greentone, I dislike the look of the clip ons.
for electric gigs I use a Korg Pitchblack that sits on top of my amp.
for acoustic playing @ home I always used the old Korg TU12's w/ the built in mic but retired those dinosaurs.

someone gave me a couple Snarks and I use them @ home on acoustics but once I tune up they come off.
a friend had a snark on his beautiful old ES-350. I asked him how long he had it on the headstock.
he said he never takes it off. then he took it off and it had left a mark in the old nitro, he wasn't very happy.

[guido5]

I have been using the DAddario/Planet Waves NS micro tuner. Very compact and matches will with my polytune3

[docbop]

THIS.

Tune the low E with a tuner (clip on , integrated on an acoustic, etc) and tune the other 5 to it.

Since I started playing way back when I used A tuning forks because E tuning forks were harder to find. So old habits die hard and even with a tuner I tune A and tune rest of strings off the A. A is cool to me because easy to get both E strings with harmonics of the A string.

[sgosnell]

Horses for courses. I'm not a fan of pedals, and I don't use many, most of the time none. I can tune by ear, but on a bandstand it can be difficult if not impossible to do that, and it requires making more noise that irritates the people already making noise. A clipon tuner lets me tune quietly, almost silently, without bothering anyone. A quick check between tunes while people are trying to decide on the next one is easy. At home, this isn't a problem, and any tuning method is fine. But I don't want to go back in time to when all I had was one pitch pipe, not all that accurate. I once owned a set which had all 6 pitches, none of which was exactly right, and I would tune the first string to whichever seemed closest at the time. I could always change the pitch slightly by blowing harder or softer, just like bending on a harmonica. Thankfully it's now possible to get everyone in tune quickly and cheaply. Clipon tuners are not going anywhere soon, and those that don't like them are certainly free to use whatever works for them.

[John A.]

This might be an unwelcome opinion, but I really dislike ALL of the clip on tuners. It's an aesthetic thing. I used to use them. (I had three over the years.) However, they made the guitar look really funky onstage. I got tired of the look. I also got tired of folks seeing me staring at the headstock. GONE!

Just sayin'.

I get the aesthetic point, but for many of us it beats the alternatives functionally.

John

[Thumpalumpacus]

I use a Snark. I've had it for three years, no worries about it breaking, and I get about 9 months to a year out of a battery.

It's not as accurate as I'd like, but as mentioned above, final-tuning with my ears seems to be the right thing to do anyway. $20 well-spent.

[lammie200]

I vote for the TC Polytune. I had a couple of cheaper ones and there were strings that they wouldn't recognize at all. The TC unit seems to be accurate and dependable. Looks nice, too.

[cosmic gumbo]

I'm another who hates the look of a clip on tuner, and it gets taken off right after tuning. As far as tuning by ear, as the day goes by, the noise of life fatigues my ear and it becomes less accurate as the day wears on. There is no shame in admitting that. If I'm at a gig or rehearsal, a tuner is fast and precise. Even horn players use them to intonate their horns.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I vote for the TC Polytune. I had a couple of cheaper ones and there were strings that they wouldn't recognize at all. The TC unit seems to be accurate and dependable. Looks nice, too.

The Snark I use recognizes all pitches, allowing me to use alternate tunings if I so desired. I even use it to tune about 30 cents north of A440 when I want to play along with Rush's "Xanadu" (their recorded version is a bit sharp, due to tuning or speeding-up, I don't know). It doesn't display the actual Hz, but I can go by its gauge and get it into the ballpark, before I final tune by ear.

[jschiele]

I use the DAddario/Planet Waves NS micro tuner and leave it on the guitar. I take it off every once in a while and I can't see that it's ever left a mark on my headstock. On a dark colored peghead it's pretty nearly invisible, most people don't seem to notice it.

[marcwhy]

Intellitouch for clips, and Turbo for pedals.

[73Fender]

I use a Snark. I've had it for three years, no worries about it breaking, and I get about 9 months to a year out of a battery.

It's not as accurate as I'd like, but as mentioned above, final-tuning with my ears seems to be the right thing to do anyway. $20 well-spent.

I have a few clip ons. Snark, VOX and planet waves. Snarks were listed somewhere a few years back for $4.00 or so. I bought several for myself and my son. I've had a few break at the pivot point, the plastic snaps. If that happens to anyone and you have small wire ties around wrap up the fracture, pull it tight, snip off the end and you're good to go. I put a drop of contact cement on one of my fixes as well and it's still going years later. A few others I just wrapped. That pivot base is the weak point for sure.

Funny, I decided to break out a new one recently and I broke it right at that spot on the first day, go figure. Went right for the wire ties and good to go.

And the 2032 batteries can be had in quantity for low bucks on Amazon.

They're good to get you in the ball park and, as a home hobbyist, all I need. One day maybe I'll get a good one. Maybe it helps that I learned back in the day of tuning forks, pitch pipes and asking the piano player to hit a note for the guitarists and bass player ha ha. Would have loved one back then for sure.

[matt.guitarteacher]

I have a few clip ons. Snark, VOX and planet waves. Snarks were listed somewhere a few years back for $4.00 or so. I bought several for myself and my son. I've had a few break at the pivot point, the plastic snaps. If that happens to anyone and you have small wire ties around wrap up the fracture, pull it tight, snip off the end and you're good to go. I put a drop of contact cement on one of my fixes as well and it's still going years later. A few others I just wrapped. That pivot base is the weak point for sure.

Funny, I decided to break out a new one recently and I broke it right at that spot on the first day, go figure. Went right for the wire ties and good to go.

And the 2032 batteries can be had in quantity for low bucks on Amazon.

They're good to get you in the ball park and, as a home hobbyist, all I need. One day maybe I'll get a good one. Maybe it helps that I learned back in the day of tuning forks, pitch pipes and asking the piano player to hit a note for the guitarists and bass player ha ha. Would have loved one back then for sure.

They used to be so bad about that joint. They must have done something to the design to fix out, because they don't break on me anymore. I had basically written them off.

However, my batteries never seem to last as long as others mention. Apparently, if you leave them on 24/7 they run down quicker. :-)

[Alter]

These days they are all good. I bought a bunch of the Korg simple ones this summer (just have one in each guitar bag), so i think they are still around. I just want something simple too, without a lot of moving fancy parts or complicated settings. The korg is great, one button on off only.

Many players seem to be unaware that all these tuners work fine on the back of the guitar too! Meaning you can put the tuner thing on the back of the headstock instead of on the front, thus avoiding the clumsy look (it is hardly noticeable this way).

[Gilpy]

I've had the Snark, but I like the Boss TU-01 clip-on better. Accurate, better battery life, and the whole display turns a cool green color when the note is in tune!

[DRS]

I use the Planet Waves/D'Addario one designed by Ned Steinberger. Cheap, small, unobtrusive and pretty accurate.

+1
I had a Snark and the stem broke. It also ate batteries.

[pingu]

+1
I had a Snark and the stem broke. It also ate batteries.

Same here , got a snark HZ1
Bit smaller , doesn't break , bit faster I think too , recommended

The TC looks good too. , a mates got one and likes it

[sandal90]

Check new TC and Joyo
Joyo JT-22B
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