Does everyone use those clamp-on, plastic tuners now?

**JazzNote** · 02-09-2018, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by neatomic

Does everyone use those clamp-on, plastic tuners now?

yeah...

Attachment 50520

and i've never been more in tune...haha

cheers

Oh, THAT we call five-finger-tuning

**rictroll** · 02-09-2018, 09:45 PM

Indeed. I’ve bought bunches of them.

I have noticed that they have a tendency to go to that dimension where single socks often go...

**D.G.** · 02-09-2018, 10:22 PM

I always have one clipped onto my guitar.

BUT, I also carry a small tuning fork and have for 37 years. If the battery dies on the tuner or it breaks -- an occupational hazard with those Snark tuners -- I can still whip out the tuning fork and tune by ear.

**neatomic** · 02-09-2018, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by D.G.

I always have one clipped onto my guitar.

BUT, I also carry a small tuning fork and have for 37 years. If the battery dies on the tuner or it breaks -- an occupational hazard with those Snark tuners -- I can still whip out the tuning fork and tune by ear.

yeah absolutely, ikea had 10- packs of those 2032 batteries the snarks use...buy a few!! haha

cheers

**marcwhy** · 02-09-2018, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by Stringswinger

I bought one of the first generation clip ons and am still using it 15 years later.

Intellitouch?? I think mine is about that old, too!

I've maybe changed batteries two or three times …!

I have a Turbo Tuner Mini, though, on my small pedal board -- it's quite nice.

**icr** · 02-09-2018, 10:54 PM

They may be well suited for Jazz and classical. That is, I do have a tuner in my pedal board. However, many times a Jazz guitar sounds great straight into the amp, without the pedal board. So, no tuner. That is why I got my clip on tuner.

**KirkP** · 02-09-2018, 11:26 PM

Yes I have several Snark tuners but I always correct string to string intonation by ear after using any tuner. Don’t trust the tuner to get you on target.

**deacon Mark** · 02-10-2018, 12:22 AM

I don’t have one just old korg plug in but one thing for sure. No matter what tuner i use i always check it with my own ear. Call me nutty but i have to do this to play.

**rio** · 02-10-2018, 12:33 PM

I don’t use one exclusively since I really like the tonal energy app (which is extremely accurate and highly configurable) but when I do use a clip on its the Polytune. I’m not a big fan of the snark and other clip ons I tried because they were not accurate enough but the Polytune has a strobe mode that is extremely accurate.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

**Namelyguitar** · 02-10-2018, 12:48 PM

Usually if electric: Korg Pitchblack, or acoustic: Snark Blue.

**Jazzstdnt** · 02-10-2018, 01:13 PM

Retired my Intellitouch for a new polytune clip-on.. More accurate.

**mr. beaumont** · 02-10-2018, 01:40 PM

Yeah, I have Snarks everywhere, it seems. I've broken a few, but I figure I'd break the more expensive ones too, so why not just keep buying Snarks. They're cheap and they work.

**73Fender** · 02-10-2018, 03:14 PM

I use the Snarks and and Reverb equivalent. The 2032 batteries can be had in strips of 10 or 20 on Amazon cheap.

I've broken a few at the ball and socket joint. The last time as I took a new one out of the box dohh. That's their weak spot I guess. A small wire tie pulled tight will fix it though. I have a few like that for some years. You can add a drop or two of glue to the spot if you want to go over board

i wasn't blessed with the best ear. I still remember trying to tune to the keyboard player with another guitarist and bass player on stage. Pitch pipes and tuning forks as well. After I quit playing for many years and took it up again these little gizmos were wonderful for me to discover.

I use them to set intonation as well. Not the best idea I know but I thhink I get pretty close. That strobe tuner app sounds interesting. I need to check it out.

**KirkP** · 02-10-2018, 04:11 PM

One problem with all my Snarks — When the 2032 battery voltage drops from the initial 3.3 volts to the nominal 3.0 voltsthe display gets annoying dim. I replace the batteries at that point even though with most devices they’d still have a lot of life left. So it’s good to keep a strip of cheap batteries on hand.

**Thumpalumpacus** · 02-10-2018, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by KirkP

Yes I have several Snark tuners but I always correct string to string intonation by ear after using any tuner. Don’t trust the tuner to get you on target.

Yep. I have a Snark and it's great for getting in the ballpark, but the margin of error is enough that I always check it with my own ears afterwards.

**Cunamara** · 02-10-2018, 07:45 PM

I use the Ned Steinberger designed one from D'Addario/Planet Wave. It's small and unobtrusive and seems to be pretty accurate. I've got an Intellitouch around somewhere too, recommended to me by Gene Bertoncini, but it's relatively enormous. Edit- I pulled out the Intellitouch last evening. Terrible! At best a rough guide to tuning. Strings that read as in tune were clearly not in tune with each other by quite a bit. The D'A/PW is better and tiny, most people won't know it's there. Doesn't change the balance of the guitar. In terms of absolute pitch it tends to be a couple cents sharp, but the strings are very close to in tune with each other.

And I still have the Seiko "Quartz Guitar Tuner" plug-in tuner that I bought 35 years ago. It's more accurate than any of the clip on ones I have tried, especially for setting intonation.

Peterson makes a clip-on too, the Strobo-something.

There is at least one YouTube video comparing various clip-on tuners to a Peterson bench tuner; the clip-ons did not fare too well in accuracy.

(skip ahead to about 5:00; also he's using a bass). Dave is also not the most rigorous guy.

as well as some other comparison videos.

**wengr** · 02-10-2018, 08:01 PM

Can't stand the look of them. But also I can't be putting it on and off every time I want to tune.
Btw, if you don't require silent tuning, you can clip it to your cabinet and it will work the same, and you don't have to see it.

**neatomic** · 02-10-2018, 08:08 PM

too bad some enterprising guitar company doesnt make self tuning guitars

oh wait a minute...nevermind...hahaha

cheers

**rio** · 02-10-2018, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by Thumpalumpacus

Yep. I have a Snark and it's great for getting in the ballpark, but the margin of error is enough that I always check it with my own ears afterwards.

That’s what I like about the strobe mode on the Polytune clip - it doesn’t have that margin of error. I tune by ear whenever possible but in between tunes at a gig it is extremely useful to be able to tune silently with that thing and know I can trust it particularly early on if the guitar hasn’t warmed up and is still adjusting.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

**sgosnell** · 02-10-2018, 10:22 PM

I have a Korge Sledgehammer with a strobe mode (sort ot) and it's more accurate than the rest of my clipons (Snark, Reverb, and Intellitouch. It's still not as accurate as my phone with the Peterson strobe app. That's what I use for intonation, because it's accurate to 0.1 cent. I really prefer using the phone mic, because there are fewer overtones and it seems more accurate to me, but the clip into the phone jack is better when it's noisy, or when I don't want to annoy others with the sound of my tuning. I use my ears, but sometimes my ears can't hear my guitar over all the other noise. There is a big difference between tuning at home and tuning in a bar. What works in one place isn't necessarily ideal in the others. Thus I have a selection of options.

**feet** · 02-10-2018, 11:37 PM

all though i have a bunch of pedal tuners (turbo tuner is the only acceptable answer) i like the tc electronic clippy thing and may pick up a second or third if they ever go on sale. they are just nice to have around when you play acoustic, or aren't plugged into anything. i would usually plug into a board of some kind if i were playing out, but its nice to know i can forgo that and still be ok.

i find it isn't as good as my turbo tuners, but it is good enough. and as my strings and intonation go with time, the tuner's claims need some adjustments from my ears but that isn't their fault.

**neatomic** · 02-10-2018, 11:43 PM

turbo tuner is the gold standard for plug in pedal/rack tuners....has been for years

snarks fine for quick on the go...provided the guitar has good intonation to begin with

dont blame the tuner for a bad set up! hah

cheers

**Jp267** · 02-11-2018, 01:50 AM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

I have a Korge Sledgehammer with a strobe mode (sort ot) and it's more accurate than the rest of my clipons (Snark, Reverb, and Intellitouch. It's still not as accurate as my phone with the Peterson strobe app. That's what I use for intonation, because it's accurate to 0.1 cent. I really prefer using the phone mic, because there are fewer overtones and it seems more accurate to me, but the clip into the phone jack is better when it's noisy, or when I don't want to annoy others with the sound of my tuning. I use my ears, but sometimes my ears can't hear my guitar over all the other noise. There is a big difference between tuning at home and tuning in a bar. What works in one place isn't necessarily ideal in the others. Thus I have a selection of options.

I have an old Peterson Strobe made on 115th St. in Alsip, IL from the late 70s. The thing is dead on.

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk

**Jp267** · 02-11-2018, 01:53 AM

Oops wrong thread darn it. Grr. Sorry!

**citizenk74** · 02-11-2018, 03:13 AM

Originally Posted by Jp267

I have an old Peterson Strobe made on 115th St. in Alsip, IL from the late 70s. The thing is dead on.

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk

My Peterson VS-1 Virtual Strobe Tuner is the best two hundred bucks I ever borrowed. I do need to re-supply on Snarks, as I have lent them all out. I prefer giving people tuners to hearing them play without them.