Balancing Act: New Cheap Chromatic Tuners

[Axhandle]

After 30 years of trying to balance tuners on my knee, I'm encouraged to see some new, cheap models that address the problem.

 

The Intellitouch clip-on is nice but I can't justify $50 for an acoustic-only tuner.

 

Planet Waves has a new chromatic tuner that hooks over the soundhole for no-hands use. This looks like a typical LCD design with easy to read LEDs similar to Korg and Qwik Tune.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/General/Accessories/Tuners?sku=210061

 

 

Music123 has come out with its own house brand chromatic tuner that clips on the headstock. It has a backlighted LCD display.

 

https://www.music123.com/Music123-Clip-On-Chromatic-Tuner-i260335.music

 

Anyone have experience with either of these tuners-- or other suggestions?

[Cldplytkmn]

i don't have any experience with those tuners... just wanted to tell you that the intellitouch will work with electrics... it doesn't 'hear' the notes, it just picks up the vibration of the guitar.

[Axhandle]

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn i don't have any experience with those tuners... just wanted to tell you that the intellitouch will work with electrics... it doesn't 'hear' the notes, it just picks up the vibration of the guitar.

 

That's an interesting feature-- the other two that I mentioned have both microphones and input jacks.

 

Actually, I'm just looking for a tuner for my acoustic guitars, since I use a Boss TU-2 inline tuner for all my electrics.

[nylon rock]

A little over a year ago I sent Planet Waves an e-mail telling them of a lack of a decent tuner for acoustic guitars. I detailed a tuner that would, with perfect ergonomics, be held in your picking hand to keep the tuner close to the sound hole. I don't know if their new one is anything like what I expressed. (No one wants to attach a tuner to their guitar for fear of scratching the finish.)

I saw some Country Music artist on CMT playing on stage with an Intellitouch clipped on his headstock. I thought of Bill Murray with a pocket protector in his shirt pocket when he'd visit Guilda for a date on SNL. The CMT guy has a beautiful guitar and then attaches that tuner and it looks "stupid," not cool.

Flame on Intellitouch owners.

[Dave W.]

I have been thinking of a wireless tuner. My 00016 has the built-in Fishman, and when plugged into the tuner, gives a much better reading than when interperted through the tuner mic., but the cable is a PITA. My new OM-21 has no pickup, and I have no need for one, but a small undersaddle transducer/transmitter to a wireless tuner would give the best of both worlds. A small transmitter could be powered by a button cell, and would last a long time if just switched on for tuning. Maybe a Pure Western system with no onboard electronics, wired to a strap pin jack, with a small external transmitter that plugged into the jack. I am into gadgets, especially electronic ones.

[d28andm1911a1]

(No one wants to attach a tuner to their guitar for fear of scratching the finish.)

My D-28 has had two refrets, a neck set, has drunken scratches from picks and more minor dings from 30+ yrs of gigging than I can count and I'm worried about the tuner messing with the finish.

My 2 yr old custom got a big ding from a computer speaker droping on it in the second week I owned it.

Guitars are to be played, they are a tool and worrying about tuner marks on the headstock is like worrying about the marks on your hammer head if you are a carpenter.

It's not about cool it's about useful.

[JasmineTea]

I don't like clipping anything on the headstock. Whoever came up with that Idea ought to be taken out and shot.

I don't think the "tools" metaphore cuts the mustard. Yes musical instruments are tools, but they are tools for making music, not driving nails. I don't baby my guitars. When a new scratch shows up, I only notice it if it's on the neck. But I don't think it's a good idea to do something other than playing that will eventualy rub the finish of. Just my 2%.

Plus, clipping capos on the head looks stupid.

[JasmineTea]

[d28andm1911a1]

I don't like clipping anything on the headstock. Whoever came up with that Idea ought to be taken out and shot.

I've been gigging off and on sense 1966, mostly playing Martins. I've never hurt a guitar clipping a tuner or capo to the headstock. I've lost guitars to thrown pool balls in a Texas bar, had a D-28 run over by a Datsun pickup and had my guitars get all sorts of injurys through the years. Worrying about that kind of stuff is fine if you just play at home, but if you are a gigging picker the guitar is just a tool like a hammer. If it gets broke you fix it or replace it.

[JasmineTea]

Originally posted by d28andm1911a1 I've been gigging off and on sense 1966, mostly playing Martins. I've never hurt a guitar clipping a tuner or capo to the headstock. I've lost guitars to thrown pool balls in a Texas bar, had a D-28 run over by a Datsun pickup and had my guitars get all sorts of injurys through the years. Worrying about that kind of stuff is fine if you just play at home, but if you are a gigging picker the guitar is just a tool like a hammer. If it gets broke you fix it or replace it.

You're right. It just seems like the fashionable thing to do these days is clip something to the headstock. Nothing like a pink Kyser clamped to the head of a nice guitar..

I started a thread once about making a drink holder/ashtray that attached to the headstock.

[Cldplytkmn]

i kinda like clipping the capo to my mic stand now... i was a headstock guy until i noticed a mark on my takamine's headstock... i have no problem with it getting a mark here or there, but i don't wanna help it along...

the tuner is another case though, its not like i'd leave it on there through a set... irrelevant to me, though, i use a pedal tuner.

[Kap'n]

Someday, somebody will make a vibration-sensing, LCD display chromatic tuner, ultra-thin, out of "cling" plastic sheet, and you can stick it to the upper bout of the guitar.

The technology exists.

[tango]

I really like my Intellitouch tuner. Non backlit - cost me about $30.00 through e-bay from US seller. Tunes both acoustic and electric guitars.
Tuner picks up vibration to determine note. I checked mine with an A440 tuning fork and it is spot on.
Tuner is held to headstock by a spring loaded plastic foot - easy to put on or take off. Careful usage shouldn't create any scratches on typical poly finish.
Struggles a little bit on low E but not a major problem.
As Meatloaf could have said, but didn't, "5 outta 6 ain't bad".

[Treborklow]

Originally posted by tango I really like my Intellitouch tuner. Non backlit - cost me about $30.00 through e-bay from US seller. Tunes both acoustic and electric guitars. Tuner picks up vibration to determine note. I checked mine with an A440 tuning fork and it is spot on. Tuner is held to headstock by a spring loaded plastic foot - easy to put on or take off. Careful usage shouldn't create any scratches on typical poly finish. Struggles a little bit on low E but not a major problem. As Meatloaf could have said, but didn't, "5 outta 6 ain't bad".

 

 

I stopped using all of my other tuners when I got the Intellitouch, it's great for acoustic or electric. As for the low E, yes, on some guitars it's a slow read, but once you find the sweet spot on the headstock it works just fine.

[JasmineTea]

[nylon rock]

Originally posted by d28andm1911a1 My 2 yr old custom got a big ding from a computer speaker droping on it in the second week I owned it. Guitars are to be played, they are a tool and worrying about tuner marks on the headstock is like worrying about the marks on your hammer head if you are a carpenter. It's not about cool it's about useful.

 

 

 

You're a damn liar if you try to sell us on the idea that you were happy when the computer speaker fell on your custom guitar two weeks into owning it.

 

I see guitars as being tools too, but also as works of art, and labors of love. I try to be careful with them, and whatever happens from playing them is alright. But when it comes to avoiding objects, I take reasonable care, responsibility if you will, for keeping the guitar in good shape so that whoever owns it after me will benefit from my respect toward it.

 

Now, the hammer tool-metaphor, it's not that good. The hammer is designed to hit things and head wear is a direct result.

 

A better metaphor would be buying an expensive car and then deliberately parking your car between other cars where you could barely open your door, because it was the closest space to where you were going. As soon as a new car gets a few dings, from my experience, you stop washing it, you barely maintain it, and sooner rather than later you pay through the nose to have a mechanic fix something that could have cost a lot less if you hadn't let things slip so far.

[Dave W.]

Originally posted by nylon rock I see guitars as being tools too, but also as works of art, and labors of love. I try to be careful with them, and whatever happens from playing them is alright. But when it comes to avoiding objects, I take reasonable care, responsibility if you will, for keeping the guitar in good shape so that whoever owns it after me will benefit from my respect toward it.

 

 

+1

 

I put the first ding in the cedar top of my Martin nylon about three months after I got it. Bumped the music stand while sitting down with the guitar in my hands. Took me a good two weeks to get over it.........still bothers me a bit. Now I have a guitar stand parked next to my practice chair, guitar go's from the case to the stand, then I sit down and pick it up.

[Tony Burns]

I just use a tuning fork ( A 440 ) and an old Banana guitar tuner I have - not really crazy about clipping something on my headstock of the guitar, worried about scratching my guitar or taking off the graphics.

[Pvine]

I use the Music123 clamp-on. It works from headstock vibrations, like the Intellitouch, but I find it to be MUCH more accurate, and easier to use, not to mention cheaper at $17. My Intellitouch is collecting dust.

[knockwood]

I guess I somewhat envy anyone who can sincerely look at an acoustic guitar strictly as a tool. Myself, when it comes to my guitars I'm like a little bitch with her favorite doll... I baby those fuggers, man. And they're not even valuable guitars! I mean I PLAY the crap out of them, bash-o-rama, but handling them in every other respect I am conscious every second of every object that comes anywhere near them. It's not that I think they're hot sh*t; it's just that they're all I have. And I don't think any good guitar is that easy to replace. The characters of any two guitars are just about as disparate as those of any two people.

Wait... what's this thread about again? Oh yeah, tuners.

I've been using a cheap chromatic Korg somethingorother that works on vibration. I hate the thing. For one thing, I swear it's ruining my ear by making me lazy. Also, the thing is schizophrenic. I hit a note, I swear the tuner hops back and forth between sharp and flat like it can't make up its mind. Drives me frickin' nuts sometimes. So do I turn that bitch off and tune by ear? Nope. Like a jackass who misplaces the tv remote and hunts for it for an hour instead of just manually changing the channel, I wait for the tuner to make up its mind. I ought to throw that freakin' thing out the window. But I like tuning to A=427, and my ear was never that good to begin with.

Wait... what's this thread about again?