Guitar tuners

[davis]

Those of you that play guitar or bass, if you use an electronic tuner, what's the brand name and model?

[Stevie B]

I use an iphone app called cleartune. Seems to meet my very limited requirements fine (i.e. getting a beat-up old acoustic roughly in tune).

[kid_runningfox]

I have a wedge-shaped Korg Chromatic tuner that I always run in-line on gigs. This makes me something of an anachronism on the acoustic scene these days, as it seems that many of my peers prefer those tuners that fit on the end of the headstock. I've tried these latter, however, and do NOT like them.

[No Pride]

I used the Boss TU-2 Chomatic Tuner pedal for years, although these days I use a Line 6 M13 Stompbox Modeler instead of a pedalboard and that has a built in tuner that works well. Nowadays, Boss makes a TU-3; obviously the "new improved version," but honestly, the TU-2 worked rather flawlessly, so I don't know what there was to improve.

[Jefferson James]

I use a Fender PT-100 stompbox-type tuner; it doubles as a mute in-between songs or during really quiet parts where I'm not playing something (right, like that ever happens). :)

[progmatist]

I find Korgs to be the most accurate. Other brands can tune ever so slightly sharp or flat. I've had tuners that tune two different guitars with different pickup configurations to different pitches. No such problem with a Korg.

[davis]

okay, I have a Fender AT-3 and a Korg GA-1 that came, respectively, with the electric guitar & bass I have. The Korg seems to stop functioning when I try to tune the D string (bass). The Fender tuner did the 6th and 5th strings alright, but then goes wacky; the string lights (D, G, B) jump around. am I dealing with "cheap" or faulty equipment or am I just confused because I'm starting from scratch? I'm thinking maybe I should spend more money and get one good quality tuner to use on both guitars.

[davis]

I have a wedge-shaped Korg Chromatic tuner that I always run in-line on gigs. .

what do you mean by 'in-line'? that you plug your guitar into it with another cable going from the tuner to your amp? Remember, I'm on a kindergarten level here.

[Mikhael]

I use a Peterson clip-on most of the time now. It's probably the most accurate tuner on the market right now, in that form factor. All Peterson tuners have an accuracy of +/- 1/10 cent, which is an order of magnitude greater than most other tuners. They're not cheap (mine was around $70US, I think), but they work great. Otherwise I use the tuning function on my t.c. electronic G-Major, since it's always there.

[kid_runningfox]

what do you mean by 'in-line'? that you plug your guitar into it with another cable going from the tuner to your amp? Remember, I'm on a kindergarten level here.

I mean precisely that. There a lot of tuners now for acoustic instruments that clip on to the end of the headstock and work from the vibrations of the instrument. In general, I've found them to be extremely inaccurate, and easily upset by extraneous vibrations other than those of the string sounding. Not nice!



okay, I have a Fender AT-3 and a Korg GA-1 that came, respectively, with the electric guitar & bass I have. The Korg seems to stop functioning when I try to tune the D string (bass). The Fender tuner did the 6th and 5th strings alright, but then goes wacky; the string lights (D, G, B) jump around. am I dealing with "cheap" or faulty equipment or am I just confused because I'm starting from scratch? I'm thinking maybe I should spend more money and get one good quality tuner to use on both guitars. It could well be the tuner (cheap tuners are often notorious for their inaccuracy and inability to track notes well), or it could also be the leads you're using (which people often scrimp on), or it could be as simple as the battery in the tuning going flat (some tuners, especially cheap ones, can be real battery hogs).

On the other hand, it could be that the intonation on your guitars are out, which is causing the tuners problems in correctly identifying the note you're playing. That said, it shouldn't be that severe. As a first step, you might want to change your strings if you haven't done that in a while and see if that makes a difference. If the strings are new, you can check to see if you're intonation's out by playing the harmonic, and then the fretted note, at the 12th fret, if they're different, you need the intonation adjusting. If you're a beginner, I suggest taking the into your local music store, or to your local guitar repair person, and getting them to set the guitar up for you, as it's not a job for the unwary!

One more thing to check - do you make sure that all the other strings are muted when you're tuning each string? If the other strings are sounding - even slightly - it can cause overtones that can confuse cheap tuners especially. Try tuning the guitar whilst taking extra care to damp the other strings and see if that makes tuning any easier.

[eporter66]

I used the Boss TU-2 Chomatic Tuner pedal for years.

Me too - no complaints

[Progbear]

I don’t even have one. I just use the A=440 tone from my electronic metronome.

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

‘“What blow, Goblin?” said Corinius.’ --E. R. Eddison

N.P.:“From Where I Stand”-Fanny/Rock & Roll Survivors

[rapidfirerob]

Boss TU-3. More accurate than the TU-2 and more importantly it can be seen better in bright sunlight.
Nothing wrong with the TU-2. I sold it to a friend of mine.

[davis]

I take it you have to kneel down to tune with the Boss TU-2 and 3 in order to see it, or is that different for everybody considering eyesight. actually, it's called a pedal, so do you press on some part of it with front of your foot? Also, how does a tuner work if you have a wireless electric guitar?

[dlm]

I use a Snark clip on and am very happy with it.

[No Pride]

I take it you have to kneel down to tune with the Boss TU-2 and 3 in order to see it, or is that different for everybody considering eyesight. actually, it's called a pedal, so do you press on some part of it with front of your foot?
It IS a pedal (or "stompbox" if you prefer, and as that name implies, you step on it with your foot). When you step on it, the signal is muted so you can tune silently. It's very easy to see standing up, even if you're tall. Most LED pedals are hard to see in bright daylight, but Rob says the newer Boss one (TU-3) works well in that situation and I don't doubt it.

[rapidfirerob]

Ernie summed it up. Wireless or cable from your instrument, it makes no difference. If you have no effects and don't want
to use just one pedal, then a stompbox is not for you. Otherwise, just stick it in with the other pedals on your pedal board. It's the only stompbox I use currently as I'm in an Allman Bros. tribute band and no effects for that music. I have a full pedal board sitting in the closet at present.

[Yodelgoat]

I own several of the pinch on head tuners, and for most situations they do OK. When playing live with multiple musicians, we have always used one strobe tuner for everyone. - The quickest way to sound bad as a band is to have everybody out of tune with themselves and also each other. After every break, we all plug in to the strobe and tune before we play. its an absolute rule. Ive never compared the head snap ons to each other, but I would not be suprised to see them yielding slightly different results.

[Mikhael]

One other thing - if you're playing an electric, make sure the magnetic pull from the pickups isn't too strong, and causing tuning errors. Many Strat players have that problem, because the poles *are* the magnets on those pickups. You can only put them so close to the strings, before their pull begins affecting the physical vibration of the strings, causing errant nodes.

[davis]

I'm using a Squier Strat. It has a switch that has 3 or 4 positions, which I assume are for the pickups. Can the pickups' magnetic pull be controlled w/that switch? and what is 'intonation"? And can I learn to control/adjust these things or is that tech territory? I had a tech adjust the action on my bass, as the strings were pretty much lying on the neck. I attempted to adjust that with the tuning pegs but quickly learned that wasn't the solution.


I have a full pedal board sitting in the closet at present.

2 of my 3 favorite guitarists use(d) pedals, so I'm not staying away from that when the time comes.

[No Pride]

I'm using a Squier Strat. It has a switch that has 3 or 4 positions, which I assume are for the pickups. Can the pickups' magnetic pull be controlled w/that switch? and what is 'intonation"? And can I learn to control/adjust these things or is that tech territory? I had a tech adjust the action on my bass, as the strings were pretty much lying on the neck. I attempted to adjust that with the tuning pegs but quickly learned that wasn't the solution.

You have much to learn, Grasshopper! But that's okay, we all had to start somewhere. I've already dawdled on PE far too long and I've got "chit" to do in the real world now, but if nobody addresses your questions by tomorrow, I will.

[sonic]

Guitars need tuning? :O

[Mikhael]

I'm using a Squier Strat. It has a switch that has 3 or 4 positions, which I assume are for the pickups. Can the pickups' magnetic pull be controlled w/that switch? and what is 'intonation"? And can I learn to control/adjust these things or is that tech territory? I had a tech adjust the action on my bass, as the strings were pretty much lying on the neck. I attempted to adjust that with the tuning pegs but quickly learned that wasn't the solution.

No. Magnets are magnets, and can't be switched on or off (unless they're electromagnets, and these aren't). Think of the old horseshoe magnet - there's no switch on it. The switch simply selects which pickup it connects to the output. The screws on either side of the pickup will allow you to raise or lower the pickups. If you play it very cleanly, and hear a warbling tone where it should be a clear open note, then lower the pickups, and see if the warbling goes away.

Intonation simply refers to adjusting the bridge saddles so that the guitar plays in tune. The general method is to play a harmonic at the 12th fret, then play a fretted note on the 12th fret. If they do not show up as being the exact same on the tuner, then move the saddle backwards or forwards until it is. Now, there are more involved methods to get it to play even better, but that's the standard.

[fictionmusic]

It IS a pedal (or "stompbox" if you prefer, and as that name implies, you step on it with your foot). When you step on it, the signal is muted so you can tune silently. It's very easy to see standing up, even if you're tall. Most LED pedals are hard to see in bright daylight, but Rob says the newer Boss one (TU-3) works well in that situation and I don't doubt it.

I hate outdoor gigs for pedal use. I can never see ANY of the leds. I like the TU-2 well enough though and the mute function is handy.

I don't know if anyone else does this, but I tend to go through pedal phases (and phase pedals for that matter) where I have a dozen or so and then times when I don't use any. It usually starts with one pedal, then a few more until I have a huge pedal board. Then I chuck it all in the studio and just go back to plain guitar. Right now I am using a guitar, a cable and an amp and I LOVE it. I don't even use my tuner anymore (it really isn't that hard to tune by ear although being onstage and tuning out load isn't all that cool either).

[Kim Olesen]

I find Korgs to be the most accurate. Other brands can tune ever so slightly sharp or flat. I've had tuners that tune two different guitars with different pickup configurations to different pitches. No such problem with a Korg.

+ 1000

[markowitz]

Good point about damping the other strings. It may be a stupid question, but do people use open strings or harmonics (like the 12th fret)? Also as the string is struck it will move sharp but settle. Sometimes don't know how long I should be waiting. Seems on most basses and guitars I have are always slightly sharper on the 12th string harmonic than the open strings.

[nosebone]

I hate outdoor gigs for pedal use. I can never see ANY of the leds. I like the TU-2 well enough though and the mute function is handy.

I don't know if anyone else does this, but I tend to go through pedal phases (and phase pedals for that matter) where I have a dozen or so and then times when I don't use any. It usually starts with one pedal, then a few more until I have a huge pedal board. Then I chuck it all in the studio and just go back to plain guitar. Right now I am using a guitar, a cable and an amp and I LOVE it. I don't even use my tuner anymore (it really isn't that hard to tune by ear although being onstage and tuning out load isn't all that cool either).

So true.

[davis]

I should've started learning guitar 30 years ago.

[Mikhael]

Good point about damping the other strings. It may be a stupid question, but do people use open strings or harmonics (like the 12th fret)? Also as the string is struck it will move sharp but settle. Sometimes don't know how long I should be waiting. Seems on most basses and guitars I have are always slightly sharper on the 12th string harmonic than the open strings.

The "experts" say that you're supposed to use the initial reading to go by, since that's usually what you hear (instead of long sustained open notes). I don't damp open strings, because all of my electrics have floating vibratos. Damping them could cause the tuning to be slightly off, because of the pressure on the bridge.

[markowitz]

Thanks for the info, Mikhael.

[Thebigdipper]

Over the years, you drift into habits that work for you.
Acoustics: I've got an A=440 tuning fork somewhere, but I'm lazy. Most of the time I use a Snark clip-on tuner on the headstock and tune to the 12th fret harmonic. It seems more reliable than the open strings and doesn't fluctuate as much.
Electrics: As above, but on my pedal board I've got a Korg Pitchblack tuning pedal fed from the tuner output of my Volume pedal. Nice big display for my middle-aged eyes! It's hard to tune by ear at performance level volumes and it's easier if everyone in the band tunes to the same reference point.... One day, check everyone's tuners are set the same way - especially those pesky keyboards!

N

[davis]

Boss TU-3. More accurate than the TU-2 and more importantly it can be seen better in bright sunlight.
Nothing wrong with the TU-2. I sold it to a friend of mine.

Which one? --> http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=boss+tu-3

[Wisdomview]

I'm a big fan of the Korg Pitchblack. I run it from the tuner out of my volume pedal, that way it's not in my signal chain. It's very accurate.
Sometimes when I'm just running out to a jam or playing around the house, I'll use the Planet Waves SOS LED tuner. Nice and small: http://www.zzounds.com/item--PTWPWCT06

[rapidfirerob]

Which one? --> http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=boss+tu-3
They're all the same except for some come with cables or cables and power supply.

[davis]

When our cash flow becomes more abundant than is currently is I'll purchase one of the much appreciated suggestions. There's just no point in trying to tune my bass with the $5 Korg thing I got with it.

[Plasmatopia]

I have one of those little $15 Korg tuners that has a setting for guitar/bass, lets you change the reference up or down a half step at a time, etc. It's worked really well for years. Lately I've thought about getting a pedal for the convenience of staying in tune throughout an entire set. :)

I've also done some of my own intonation work on both guitars and basses. For this I ended up plugging into my recording interface and using the tuner that comes with Logic. It was very "jumpy" though...so I wasn't always confident in its accuracy (despite the fact that, to my ears, I've made significant improvement to the intonation on my guitars and basses).

Has anyone found a decent tuner that made this process easier and didn't break the bank? Years ago I remember hearing that only a strobe tuner would do for this job...

[Mikhael]

Has anyone found a decent tuner that made this process easier and didn't break the bank? Years ago I remember hearing that only a strobe tuner would do for this job...

The new Peterson "strobe" tuners are an order of magnitude more accurate than most every other tuner on the market, and the stompbox/clip on versions aren't that expensive, compared to the cost of big strobe tuners of the past/present (you can still pay $3500 for a tuner!). The clipon is $70, and the stompbox version is about $190. I have a clipon, and I use it to set the intonation on my instruments.

[fictionmusic]

I was thinking of getting a clip-on tuner. I have a semi-hollow body and I am trying to avoid plugging into anything these days. Thanks for the info.

[Plasmatopia]

Thanks, Mikhael - I will take a look at those. Do they work equally well with basses and guitars?

[Mikhael]

Thanks, Mikhael - I will take a look at those. Do they work equally well with basses and guitars?

In my experience most clipons have some trouble with a bass. You have to find the right place to clip them on, it seems.

[Plasmatopia]

Good to know, thanks. I'd probably go for the stomp box version.

[everythingtoexcess]

F&^k tuning. Everyone else tunes to me. I'm the guitar player and I just go BWWWWAAAAAAAANNNNNGGGG.

Seriously, I used a TU2 for years. Accurate enough for rock and roll, bomb proof, bright enough to see even in the sun and it had that nifty mute feature so no one could hear me when the wedding band I was in was playing something I didn't really know. (oh, I've said too much...)
For the last ten years I've been using the tuner in whatever Line6 thing I'm plugged into at the time. Works well enough. I have a Fender PT 100(?) rack tuner which is just silly. It's the most inaccurate thing I've ever seen. At least it was free...and I guess I know why.

[everythingtoexcess]

By the way...As I was typing that last bit, I realized that my guitar rig has been EXACTLY the same for almost 12 years with the exception of the cabinets (I went from 2x12s to 4x12s and now I'm back to the original 2x12s and kicking myself for ever changing). I think change is a'comin'. Somebody tell my wife.

[scags]

TU- 2 works great, and I love the ability to mute between songs. Fun fact- I was talking to Jorma before the soundcheck a few months ago, and I looked down to see his tuner, with three inch high display.

[rapidfirerob]

By the way...As I was typing that last bit, I realized that my guitar rig has been EXACTLY the same for almost 12 years with the exception of the cabinets (I went from 2x12s to 4x12s and now I'm back to the original 2x12s and kicking myself for ever changing). I think change is a'comin'. Somebody tell my wife.
I thought all guitarists had GAS.

[Jay G]

My boy uses a BOSS TU-2 in line on his board and uses a selection Korgs and other stuff for his bag and acoustic.

[davis]

Ernie summed it up. Wireless or cable from your instrument, it makes no difference. If you have no effects and don't want
to use just one pedal, then a stompbox is not for you. Otherwise, just stick it in with the other pedals on your pedal board. It's the only stompbox I use currently as I'm in an Allman Bros. tribute band and no effects for that music. I have a full pedal board sitting in the closet at present.

So, since I'm just starting out w/a Squier and have no effects pedals but intend to acquire some later, the Tu 2 or 3 would be a a good choice.

[GuitarGeek]

Has anyone tried any of the lower priced Korg tuners? There's a couple on Amazon priced at around 10 or 12 bucks. Anyone have any experience with the GA-1 or GA-40:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HPMTZU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.com/Korg-GA-40-Large-Display-Guitar/dp/B000EEEYCW/ref=pd_cp_MI_2

[kid_runningfox]

I have one of those little $15 Korg tuners that has a setting for guitar/bass, lets you change the reference up or down a half step at a time, etc. It's worked really well for years. Lately I've thought about getting a pedal for the convenience of staying in tune throughout an entire set. :)


My parents bought me one of those a few years back, and it's come in really handy for sets where I'm moving between electric and acoustic guitar. As I use a lot of altered tunings on acoustic, I connect that up to my Korg chromatic tuner, and use the little credit card-sized one in my electric rig, as I only ever play electric guitar in standard tuning. Works a treat! :)