Electronic tuners - easiest, best, reliable?

So the kids are playing now and I'm not always home so when I grab a guitar sitting on the couch and have a go at it... well it's typically in a tuning from hell. (no not a jazz tuning)

My tuning setup consists of my ears (2) and a tuning fork. Sophisticated no, reliable yes.

Problem is the kids can't manage this very well regardless of my printed instructions so buying an electronic tuner is called for.

What do you guys feel is the best unit on the market today? I'm open to tuners that incorporate metronomes and scads of alternate tunings built in but rack mounts units are not what I'm after.

Advice please.... and thank you.

You know, I've had nothing but good service from Sabine 1100 and 1500 model tuners. I switched from Korg some years ago and find that the Sabines tracked faster with less problems. Not that the Korg had "problems" or anything, but when I destroyed the Korg and needed a new one the store only had a Sabine so I bought it hoping it would be about the same and I felt it was better.

I've heard good things about the Petersons.

Boss TU-2. Battle tested. Five-year warranty. Will survive the apocalypse. Accurate enough for anyone. Can be used on a dark stage. Ninety bucks. It's worth it.

The Strobo-Stomp is the best pedal tuner around at the minute. "Strobe" LCD display tracks any note on the fretbord and locks on like a surface to air missile!

It has a "tempered" tuning to allow chord voicing all over the neck to sound more in tune and XLR and 1/4inch jack inputs.

Also, it has altered tunings and presets for your own tunings. The best, most accurate reading I've ever used in a tuner too. True Bypass and can power other effects via a daisy chain.

If you don't need a "stage" tuner. You should probably avoid the Boss TU2 and the Korg DT10, they are very similar designed LED tuners, but are very much aimed at stage use.

Tough and durable, but not the best at tracking notes. Not bad, but not as good as "needle" tuners and way, way behind the Strob-Stomp.

The Boss TU12 is highly regarded as a "needle" tuner, great for home use and just about as accurate and reliable as needle tuners can be.

If you want a tuner for the 21st Century. Go for the Strobo-Stomp, if not, the TU12 is great.

Tea.

i have an endorsment with planet waves, i use their tuner, its around 50.00 !

it my best tuner! and its looks nice!

joeydahlia

Just about any electronic tuner is as good as any other. $15/$20 would suffice, and be very small and portable.

I got rid of my Peterson strobe tuner last year.

I looked at the new digital Peterson stop box tuner, and it is very cool, though I don't know if it would show up so well on s summer outdoor stage.

I've got a Sabine 7000 series (7100, I think...), an Arion Stage Tuner, and a couple of my pedals include tuners, as does my Tascam US-122. They're all fine.

Bill

I would disagree just a tiny bit. The Strobo Stomp by Peterson is THE best tuner I've ever encountered. It's the most accurate tuner in the world and with all it's features it's also a bargain. Go to http://www.StroboStomp.com and check it out. I got mine at GC for $169. It's the last one you'll ever need to buy if you're serious about being IN TUNE.
Tim

How much accuracy do you need?

How much does his kids need?

How much does he need, for a quick tune up at the couch?

Why do they need or want a stomp box in that situation?

We're not talking about being on stage here. A tiny Korg or Banana or anything similar will more than fit the bill.

It's good that you believe in what you bought. As I said, I had a Peterson, and my 450 R was quite a bit more expensive than the StroboStomp. But it is probably overkill for this situation.

Bill

Yes, the StroboStomp is way cool!!!

I have the Peterson V-SAM...which is more of an all-around virtual strobe tuner...lets me tune other things besides my guitars.
I think it is one of the best non-rack tuners out there...but may appear a bit pricey to the average pocket-tuner crowed…at $250.

The only thing I wish was different on it, is that it had a 1/4" output so I could leave it in-line when I'm recording, allowing me to easily re-tune as needed, but they had a good reason for not including it, because the V-SAM has a built in metronome and tone generator…and if you accidentally punched them up while your tuner was connected to an amp input…OUCH!!!…that could really rip your ears off!!!
Their VS-II box could do that, but it didn't have the metronome/tone generator, nor some other features and options that the V-SAM did...and for a general studio tuner...the V-SAM was the better choice.

But...if all I wanted was a super accurate, super cool guitar tuner...I would get the StroboStomp in a heartbeat!!
I may get one anyway...down the road...even if though I have the V-SAM…just so I can leave it on the floor for the guitars.

In the studio...I need/want that accuracy of the Peterson Strobes, because I do a lot of track-by-track recording...and with the V-SAM...I KNOW…that my tuning reference is perfect!
Playing out live...as long as all the musicians are in tune with each other...it don't matter that much if you are all a bit sharp/flat from 440…so you could get away with a cheap $20 needle tuner and it’s poor accuracy.

I agree with Bill, particularly on the "how much accuracy do you need?" issue.

When you think about it, the nature of the guitar is that it's not gonna be "perfectly" in tune as soon as you start fretting any notes. For example, the scale length for each string has to be adjusted separately (intonation) in order for the open string to be in tune with the octave at the 12th fret, yet the fret "scale length" remains the same. For intonation to be "perfect," the fret intervals would have to change to correspond to the true scale length for each string as well.

And I don't even wanna think about technique issues.

So a cheap handheld sounds perfect for this application.

For example, I happen to have a Korg CA-30. As an experiment I created a 440hz sine wave tone with a 1hz modulation with a .5hz sweep. The CA-30 could detect it. That's plenty accurate enough for me.

In addition the CA-30 is chromatic, can be set for non-standard pitch (i.e., greater or less than 440hz=A) and can play audible reference tones. $20.

For a living room, shared tuner, who needs more?

Well, I've had a lot of guitar players come through my doors. Never had a problem with any of their tuners being not accurate enough for the jobs. (and they have been all over the place in terms of quality, from those "Door Buster" $12 specials on up.)

I have had situations where this or that guy had his ref set to (usually) a lower or (sometimes) a higher fef than 440. But square that up, and everybody's tuner has worked as well as everyone elses in the practical applications that my studio has required.

Is a Peterson strobe tuner more accurate? I don't know that it matters to most guitar players. In my own practical usage, the Sabine works as well as the Peterson ever did, and I have no question about the accuracy. I can also tell you that most guitar techs on the road, like Warren Haynes guy Brian Framer, or Zakk Wylde's guy Fred Kowala, both have Petersons in their racks and both use other brands on a daily basis.

For what it is worth, symphony orchestras that I have been involved with use simple electronic tuners like those from Korg. (Imagine 120 professional world class musicians arguing over who has the correct tuning reference, or who went sharp or flat ...)

and we -still- end up with a guy wanting to tune his guitar at his couch, and the usefulness/practicality of a $200 foot pedal over a $20 model that fits in the palm of your hand.

Bill

I find the Peterson strobe tuner I have (the 1st virtual model they put out) to be not only the easiest to use of the ones I have owned (lots easier than my needle/led tuners) but the accuracy improvement definitely sounds better. YMMV....

drfuzz

Yeah...but I'm not just talking about tuning guitars.
And...you may be able to set up the intonation on a guitar just by ear if you want to...but it's a lot easier with a strobe tuner that is accurate to 1/10 Cent (1/1000 Semitone).
There is no other (that I'm aware of)...that is THAT accurate.
The LED/needle tuners don't even come close.

That said...I don’t always reach for the V-SAM when I'm recording and think that the tuning is off. Like many musicians...I can tell by-ear when I'm in and when I'm not. But...there are times when even a 2 or 3 10ths of a Cent off is enough to be obvious with some songs/parts. And some days/nights...when I am tired...my ears can fool me, and I end up twiddling with the guitar tuning too long, and it just never seems to not be right.
That's when an accurate strobe (like the V-SAM)...settles the dispute...and once I confirm visually that I am in tune...it makes it a bit easier for my ears to comply.

And the question here really isn't asking if you can/can’t tune a guitar with a $20 tuner...or do you HAVE TO HAVE a Peterson Strobe?
It's about provable accuracy...and in that regard, the Peterson strobes are the best.
But yeah...some people may not find them the easiest to use...especially if you grew up on LED/needle tuners.

And again...the V-SAM is not just for guitars...a $20 pocket tuner...IS.
Try tuning other instruments with a guitar-only tuner...they just fall short...and you end up guesstimating...in which case you might as well just use only your ears.

Now the Sabines and some of the Korgs...the rack mount units...they ain't no $20 tuners!!!
So to me...if I was already going to drop a couple hundred $$$ on one of them (which I almost did)...then the V-SAM was the better choice...a more accurate tuner...with many more features.

I don't see any reason NOT to have a strobe...
...but, I do agree that you don't have to have one for basic guitar tuning.
You seem to be almost dissin' the Petersons...???…which I don’t get…‘cuz I can’t find any real fault with them…whereas with some other tuners I can…including the expensive Sabines/Korg.

In no way. I never would have bought one in the first place if I felt that way.

But if we refer back to the original poster and hat his needs are and what he is asking for, I don't see any footpedal tuner or rackmount tuner to be an appropriate answer. And a Peterson is way, way overkill for the requirement.

My examples also show that some of the best of the best also don't find the need for that accuracy, in demanding performance situations.

Both of the rock guys that I mentioned have the Petersons in their rigs, and don't use them. They've replaced them with something else, which means, at least to me, that they found the strobes a little harder to use than what they have chosen as replacements.

None of this disses the Peterson at all. But maybe it does point out that there are different appropriate answers for different situations. One size does not have to fit all.

Bill

I agree with the notion that for the proposed use an under $25.00 tuner will do the job just fine. I have a couple of them in my gear bag.
If you're looking for something that will do a bit more and still be affordable look at the Intellitouch PT1 tuner. It clips on the headstock and senses the resonant vibrations. It is a chromatic tuner and can be programmed to alternate tunings. List is about $70.00 but it's readily available for about $50.00. They also have a cheaper model without the trimmings. They work great and you don't have to worry about extraneous noise affecting the tuning that can be such a bitch sometimes with the other tuners used to tune acoustic instruments without a pickup signal being input into the tuner.

I agree here. My Boss has held up just fine, and unless the human ear is not going to be able to detect 1/1000 of a semi-tone. Maybe 1/100, but not something that fine. It's overkill. Unless you're Eric Johnson, I doubt you'll ever have use for accuracy of that level.

OK...it's just that you said you got rid of yours...so it made it sound like you didn't care for it.

Ahhhh...maybe some of you folks missed this in the original post:

I don't know about any $20 guitar tuners that have "metronomes and scads of alternate tunings built in"...do you?

Also he asked, "What do you guys feel is the best unit on the market today?"...and I would not suggest that it was some $20 tuner!

So, in response to his original query...I think that my praise & recommendation of the Peterson strobes…fits the bill...right Bill?

I really dig the Intellitouch. I don't own one, but they make a lot of sense to me, and if I was in the situation to use one, I would have already bought one.

By the way, they make a cheaper model, but I don't know anything about it other than the factr that it is about $35 or so.

Bill

If you like. I put the emphsis on the '...not what I am after..." , I looked at the desctription of what he was doing, and made my suggestions based upon what he was doing, not what he said that he was '...not adverse to...'

(shrug.)

Bill

i have perfect pitch and i'm a guitar god lol so tuners are for wimps JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know, Bill's responses were right on the money. It is for his kids to use after all. They'll likely destroy it soon enough, better if they could find a Bannana tuner than destroy the Peterson.

Do they still make Bannana tuners? That was my first but I gave it a way after I got a korg-- but I'm still digging the my Sabine.

Hey... I hope we're all okay with this because I'm certainly not adverse to anything aside from the obvious.

My observations from your contributions lead me to understand I need something easy, portable for the kids and perhaps it's time I bought one dedicated to my floor rig.

The BOSS TU-15 is maybe what I need feature wise (in my mind) but the IntelliTouch or Korg CA-30 is likely all my kids will require.

Strobostomp, V-SAM & VS-2 all look good and appears to replace my AC adapter as well. LCDs in sun light? You're right not good out doors.

There was a comment about how accurate does it need to be... I think any tuner need be very accurate given how common the technology is. I think that's why I thought of Seiko firstly.

I appreciate all of the input and understand that each contributor has his or her reasons for preferring a specific model.. and there are hundreds of models on the market. So I'll check into the Peterson & BOSS floor models for myself and simplify the kid solution by picking up an IntelliTouch on the way home tonight.

So, Bill.. How do you know Brian? I haven't spoken to him in a few years, but he got me my first road gig mixing monitors. (By leaving Lila McCann for the Gov't Mule instrument tech. gig.)

Then I say...get a $20 tuner for the kids to mess with...and break...

...but then get somethin' better just for yourself...and keep it stashed!!!

The strobo has a direct out. Should the guy buy the last tuner he ever will buy and a direct box that will prep him for a futcher (sorry I can;t spell that one)in music, or a 15 dollar through away. Let the dude decide for himself, he knows what he needs and wants.

I don't really -know- Brian. I met him when I was helping UltraSound put together a system for Phil Leash. They mounted his tour in a local venue here and spent a couple of days putting things together. I spent most of my time trying to learn what I could from Dr. Don, and it was an enlightening couple of days. As it worked out, when I was just hanging, it was near Brian's world, so we got to talking. Really nice guy.

Now, I've been friends with Freddy for about 12 years.

Bill

I have had several tuners over the years. I currently use a Peterson VS-II, and IMO, it's the best tuner I've ever owned. It's accurate enough that you can use it to intonate a guitar or bass... you definitely can not do that with a less expensive unit like a Boss TU series, which also own. Every other tuner I've ever had I had to fine tune things by ear AFTER I used the tuner... the Peterson is the first tuner I've had that didn't require that. I agree that it might be a bit overkill for you and your kids, but if you really want the best, then this is the tuner to get.

Hi everyone,
I didn't mean to start a tuner war. I was just so excited about how great the Strobo stomp is I couldn't help but recommend it. If I'm just sitting on the couch I'll use my ears. But, for recording, that's when I want it IN TUNE. I went as far as installing an Earvana nut on my current strat to really get those sweet chords dialed in. Much easier to do with the Peterson. Three year warrany and they're very nice people on the phone. I'm thinking about doing the Buzz Feinten thing to my Larivee also. I'm kind of a fanatic about being in tune.Sorry.
Tim

Tim,

hardly a war. we all talk to each other a lot, and we all have our own opinions. I don't think that anyone here is taking it personally.

Bill

So... does he still look like an overgrown lawn elf?

(BTW - before Lila, Brian was Johnny Cash's instrument tech for about 9 years (IIRC) and before that he was with Marty Stuart. He has a lot of road experience under his belt.

The bib overalls were killing me...

Yes, I knew about his stint with Johnny Cash. I didn't know about Marty Robbins, though. I have pictures of me playing Marty's "Clarence White". (That's THE Clarence White.) Heaviest damned Tele in the world!

Bill

Yeah, I mentioned they had a cheaper model. That one is just a basic chromatic tuner, without the capability of working with alternative tunings.

I use the built-in digital tuner in my Alesis GuitarFX to tune my Strat, then I tune my Ibanez acoustic-electric guitar by my Strat as I found the the digital tuner doesn't work quite as well with the acoustic-electric as it does with the Strat, with which the digital tuner has proven to be extremely accurate and precise. I find that this approach works very well in keeping both guitars in tune.

Oh yea, the strobo powers your other 9 volt efx! Save $ on batt.