Clip on Tuners

clodhopper · #1 11-21-2012, 03:28 AM

I'm thinking of getting a clip on tuner to help with intonation during practice.
I would like some advice on which one to get - I've looked at Snarks SN2 or SN5 and Planet Waves mini but not sure which would be best for DB.
I presume the best thing is to clip them to the bridge on a DB? Will they work for what I want - to check intonation as I practice?

lowfreq33 · #2 11-21-2012, 03:33 AM

They work fine if you're practicing solo. In my experience they're not very reliable when a few other instruments are around making noise.

Phil Rowan · #3 11-21-2012, 06:14 AM

If you plan on using it solely for checking intonation during practice take a look at the Korg OT-120 too. It costs a bit more but has a great "sound back" feature that sustains whatever note you're playing as you play it, along with a dial and digital read out, so you have to match whatever "drone" you're playing along to by ear as well as making sure the dial is right in the middle. Edit: This tuner features a wire with a clip.. not really meant to be portable the way clip on tuners are, more an intonation tool to be used in practice room.

Like lowfreq says, the vibration-sensing clip on tuners can get a little out of whack when tuning up at orchestra, etc rehearsal. I find I have to find another space away from all the other instruments to really make it work (IME, YMMV, etc).

misterbadger · #4 11-21-2012, 06:16 AM

The Snark SN-2 works fine. My teacher has a Zoid 1000 that's a lot easier to work with as the entire field background changes from red to green when the note's in tune. It's a fair bit brighter than the Snark, and easier to read. After doing some research, I've just ordered a GoGo TT-1 that's supposed to be very quick and picks up the E string well. Clipping onto the bridge is the way to go. I've used mine reliably with lots of background noise in large jams. Snark's got a new model that purports to respond faster - might be worth investigating.

bssist · #5 11-21-2012, 07:05 AM

I've got snark sn-1 & sn-2. I clip it to the pegbox and it has workes great for me. I'm not in an orchestra but play with a 4 piece doing blues, rock, country, pop. I can check tuning and intonation during performance. I can see how being surrounded by other basses could mess with it since they could cause your bass to vibrate sympathetically.

clodhopper · #6 11-21-2012, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bssist

I've got snark sn-1 & sn-2. I clip it to the pegbox and it has workes great for me. I'm not in an orchestra but play with a 4 piece doing blues, rock, country, pop. I can check tuning and intonation during performance. I can see how being surrounded by other basses could mess with it since they could cause your bass to vibrate sympathetically.

Which snark do you find best for bass?

bssist · #7 11-21-2012, 02:46 PM

They seem to work about the same. I like the red one because doesn't stand out as much as the blue one.

misterbadger · #8 11-22-2012, 08:34 AM

The new-generation Snark is black, and stands out even less. The GoGo, unfortunately, bright orange. Clipping to the bridge makes it easy to check intonation constantly during practice.

ricobasso · #9 11-23-2012, 07:20 AM

My experience has been that all clip-on tuners work great in the shop. It's when you get them home or to a gig that they don't seem to lock on to the double bass nor the E string on a bass guitar. Worst situation is at big brand practice; saxes and trumpets stop any of my clip-on tuners dead. I also play slab and upright with a smaller band. On those occasions I use a Line 6 Bass Pod preamp with a built in tuner. That does work, every time.

I'd love to know of any clip-on tuner that does work with double bass in a noisy environment.

rake · #10 11-23-2012, 08:59 AM

I use my Snark SN-8 at loud rock shows for both DB and slab all the time. It never seems to have a problem getting a signal. Granted, it responds better with the octave harmonic on both, but when things get so loud I can't hear myself a quick look down at the bridge foot gives reassurance that I'm playing in tune.
Looking at getting the one Bob Gollihur recommends/sells as a backup.

JoeDaddio · #11 11-30-2012, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rake

I use my Snark SN-8 at loud rock shows for both DB and slab all the time. It never seems to have a problem getting a signal. Granted, it responds better with the octave harmonic on both, but when things get so loud I can't hear myself a quick look down at the bridge foot gives reassurance that I'm playing in tune.
Looking at getting the one Bob Gollihur recommends/sells as a backup.

I have the Snark SN-2 and it's completely worthless in a live setting with a band for my slab bass.

I used it for a bit to tune up the upright and it worked okay, though it had problems picking up the open E. It also was a bit slow to pick up the note. I haven't tried the SN-8, so that may be the way to go, but I'd skip over the SN-2 for sure.

joe

drurb · #12 11-30-2012, 02:24 PM

I've used a Snark SN-2 for quite some time and found it to be excellent. As long as it's set for vibration and not mic, I've never had any issue regardless of the venue. I clip it onto the bridge foot. Occasionally, when it doesn't seem to lock onto the open string quickly enough, hitting the octave harmonic does the trick. I don't leave it on the bridge during a gig. Rather, I use it to check tuning beforehand and between sets.

LouisF · #13 11-30-2012, 02:48 PM

I use this http://www.musicalinstrumenthaven.co...atictuner.aspx

(the clip one one with the green screen); it doesn't pick up other instruments and is very dependable
Louis

JoeDaddio · #14 11-30-2012, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

I've used a Snark SN-2 for quite some time and found it to be excellent. As long as it's set for vibration and not mic, I've never had any issue regardless of the venue. I clip it onto the bridge foot. Occasionally, when it doesn't seem to lock onto the open string quickly enough, hitting the octave harmonic does the trick. I don't leave it on the bridge during a gig. Rather, I use it to check tuning beforehand and between sets.

Maybe I got a bum one. It works perfect on my acoustic guitar and slab bass in an everyday environment. But I used it for one show and that's it. It was useless in a loud bar for me. It's now clipped to the top of my acoustic guitar and rarely moves. I now use a Korg Pitch Black pedal for electric gigs. The upright doesn't get gigged as I'm just learning it and tune it by ear with The Tuning CD. The clip on tuner was giving me a hard time on it, especially with the E.

joe

bssist · #15 11-30-2012, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouisF

I use this http://www.musicalinstrumenthaven.co...atictuner.aspx

(the clip one one with the green screen); it doesn't pick up other instruments and is very dependable
Louis

Interesting, I've got one of those on the shelf. It rattles and doesn't pick up the E very well but the snarks have always been dependable for me.

Winfred · #16 11-30-2012, 07:05 PM

Snark. Clipped on the headstock. Dance band. Never had a problem. Turn the snark on, volume off, pluck a string, or the harmonic, tune up.

JeffKissell · #17 11-30-2012, 09:02 PM

I find ALL tuners get slower at locking on pitch as the battery runs down and Snarks are notorious battery hogs. I'm currently using an Intelitouch PT-10 on gigs and a venerable Korg CA-30 at home. The PT-10 seems to grab the E a little better on my bass but most of my band mates have Snarks and they work just fine when I borrow.

Most clip ons are pretty slow to use for intonation practice and I also think it can lead to bad habits. It's way more important to "hear" and "feel" if you're in tune than to "see" if you're in tune. Using open strings and harmonics to check your intonation is much more meaningful, especially if you play in a section or with other string instruments. You need to play in tune with what you hear. In the long run it's more important to internalize how the notes relate to each other sonically and sometimes the visual information from using a tuner INSTEAD of your ear can slow down that process.

As always, YMMV, IMHO, etc.
-Jeff

Phil Rowan · #18 11-30-2012, 09:49 PM

Jeff, FWIW, the Korg OT-120 allows the player to use their ear thanks to its sound back feature. It's basically a drone that changes to whatever note you're playing as you play it (and it's sensitive to whatever octave you're in.. particularly good for upper thumb position intonation, where the ear might get a little funky on its own). You either match it right away or adjust if you're a cent or two off (it keeps the player very honest, intonation-wise). I also agree with your method of using harmonics (sometimes open strings too).

misterbadger · #19 12-01-2012, 06:55 AM

Just got my new GoGo TT-1. Two badger paws WAY up!!! Very fast, accurate, loves the E string, red display changes to green when in tune, bright enough that I can catch the green flash reflecting off the varnish rather than looking directly at the display. Downsides? Bright orange case (which glows from the display lighting), too many buttons (and too easy to change reference pitch, as the power switch and pitch selector are the same button - press 'n hold for power on/off). Overall it's great, and the Snarks and Stroboclip will go back to tuning guitars and dobros.

Refonbass · #20 12-01-2012, 07:58 AM

I've owned numerous clip on tuners and the one that works best for me hands down, is the solutions st-23.