Auto Tuners

[Jake]

I am looking for a really good auto tuner; Preferably one with a needle and a good mic. Budget: $100. Any suggestions or advice?

[Marc Piane]

I suggest a good mechanic to tune your auto...

groan

I'll be hear all week. Try the veal.

[Jake]

seriously........a friend recommended strobe tuners. Anybody have experience with those?

[smogg]

In your price range a Boss TU series might fit the bill. That is if your not looking for rack mount or pedal style. I've been using a TU-70 for years with good results. I think its modern day replacement is the TU-12?

[johnz]

I've got to admit that I've gotten sucked up in this one (search for a turner) too. Thankfully, my brain engages before any money comes out of my wallet.

You've got 48 notes, just counting up to the octave (assuming that your intonation is perfect and that your internal sense of tempering is dead-on accurate).

So, what's the sense of dumping a couple of hundred fish on a device that only tunes 4 of the 48? As soon as you finger a note, the tuning is in your hands.

And, when was the last time you played with a piano that was less than a couple of cents out of tune?

I don't mean to sound harsh. Let me simply say, respectfully, that whatever tuner you have is almost certainly adequate to your needs. Lacking a tuner, a tuning fork, or a note from the chordal instrument while do just fine. I strongly suspect that you have better things on which to spend your money.

[Marc Piane]

Indeed. One of these for $5 and yours ears is all you need.

[jtlownds]

Hey Jake,

I've been using a Boss TU-12H for years. It responds quickly to bass frequencies, and the batteries last forever. The 12H, as opposed to the 12, is a dual range tuner. Use the lower range for guitar and bass, and use the upper range for mandolin, violin, etc.

[Jake]

What about the Boss TU-12EX?

[kmanley_29649]

I've been using this one for a couple years now, and it works great. You can clip it on the bridge, and it has a mic mode as well as a vibration mode, so you can tune even if you are in a loud room.

[Kipaste]

Well, if you wan't a really good tuner, the peterson strobe is a proven classic. Great for intonation, although it will also display the shortcomings of fretted instruments. But like johnz said, I don't think they're worth the money for most users. Luthiers and professional piano tuners are a differend matter, but the pitch on a fretted instrument with a player involved is never 100% accurate anyway.

If you play with a keyboard player, you'll have the tuning pitch there.

And if you just need a pitch to tune to at home, I'd recommend a tuning fork. Costs just a few bucks and best of all, it's always accurate. Tuner pedals are a bit dumb imo. They're relatively expensive and never that accurate to begin with. Waste of money, I say.

[B String]

For $30. you can get a Korg CA-30 chromatic tuner. Use the
on board mic or plug it in. In my experience it leaves the
Boss TU12 in the dust. Does a better job of hearing the lowest
notes mediately at a third the size and cost of the Boss.
Don't mean to knock the TU-12, its just older technology.

For something even smaller at $30.
The Intellitouch PT10 clips on your bridge, out of the way. It
has a sensor in it, so you can tune with noise around you.
Its 1.23" x 1.75" x .5" thick. Has a needle and light.

[fdeck]

Record an A on your cell phone.

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by fdeck

Record an A on your cell phone.

Now that's smart thinking right there!

[jweiss]

Originally Posted by Jake

seriously........a friend recommended strobe tuners. Anybody have experience with those?

I have a Peterson Stroboflip tuner. It is great for intonation practice because it is FAST and easy to read. If all you want to do is tune your four strings, it's overkill. I think I paid $140 used, so not cheap.

For regular tuning I use this $20 clip-on tuner, which works great:

http://www.amazon.com/eNote-Chromati...169458&sr=1-18

[whatitstrue]

I've been using a metrotune "Sabine MT-9000" for a while. I got it for the metronome but it also has a chromatic tuner with a needle. It has a mic or you can plug in. For $27 works great for what I need.