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I want a good tuner - but I'm flummoxed


Riverside

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What about this one... plsted it a long while ago as the "poor man's robot" (because it will help you tune your guitar and it goes into one of the knobs and lits making it look like a robot guitar's control knob)

 

http://www.ntune.com/

 

Just checked, there's a new model that goes into the selector switch, looks awesome, I think I'll install one of those in one of my guitars to see how it works.

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What about this one... plsted it a long while ago as the "poor man's robot" (because it will help you tune your guitar and it goes into one of the knobs and lits making it look like a robot guitar's control knob)

 

http://www.ntune.com/

 

Just checked' date=' there's a new model that goes into the selector switch, looks awesome, I think I'll install one of those in one of my guitars to see how it works.[/quote']

 

Nope - it has to work with everything - not just one guitar.

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Y'know...

 

For how many centuries have tempered-scale musical instruments been tuned with a tuning fork, pitch pipe or similar device without a little electronic whiz-ding telling us whether we're on or not on pitch?

 

Yeah, I've got a tuner in my multi-effect box - which is half why I keep the thing plugged in - but I only believe about 80 percent of it. Why? A lot can depend on other factors and perhaps more on guitar than on a piano.

 

First, technically speaking we use a tempered scale which is a compromise on tuning. Secondly we do bend strings regardless on a guitar, thus somewhat changing the pitch.

 

Now it makes sense for a band to match some standard, but it seems to me that variations in strings, frets, etc., even with the finest of guitars and setups will never exactly match a given pitch at a given fret in the way that a keyboard might do. And it's keyboards that brought is the same sort of "tempered" scale we use with frets on guitar.

 

Here's the clinker: Is it bad not to have every note absotively on pitch with others? I've just about concluded it's not bad, as long as things are in close relative pitch. Electronic music, for example, is in theory perfectly at the pitch one desires and - let's face it, there's not much in the way of interest in a given note the way one might hear from a good, clear open guitar string or, better, a great concert piano. Those latter may be emulated, but...

 

So, I dunno.

 

m

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Y'know...So' date=' I dunno.

 

m

 

 

[/quote']

 

Yes, but - whether you start with a piano note or an oboe, or an electronic device, you start somewhere.

 

I've already said I know how to use the ears - I'm just looking to see who uses what kind of tuners.

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I have a came-with-the-guit-tar-digital-tuner which I couple with a suction cup pick-up. Works anywhere, any time. Since I have only two hands and tuning in and of itself is a two hand operation without having to hold onto electrical appliances, I just open the case, leave the guit tar in there and strum her while she's laying on her back. It helps to prop her neck up with a half open tool box lid, that way you can get at the tuners.

 

I thought I wanted a clip one, but I borrowed one at a jam as my battery was dead. Some nits for brains left the blessed thing turned on when he or she put it away last. Anyways, the clip on one worked moderately well, but I couldn't get it to 'hear' the low "E" It wouldn't even light up. I moved it from the upper bass side corner of the headstock to a patch of headstock between the E and A string tuning pins before it would even light up.

 

I've never gone in for those hyper sensitive strobo thingies that are accurate to within .00000000000116hz, that cost an arm and a left lug nut. In a pinch I just borrow a phone. A US dial tone is almost a F#. That's good enough for me and anyone without one of those hypersensitive strobo thingies that are accurate to within .00000000000116hz, that cost an arm and a left lug nut. I mean I'm just tunin' a guit tar.. It ain't rocket science.

 

Failing that I can tune to the piany or autoharp. If none of those gals are available, I just tune to the banjo player. They are always in tune.

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See I understand to a degree but like I said earlier' date=' if my 20 dollar tuner says my guitar is in tune or a tuning fork and your 300.00 dollar tuner says your in tune can you tell a audible difference in tuning. I think not and if any one says that can they either have super hearing or more so than someone like myself who has been playing over 30 years. 440 is 440 either analog, digital or something in between......[/quote']

That's not the point. A guitar has (roughly) six strings that needs to be tuned relative to each other. If you are going to do that with good precision, using a visual indicator, then you need a precision instrument. You won't get that for $20, it's that simple. If you want precision you have to spend on a something like a Peterson or Turbo Tuner.

 

The difference between playing a nearly in tune guitar and one that is very precisely tuned is quite noticeable, I dare say startling - the better tuned one will sound much sweeter. You may not be able to hear it or just have no interest in such things, but the OP wanted to know about good tuners.

 

DJ

--

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The difference between playing a nearly in tune guitar and one that is very precisely tuned is quite noticeable' date=' I dare say startling - the better tuned one will sound much sweeter.[/quote']

 

Agree 100%. The demo at the peterson website is an ear opener: http://www.petersontuners.com/index.cfm?category=123

 

To those that can't hear a difference, either your ears are buggered or you don't know how to listen properly.

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Agree 100%. The demo at the peterson website is an ear opener: http://www.petersontuners.com/index.cfm?category=123

 

To those that can't hear a difference' date=' either your ears are buggered or you don't know how to listen properly.

[/quote']

 

The demo at that website is phony. The "out of tune" examples are all the same, regardless of where you put the slider.

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