guitar tuners tested

[T77911S]

i just finished testing 4 guitar tuners, 2 boss tu-2's, the korg pitch black and the tuner in my line 6 podxt pro.

the boss rated spec was +/- 3 cent, which it met. to keep it short, i will just post the total +/- difference in frequency. for the boss, i considered it in tune above and below if only the center green light was light. also the same for the korg. the line 6 was cosidered in tune if the dot was in the center.

the boss: from low E to high E

in hz
1
1.1
1.5
1.9
2.5
2.9

the other boss tuner

.8
1.3
1.8
2.1
2.6
2.6

the korg spec is +/- 1 cent

.4
.7
.7
1
1.4
1.8 low side was 1.3180k, high E=1.3185k, high side was 1.3198k

the high E was +1.7 cent sharp, a tad out of spec but still very good

the line 6 was so close i only had one reading and that was with the dot dead center. the biggest error was .4hz from what the freq should have been. that came out to be .5cent off.

A=440hz. with the dot centered, i read 440.1hz.

i was very impressed with the tuner in the line 6. i did not expect it to be that good.

as for the korg. it is a true by-pass tuner, it is very acurate. the only thing i did not like about it is, as the frequency gets closer to center, the red LED starts to fade. standing up, it may be a little hard to see the last low step in brightness just before it goes out. the boss's LED's are either on or off. the only thing with the boss is, you have to give it more time to calculate the freq, IE, it may flicker between the green center and the red LED. i let it sit long enough to make sure there was no flickering between the 2 LEDS.

as for the first LED to either side being 10 cent off, both where acurate.

for a 26 year old design, i think, the boss is still a very good tuner, but i might choose the korg just for true by-pass.

as you can see, the korg is a little better.

tunings where made tuning up until the red led turned off, then tuned down for the same to get the high side. the line 6 i could only tune for the center.

[Rick Lee]

Never used on and never will. My ears are better than any machine and I trust them more.

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Never used on and never will. My ears are better than any machine and I trust them more.

Have fun at your sales job today, Rick!!!!


I keed, I keed. Actually, since I started playing pedal steel some time ago I agree that tuning is a lot more than green lights.

[Rikao4]

for us 8-track hearing guys..
these things are great..
thanks G

Rika

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Have fun at your sales job today, Rick!!!!


I keed, I keed. Actually, since I started playing pedal steel some time ago I agree that tuning is a lot more than green lights.

Having just come from my first-ever prostate exam moments ago, my sales job on its worst day is a lot more fun. Oh, and the doc told me to my hearing checked too.

I never used a tuner when I was gigging, though I suppose it's necessary for the more professional shows. When I had to change a string in the middle of a show, I could tune it by holding the edge of the guitar against my ear with the volume knob all the way down. I decent guitar with good wood will make itself felt.

[Shuie]

I can't imagine what life was like before guitar tuners. Did everyone in the band tune to the piano? WTH did the piano tuner tune to?

[911Freak]

Originally Posted by Shuie

I can't imagine what life was like before guitar tuners. Did everyone in the band tune to the piano? WTH did the piano tuner tune to?

Tuning forks...they've been around a long time, long before modern tuning gizmoz.. just tap the fork and set the rod of the fork on the deck of any guitar and you can feel and hear the pitch...tune until modulation smooths out and your good to go

[nostatic]

The problem with tuners is they don't account for variations as you move up the neck. With some of my old guitars being "spot on" at the nut didn't give great results. And that was after setup and proper intonation. They are wooden instruments, not computers.

That said, I really prefer having my bass tuner around. Harmonics get you close but it can be tough to get the lower frequencies right. You can gear the beating fine, but absolute tone can be a pita.

[Rick Lee]

I don't use harmonics or the 5th fret. I just play two strings and can feel the natural 4th. When I'm learning stuff from a CD, I find some part of the song that's in the same key as an open string and just tune that way. I had a harder time tuning to others in the band, as that required more hearing, whereas when I'm holding the guitar, I just feel the vibes more than I hear them. I also do my intonation by ear and use 12th fret harmonics, fret it and then the open string. When they all sound the same, it's done.

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Never used on and never will. My ears are better than any machine and I trust them more.

your lucky. so you can tune to a perfect E,A,D,G,B,E every time? but there is nothing worse than hearing guys tuning out loud at a gig.



guitars are far from perfect instruments anyway. my friend raves about these compensated nuts that correct intonation errors in the first 5 frets.
we were practicing last night when one guy picked up on the bass player being sharp at the first fret Bb. his bass was in tune open and at the 12th fret, but the 1st fret Bb was sharp by 20 cent.
i had a tokai strat that would go slightly sharp on some fretted notes in the first few frets just enough that i could not stand to play open chords.

[Rick Lee]

The guys who really impress me are the ones who can hear a problem mid-song on stage, know right away which string it is and can tune it while playing the song. I've seen it many times and never could figure it out. I saw Yngwie do it several times, but then he plays old Strats and is pretty hard on them. Pretty sure I've also seen Eric Johnson tuning his guitar between songs and mid-song with no tuner.

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I don't use harmonics or the 5th fret. I just play two strings and can feel the natural 4th. When I'm learning stuff from a CD, I find some part of the song that's in the same key as an open string and just tune that way. I had a harder time tuning to others in the band, as that required more hearing, whereas when I'm holding the guitar, I just feel the vibes more than I hear them. I also do my intonation by ear and use 12th fret harmonics, fret it and then the open string. When they all sound the same, it's done.

i use to tune my guitar that way. i could hear feel when it was in tune. i would also use chords to tune it. but the issue is being in tune with others.
i got so use to a tuner when i played at church, plus my hearing is not as good anymore, especially my left ear, i have to use a tuner. my acustic is much harder to tune by ear. it is a very nice takamine with a ceder top. i think the top makes a difference. the notes dont stand out like they do on a spruce top guitar. the electric i can tune it to itself fine, but its the tuning to others that matters.


here is a site that may open your eyes. there are 2 clips you need to listen to. one has 5 tones that are 5 cent apart. can you tell? the second clip has 2 tones that are 20 cent apart. i could baaaarely tell on the second. i would never pick it out. but, this is also computer generated with no over tones so it is harder to tell.

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I don't use harmonics or the 5th fret. I just play two strings and can feel the natural 4th. When I'm learning stuff from a CD, I find some part of the song that's in the same key as an open string and just tune that way. I had a harder time tuning to others in the band, as that required more hearing, whereas when I'm holding the guitar, I just feel the vibes more than I hear them. I also do my intonation by ear and use 12th fret harmonics, fret it and then the open string. When they all sound the same, it's done.

i use to tune my guitar that way. i could hear feel when it was in tune. i would also use chords to tune it. but the issue is being in tune with others.
i got so use to a tuner when i played at church, plus my hearing is not as good anymore, especially my left ear, i have to use a tuner. my acustic is much harder to tune by ear. it is a very nice takamine with a ceder top. i think the top makes a difference. the notes dont stand out like they do on a spruce top guitar. the electric i can tune it to itself fine, but its the tuning to others that matters.


here is a site that may open your eyes. there are 2 clips you need to listen to. one has 5 tones that are 5 cent apart. can you tell? the second clip has 2 tones that are 20 cent apart. i could baaaarely tell on the second. i would never pick it out. but, this is also computer generated with no over tones so it is harder to tell.

Atlantic Quality Design, Inc., What Do guitar tuner accuracy specs mean?

[Rick Lee]

I had no problem hearing the difference in the first one. Though it'd take me longer to tune it to someone else than on my own guitar.

[coolngroovy]

I used to use a Korg tuner. It was quite expensive in its day, but there wasn't many instruments that couldn't be tuned with it. It was difficult to use & never quite 'fitted' anywhere.

My brother bought me a Boss tuner which fits nicely in my Boss pedal case. I'm not sure of the model. I have to say, it is extremely accurate & a breeze to use.
I really do like it!

[JasonDTM]

Peterson tuners are really nice..

[rouxroux]

Originally Posted by JasonDTM

Peterson tuners are really nice..

I used those and the old StroboConns (individual wheels, not a "cranker" in my bands for decades. But if you can't get someone to adjust to "eliminate the beats", all the gadgets in the world are useless. Like low-time multi-engine pilots who cant sync wirth a damn.

rrrrrrrRRRROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRROOOOOOA AAARRRRRrrrrrrr...

[Gogar]

All the digital Petersons have offsets that will help you 'eliminate the beats' when you're in a situation where people aren't interested in hearing you go "boing. boing. Twang. boing." for 5 minutes. The "Strobo-flip" also has a pedal-steel preset where you start generally "sharp" and dial in the preset to match the amount of cabinet-drop in your guitar. How's that for nerdy?

[Shuie]

Gogar, do you have any advice for a hobby guitarist type that wants to learn to play a pedal steel? I have a 6 string lap that I tune to open E and goof around w/I-IV-V blues stuff on, and I've asked several people for pedal steel lessons around here, but the best advice I've been given is to move to Nashville. Are you playing 8 or 10 strings, or both? Is either any easier to learn? TIA.

Here's my lap, '53 Champion, FWIW...

[Gogar]

Shuie,

This is really good:

http://www.homespuntapes.com/shop/category.aspx?ID=94

IMO start with a three-pedal 10-string guitar that has at least two knee levers, and learn E9. E9 will give you more "country" satisfaction than C6. C6 is fine if you want to do swing but it's a sound you can get easily on your lap guitar.

Oh yeah, and set aside a few hours a day for 2-3 years before anything comes out. at all.