Headstock tuners

[ef37a]

Amazon have just deluged me with a rake of clip on guitar tuners. All are 20 quid'ish or less.
I would like to treat my son to one, any experience and comment would be welcomed.

Dave.

[Drew Stephenson]

If I remember rightly your son plays bass as well? In which case I recommend the Snark full-range (as opposed to guitar-specific) one. It's the only one I've found that works really well on everything from the double bass to the mandolin.

[ef37a]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... _3_lm?th=1

That one ^ Drew? If so I shall order post haste.

Cheer mate.

Dave.

[Sam Spoons]

Another vote for Snark here, with one small caveat, the rubbery/matt finish on the case goes sticky eventually (10-15 years + but both my red one and my black one have gone sticky now). Very efficient though so just tell him to start saving 5p a week (inflation) to replace it when that happens

[ef37a]

Another vote for Snark here, with one small caveat, the rubbery/matt finish on the case goes sticky eventually (10-15 years + but both my red one and my black one have gone sticky now). Very efficient though so just tell him to start saving 5p a week (inflation) to replace it when that happens

Aha! Now there was a car restoration progg on a few weeks ago where the dash plastic had done this and they found a fluid that fixed it. But I can't remember the fluid, the programme or the channel it was on!

Dave.

[Drew Stephenson]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... _3_lm?th=1

That one ^ Drew? If so I shall order post haste.

Cheer mate.

Dave.

That's the mk1 version (that I actually prefer) but the mk2 is fine too.
The mk2 doesn't have the rubberised finish but you can just rub talc onto them if they do start going sticky. Mine hasn't, the finish has come off in places, but it's not done the sticky thing.

[James Perrett]

Aha! Now there was a car restoration progg on a few weeks ago where the dash plastic had done this and they found a fluid that fixed it. But I can't remember the fluid, the programme or the channel it was on!

I've just had to clean an SE microphone which had gone sticky. I didn't try to rescue the covering - I just used a paper towel with IPA to wipe it all off.

As far as tuners go, I like the little Boss TU-02 on guitar but I've never tried it on bass.

[ef37a]

Aha! Now there was a car restoration progg on a few weeks ago where the dash plastic had done this and they found a fluid that fixed it. But I can't remember the fluid, the programme or the channel it was on!

I've just had to clean an SE microphone which had gone sticky. I didn't try to rescue the covering - I just used a paper towel with IPA to wipe it all off.

As far as tuners go, I like the little Boss TU-02 on guitar but I've never tried it on bass.

Actually James, I doubt son needs a tuner, he can find the notes on a keyboard. I was thinking of his band situation. The lead guitarist is very good but some people are not that quick at tuning up? He also has at least 3 instruments he plays on stage.

Just a thought? I suppose the flute player now could give them an A? (but don't they have to warm up?)

Dave.

[Wonks]

Flutes have to tune up like most orchestral instruments (to tune to the piano) as most will have a tuning slide. So not a 100% accurate reference. But if the flute in the band doesn't tune to anything, then it's a good idea to reference to that.

[Sam Spoons]

Flutes tune by moving the head joint in and out. Orchestras typically tune to the first violin, presumably he/she will have tuned to the piano, if one is involved, or tuning fork.

[Sam Spoons]

Aha! Now there was a car restoration progg on a few weeks ago where the dash plastic had done this and they found a fluid that fixed it. But I can't remember the fluid, the programme or the channel it was on!

I've just had to clean an SE microphone which had gone sticky. I didn't try to rescue the covering - I just used a paper towel with IPA to wipe it all off.

As far as tuners go, I like the little Boss TU-02 on guitar but I've never tried it on bass.

IPA had no effect on my sticky Snark tuners, acetone got the job done at the cost of removing the screen printed legends so the black one is now usable again and the red one is awaiting treatment.

I like the look of the new rubber reinforcing rings on the ball sockets, one of the sockets on mine has broken and I'll have to glue it rigid.

[merlyn]

I find the most important thing about a clip-on tuner is the clip. In the tuner graveyard, most tuners still work but have a broken clip. The tuner with the most robust clip that I have found is the TC Electronic Polytune or Unitune Clip, depending on if you want polyphonic tuning.

[ManFromGlass]

Aha! Now there was a car restoration progg on a few weeks ago where the dash plastic had done this and they found a fluid that fixed it. But I can't remember the fluid, the programme or the channel it was on!

I just used a paper towel with IPA to wipe it all off.

Over here IPA is a brand of beer. Gave me pause for a sec.

[Sam Spoons]

It is here too but it's also an abbreviation for isopropyl alcohol.

[merlyn]

It's a type of beer -- India pale ale. Personally my least favourite as it's too hoppy. I hate it. Originally it was exported to India and the hops acted as a preservative.

[ef37a]

It's a type of beer -- India pale ale. Personally my least favourite as it's too hoppy. I hate it. Originally it was exported to India and the hops acted as a preservative.

#and cross me heart love, I'll keep off the pale ale...#

Miss him.

Dave.

[adrian_k]

I find the most important thing about a clip-on tuner is the clip. In the tuner graveyard, most tuners still work but have a broken clip. The tuner with the most robust clip that I have found is the TC Electronic Polytune or Unitune Clip, depending on if you want polyphonic tuning.

I have one of those (PolyTune), and the clip is fine but the case is coming apart. It’s pretty old now though, I guess something was going to give.

[merlyn]

I played with a guy who got about a year (if he was lucky) out of a Snark. And it was always the same thing that happened -- the socket of the ball and socket joint broke. I keep my Polytune in a glasses case, and I must have had it ten years now.

[adrian_k]

Yes I broke my Snark in the same way. I’ve have had the PolyTune for 9 years at least, it’s fixable and I don’t plan on getting rid of it any time soon.

[Drew Stephenson]

::: touches wood :::
I've never broken any of the clips or any other bit of my tuners. I've got three or four different types here and they're all doing ok despite years of service.

Though I did manage to fry my Fender tuner pedal by getting the polarity wrong with the power supply. I was a bit surprised they hadn't built in protection against that. Lesson learned though.

[Sam Spoons]

I had a similar issue with an original Peterson StroboStomp though in my case I inadvertently plugged a boss PSU from a MicroCube amp... It was unregulated and with no load it was putting out about 13V which was enough to fry the protection in the StroboStomp I did manage to get it fixed. It doubles as a DI and I wish they had built it to run off spook juice...

[ef37a]

::: touches wood :::
I've never broken any of the clips or any other bit of my tuners. I've got three or four different types here and they're all doing ok despite years of service.

Though I did manage to fry my Fender tuner pedal by getting the polarity wrong with the power supply. I was a bit surprised they hadn't built in protection against that. Lesson learned though.

That last annoys the ***t out of me Drew. It is beer into water to fit a diode in series with the LT path. Why don't they? Because they are historically wedded to 9 volt supplies and the voltage loss would make the pedal sound different from when it is battery powered. So, make the pedal supplies 11 volts or 12!
Oh no! Can't do that, might confuse Johnny Guitar Player and a confused widdler MIGHT go and buy a rival product! In other words they are all afraid to jump first!

So, what did they do? Just about THE most stupid piece of electronics ever conceived. They put a diode IN PARALLEL ! So reverse polarity blows the diode, sometime feed resistor, usually some print and probably wrecks a perfectly good power supply. The carnage is often uneconomic to repair.

And WTF pedal supplies are positive sleeve nobody seems to know!

Dave.

[Wonks]

And WTF pedal supplies are positive sleeve nobody seems to know!

We've been through this several times here, so no point in repeating it all again.

[Random Guitarist]

I must be in a minority here as I would never buy another Snark (I've had 2) Both were not very accurate to my ear, they'd say all the strings were in tune when they were still slightly out. One I lost, and the other became very insensitive, tuning involved moving it around the headstock to try to get a good contact.

The Korg pitch clip I have has annoying buzz resonance when I play an open d if I leave it clipped on.

The D'Addario eclipse I have seems pretty good.

My Stagg 21016 is reliable and accurate, but discontinued

[ef37a]

And WTF pedal supplies are positive sleeve nobody seems to know!

We've been through this several times here, so no point in repeating it all again.

Noted.