Guitar tuners. How accurate are they ?

JohnW63 · Oct 17, 2015

Just to stop any confusion, I mean devices the you use to CHECK your tuning, not tuning machines bolted to your guitar.

I had a discussion , today, while stuck at a Guitar Center, about tuners. I have a Petersen iStrobosoft app on my iPod touch that I take with to GCs , because most of those guitars are out of tune, and you can't judge a guitar that is out of tune. My tuner is pretty darn accurate. Supposedly to 0.1 cent accurate. Much better than a Snark I got FOR loud situations. I find the Petersen really helpful on a 12 string, to get the octaves just right. The sales guy had two things to say, which I disagree with.

1) All of those Apps are crap

2) Microphone type tuners are no good. You need one that clamps on the guitar to get vibrations to be accurate.

Personally, I think he is wrong on both points. What say the assembled forum crowd ? Who makes good ones, and how good are they ?

davismanLV · Oct 18, 2015

Honestly, he's trying to sell product. If he wants to fuss over such minuscule differences in .... what? Sensitivity or accuracy? He probably is tone deaf. I have an app on my iPhone that's killer. Best tuner I ever had. Yup.

JohnW63 · Oct 18, 2015

What started the conversation is that I broke the high G string octave on a 12 string. I think it was a darn old string. It stopped changing pitch. I was almost wondering if the tuning machine was broken. It was getting close to tuned. About 10 cents low. The sales guys response was, " Oh, you have one of those phone apps ? They're all crap ! "

You could be right , Tom, but it felt more like ignorant opinion than sales technique.

guitarslinger · Oct 18, 2015

I've encountered many a music store employee whose self assured pronouncements of fact were demonstrably incorrect. Didn't seem to slow them down much.

Neal · Oct 18, 2015

Like...

"Guilds? We don't sell them. They are overbuilt".

Neal

AcornHouse · Oct 18, 2015

When LTG had its Nashville meet with George Gruhn, he whipped out his phone to tune a guitar he wanted us to try.

When will these GC "salesmen" learn that they will sell more in the long run by being honest and not insulting our intelligence (and not by being dicks.)

Bikerdoc · Oct 18, 2015

I don't have perfect pitch but I seem to be able to hear a 'D' better than other notes. Someone told me it maybe because I prefer to sing in that key but I'm not so sure. When I change strings I tune the 'D' string by ear and then I use the Snark. And of course the Snark is ALWAYS wrong. :highly_amused:

sailingshoes72 · Oct 18, 2015

I can remember back to when I used a tuning fork (A=440Hz) and string harmonics! So my Sabine ST1000 Tuner (20 yrs. old) still seems like a luxury to me. And old strings are very difficult to keep in tune anyway.

From what I have heard, the Peterson software is very accurate and even offers "sweetened tunings" to compensate for the natural dis-temper of stringed instruments.

Bill

walrus · Oct 18, 2015

I find the Snark to be accurate and convenient. I have a Droid - I'll have to try one of the tuner apps to check it out.

It's interesting that Guitar Center, known for never having their guitars in tune, would belittle any tuner...

walrus

fronobulax · Oct 18, 2015

Salesperson thought you wanted their opinion, regardless if what it was based on

If I plug my Korg in to a guitar with a pickup it seems to tune faster than a vibration Snark. Mic Korg or mic Korg is slower and harder to tune. If I am playing alone any tuner is good enough, If I am playing with someone else then I tune to them regardless of what y tuners or apps say. If I need the tuner or an app then I would certainly spend some time with ear training

JohnW63 · Oct 18, 2015

I bring a tuner to GC because I never know what people have done as far as open tunings or just plain bad tuning to just a guitar gone flat over time. I used to tune to the low E, but that doesn't cover it anymore.

kakerlak · Oct 19, 2015

sailingshoes72 said:
I can remember back to when I used a tuning fork (A=440Hz) and string harmonics! So my Sabine ST1000 Tuner (20 yrs. old) still seems like a luxury to me. And old strings are very difficult to keep in tune anyway.

From what I have heard, the Peterson software is very accurate and even offers "sweetened tunings" to compensate for the natural dis-temper of stringed instruments.

Bill

Hey, still using my ST1000, too -- always seemed like an "ain't broke" kind of a deal to me.

adorshki · Oct 19, 2015

JohnW63 said:
What started the conversation is that I broke the high G string octave on a 12 string. I think it was a darn old string. It stopped changing pitch. I was almost wondering if the tuning machine was broken. It was getting close to tuned. About 10 cents low. The sales guys response was, " Oh, you have one of those phone apps ? They're all crap ! "
You could be right , Tom, but it felt more like ignorant opinion than sales technique.

Have they replaced the string yet?
That might tell you everything you need to know about that guy.
BTW, while I bemoan the prevalence of phones and apps, being an old-fashioned mechanical kind of guy, I'm sure the mics and apps themselves are far more accurate than trying to ear-match to a tuning fork, for most people, and in an environment with a lost of ambient noise.
And your average joe doesn't even know about "sweetened" tuning.

Brad Little · Oct 19, 2015

The Peterson Stroboclip and Stroboflip are the first tuners I've used that tune like my ear. Every other one I had to tweak the tuning to match what I heard. Recommend them highly. Never tried an app tuner.
Brad

fronobulax · Oct 20, 2015

FWIW, I often use a tuner to get the A string right and then my ears to make everything right with the A. Even with a tuner I'm not done until I play a few octaves, harmonics and arpeggios and am happy with the results.

adorshki · Oct 20, 2015

fronobulax said:
FWIW, I often use a tuner to get the A string right and then my ears to make everything right with the A. Even with a tuner I'm not done until I play a few octaves, harmonics and arpeggios and am happy with the results.

Ditto that, playing some scales and chords help to "temper" the tuning.

Guildadelphia · Oct 21, 2015

I still swear by my ST1000....simple, accurate, and pretty much bullet proof despite its plastic construction. The newer Chinese made one's work fine too and have the input and output on the proper sides too. I would love to get my hands on a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner. Supposed to be every bit as good as a Peterson Strobo Stomp for considerably less $$$$.

walrus · Oct 22, 2015

But frono, you only have to tune 4 strings!! :tongue:

walrus

Quantum Strummer · Oct 30, 2015

The Peterson app on my iPhone is the most accurate tuner I've ever used. Whenever possible I tune my electric guitars acoustically via the phone's mic. Many guitars do need slight offsets here & there…the app has allowed me to dial these in precisely. Thumbs up!

-Dave-

gjmalcyon · Oct 30, 2015

Brad Little said:
The Peterson Stroboclip and Stroboflip are the first tuners I've used that tune like my ear. Every other one I had to tweak the tuning to match what I heard. Recommend them highly. Never tried an app tuner.
Brad

Ditto about the Stroboclip, particularly the "sweetened" tuning. I have a couple of Snarks, too, and keep coming back to the Peterson.

Here's how James Taylor does it.

Guitar tuners. How accurate are they ?

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