Micro-Tuner mini review

[Quickstep192]

I recently got both the D'Addario Micro banjo tuner and Micro guitar tuner. They're called Micro Tuners and I'm calling this a Mini review since I don't think it qualifies as a full blown review. I don't have any affiliation with D'Addario, but I do love these tuners; at least enough to share this opinion.


https://www.daddario.com/products/ac...o-banjo-tuner/

https://www.daddario.com/products/ac...undhole-tuner/


The tuners appear to be insanely accurate. As a test, I put the D'Addario micro tuner in the soundhole and a Polytune clip-on tuner on the headstock. The Polytune and the D'Addario were spot-on identical detecting notes. The D'Addario has a bright display and good use of color to help dial in the note. Also, while you're tuning, the tuner display doesn't flail all over the place when reading the note, making it easier to find the note.

The D'Addario guitar Micro Tuner "clips" onto the edge of the soundhole. I say "clips" because the thing that holds it on is really just a piece of spring steel on the inside of the tuner that provides enough pressure to keep the tuner in place, but not so tight that it can dent the wood. On the outside, there's a plastic tab with a piece of foam to prevent the plastic from scratching the finish. The tab isn't invisible, but it's not that noticeable although I imagine it will eventually leave a tan line.

The banjo tuner's hoop mounting bracket connects to the hooks and had to be trimmed a little bit in order to fit the hooks nearest the neck so that the tuner part wouldn't be in the way when placing the banjo in the case. It trimmed easily with heavy scissors. The tuner part pivots and there's a little screw that determines how easily the tuner pivots. You do need to pivot the tuner down to put the banjo in the case and pivot it up in order to see it when tuning, but it's a small price to pay for the accuracy. I did the same test comparing it to the Polytune and got the same results.

I hope this is useful; I know I wish I'd found them sooner.

[KevinH]

I like the micros as well. I have one on each of my guitars. The only issue I've had is it sometimes takes a while to lock onto the A and E strings - though you can get round that by using a harmonic at the 12th.

[Rosewood99]

I have that sound hole tuner on all my guitars. However on my McIlroy I had to do some modifications because the lip on the sound hole was too thick for the tuner to fit. I had To break off the clip part of the tuner and then Velcro it to the underside of the sound hole.

[tadol]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I had To break off the clip part of the tuner and then Velcro it to the underside of the sound hole.

So you have the soundhole tuner att’d to the soundboard with only a piece of velcro? And its accurate? If that really works, I’d be much more inclined to give these a try -

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by tadol

So you have the soundhole tuner att’d to the soundboard with only a piece of velcro? And its accurate? If that really works, I’d be much more inclined to give these a try -

I'm using the sound hole version in my CEO-7, but when I had Emerald carbon fiber guitars (had an X20 for a little while and an X7 for about a year and a half), I used dual-lock to attach the regular micro tuners to the inside of the sound hole. Worked great, and just as accurate as they are on any guitar. It might have been a bit balkier about picking up the low E, but not enough to be a problem.

-Ray

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by tadol

So you have the soundhole tuner att’d to the soundboard with only a piece of velcro? And its accurate? If that really works, I’d be much more inclined to give these a try -

Work OK. I sometimes have to pluck the strings more than once to get a reading. But once I get a reading it seems pretty accurate. You will have to break the top of the "lip" so it makes contact and is flush against the underside of the soundhole.

[stokes1971]

I did the same test with the Polytune clip on.Same results.I like the mini,have them in both acoustics.Only "downside" is that the mini is kinda slow to react but once I got used to it it isnt a problem.I really like the convenience of the soundhole tuners,I dont like having the clip on hanging on the headstock and my Breedlove has little room for it on the odd shaped headstock.

[Pine Cone]

I used to be a fan of Snark tuners, but the bracket that is on the back of their tuners breaks within 6 to 24 months. The tuner still works, but you can’t mount it on your instrument anymore.

I have used the D'Addario Micro banjo and violin tuners, the Micro guitar soundhole tuner, and their headstock tuner. They work well if there is enough contact area to transmit the sound.

For the banjo the tuner “arms” fit between the banjo’s tension hooks and the rim/pot. Worked well on my Bart Reiter Bacophone Plus, not so good on my banjos with Bill Rickard’s tension hooks which sit further from the rim making for a loose fit. You could shim them to get a better fit.

The violin tuners work well, clamped to the body near where the neck joins.

The headstock tuners work well, but I would prefer something less visible.

The soundhole tuners have difficulty picking up the low E-string on many of my guitars. I think it is due to the small contact area between the tuner clip and the guitar.

Alex Ryan (byudzai here on AGF) posted a nice Micro tuner modification on his latest Emerald X20 review. Micro tuners clip on and off their brackets easily.

Alex uses a pair of high powered disc magnets to make his own soundhole tuners from a standard Micro tuner. He uses epoxy glue to mount one magnet on the underside of the soundhole on the guitar while he glues the other magnet to the mounting bracket side of the Micro tuner.

I substituted double-sided Gorilla tape and used 14mm magnets which work great. Better for guitars with off-center sound holes since the on/off button is on the bottom of the tuner.

[DownUpDave]

I use and like both the micro headstock and sound hole tuners. The sound hole tuners are particularly great for just “being there” all the time. Another advantage is they are at a distance that is easier to see for maturing eyes compared to one way out there on the headstock