Snarks Work!

[Wellington]

I just recently acquired my first snark last week, my surprise birthday guitar had one thrown in the case by the shop owner which was really nice. I always use clip on tuners, I have a D’Addario one and the one before that was a house brand one from L&M, an Apex, is say I'm impressed with the Snark, I like it better than my other two, it's ugly but it doesn't fluctuate around like my other ones, pretty accurate, enough for me!

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by Winfielder

...the difference between a snark and a Peterson Stroboclip is enormous. To me, it's the difference between 'utterly horrible' and 'great'.

I went to the local guitar store and got a new tuner. They only had Snarks, so that's what I got.... Ears bled. It was nowhere near in tune; it was just hideous. It would be tough to make a guitar sound worse if you tried.... opened up a new Snark in the store and tried it out. Same thing--utterly horrible out-of-tuneness that was painful to listen to, like fingernails on a chalkboard.... ridiculously bad....

They didn't put guitars in tune, they put them out of tune. Badly.

...Peterson Stroboclips... PURE HEAVEN!.... better than they've ever sounded before; most likely because they were in better tune than they had ever been before.... all of his guitars now sound significantly better than they ever have before....

So how do you explain the discrepancy here? Do you think the people who are happy with their snark tuner can't tell when their guitar is "utterly horribly out of tune" and when it's in tune?

Your descriptions are just a little over the top. I mean, just because you and your buddy tuned up with your preferred tuner, your guitars now sound "significantly better than they ever have before"? Do those tuners come coated with LSD or something? lol. Or you own stock in the company? There's got to be some explanation here.....

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by DCCougar

So how do you explain the discrepancy here? Do you think the people who are happy with their snark tuner can't tell when their guitar is "utterly horribly out of tune" and when it's in tune?

Your descriptions are just a little over the top. I mean, just because you and your buddy tuned up with your preferred tuner, your guitars now sound "significantly better than they ever have before"? Do those tuners come coated with LSD or something? lol. Or you own stock in the company? There's got to be some explanation here.....

Not to disparage anyone, because that isn’t even part of the issue in reality.

People don’t hear with the same acuity. My long time playing partner can’t hear when he’s slightly out of tune and I can tell instantly. This is very common among players of all skill levels.

LSD? Over the top?

All anyone has to do is tune with a Snark or some other inexpensive, less accurate tuner, then attach a Peterson or some other highly accurate tuner and you’ll see that it wasn’t in tune. I’ve seen many videos on this after experiencing it myself many years ago, with an Intellitouch I owned.

Those that can’t hear that difference don’t need a Peterson, it’s a complete waste of money.

Those that can, sometime describe the differences much like the gentleman you’re referring to.

[UncleJesse]

I love my Snarks. But they have to be the red super-tight ones. I've not as as much luck with the other ones, especially when switching to alternate tunings or picking up the low E.

I have always considered myself sensitive to out of tune guitars. Any past or present band member that has played with me can attest to this. I've stopped many practices and halted many song starts to get everyone to tune. I find my red snark gets it in tune just fine. I have a Peterson HD and don't use it. I don't like the on/off button or the clip and I don't hear a marked difference when I'm done while I do notice how much longer it takes me to get in tune.

[L20A]

I don't understand the need for perfect tuning. As soon as I play a chord, my guitars go slightly out of tune.
Add a capo and it is even more out of tune.

Snark Tuners work and are cheap. I get mine for about 10 bucks a piece.
Still have and use my first one.
Never had one get sticky.
I have had 2 of them break one of the ears that hold it together. A zip tie and it's good to go.

Never had a problem with battery life either.

[DanR]

I have a couple of Snarks and they do the job for me. A while ago, I purchased a Fishman FT-2 and I've been using that because I like the different colors between flat, sharp and right on.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Not to disparage anyone, because that isn’t even part of the issue in reality.

People don’t hear with the same acuity. My long time playing partner can’t hear when he’s slightly out of tune and I can tell instantly. This is very common among players of all skill levels.

LSD? Over the top?

All anyone has to do is tune with a Snark or some other inexpensive, less accurate tuner, then attach a Peterson or some other highly accurate tuner and you’ll see that it wasn’t in tune. I’ve seen many videos on this after experiencing it myself many years ago, with an Intellitouch I owned.

Those that can’t hear that difference don’t need a Peterson, it’s a complete waste of money.

Those that can, sometime describe the differences much like the gentleman you’re referring to.

Really?

I own a Peterson VS-2 Strobe tuner which I paid about 25 times what any of my Snarks cost. The Peterson shows my guitars, basses, mandolins, and octave mandolins to have the exact same tuning that any of the Snarks do.

Players that hear an instrument as "out of tune" after tuning to a reasonably accurate electronic tuner have instruments that could be set up better than what they are, instruments that that don't have mechanical integrity to hold pitch, or hearing that responds to pure intervals, which is more likely. Tuning with equal temperament with a Peterson or Conn strobe tuner won't make that any better for those players. The Peterson, as well as other high end tuners, often have other tunings such as just tuning selectable that can be better for those players.

Sometimes it's the magician, not the wand.

[rbock]

I'm a long time Snark user. There seems to be a range of "in tune" for each string, but I use my ear to fine tune.

I have broken a few at the swivel, including one that saved my head stock from snapping off when the guitar got knocked off its stand and the Snark took the brunt of the impact. I figure I owe them some allegiance for that.

[Birchtop]

Originally Posted by L20A

I don't understand the need for perfect tuning. As soon as I play a chord, my guitars go slightly out of tune.
Add a capo and it is even more out of tune.

Snark Tuners work and are cheap. I get mine for about 10 bucks a piece.
Still have and use my first one.
Never had one get sticky.
I have had 2 of them break one of the ears that hold it together. A zip tie and it's good to go.

Never had a problem with battery life either.

Yeah, the earlier Snarks had a higher degree of accuracy as you can see in the pics. Both of these are listed for guitar and violin.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by rbock

I'm a long time Snark user. There seems to be a range of "in tune" for each string, but I use my ear to fine tune.

I have broken a few at the swivel, including one that saved my head stock from snapping off when the guitar got knocked off its stand and the Snark took the brunt of the impact. I figure I owe them some allegiance for that.

You, sir, demonstrate the number one rule for electronic tuners. Folks with a good sense of pitch tune with an electronic tuner and then manually sweeten the note or notes that need correction based on the key you are playing in.

A tuner will fairly accurately get you to equal temperament tuning and then it's up to the player to "season to taste". As long as we're playing fretted instruments this will always be the case.

[boneuphtoner]

I’ve seen numerous complaints here about longevity and accuracy and I’ve still got the 2 I bought when I started this hobby 4 years ago. I have fairly sensitive ears, and mine are plenty accurate for what I do. I have had the rubber clasps come off of both, but a little gorilla glue took care of them

[JTFoote]

I've had several Snarks over the years. I still have two, one for each guitar, the others I've given away as gifts to newer players. I've never had a problem with any of them. No breakage, no stickiness. I use them for baseline tuning, and then compensate the rest by ear. Despite my increasing age, I still can hear slight discrepancies very well. (Knock on wood.) I recall having a much more expensive Peterson clip-on tuner at one time, and it had sweetened tunings which I thought was cool, but I still had to fine tune the guitar to allow for compensation afterwards, and it was kind of hard to use with the strobe effect on the display, IMHO. I finally gave it away. I'll stick with the Snarks.

... JT

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by JTFoote

I've had several Snarks over the years. I still have two, one for each guitar, the others I've given away as gifts to newer players. I've never had a problem with any of them. No breakage, no stickiness. I use them for baseline tuning, and then compensate the rest by ear. Despite my increasing age, I still can hear slight discrepancies very well. (Knock on wood.) I recall having a much more expensive Peterson clip-on tuner at one time, and it had sweetened tunings which I thought was cool, but I still had to fine tune the guitar to allow for compensation afterwards, and it was kind of hard to use with the strobe effect on the display, IMHO. I finally gave it away. I'll stick with the Snarks.

... JT

I don't know why I keep breaking mine. The last one I had left on a desk and when I looked at it again it had a broken clasp. How did that happen as I didn't drop it or take it out of my home? Another one broke when I dropped it about four feet onto a carpeted floor. I don't remember how the other one or two Snarks broke but I remember they all broke at one of those clasps.

That's why I posted the new Silver Snark has those rubber gaskets so I think that will help in this area.

[JayBee1404]

I don’t understand all the problems people claim to have with Snarks. I treat my gear with respect, but I’m not overly obsessive - I don’t throw tuners around, but I don’t ‘wrap stuff in cotton wool’ either.

I have one red Snark, one blue Snark, and three black ‘Supertight’ Snarks. I’ve had them all since they first became available here in the UK - maybe ten years? I’ve never had a Snark go ‘sticky’, never broken a ball-joint on a Snark, the OEM batteries were crap and died quickly but the good-quality batteries I’ve used ever since have lasted a long time (I always switch the tuner off and remove it from the headstock when not actively tuning). I had one rubber pad remove itself from the clip, but a spot of Superglue fixed it permanently - not a Big Deal AFAIC.

When I tune using a Snark, I tweak things by ear to get the final perfect result. And when I tune using my TCE PolyClip or Peterson StroboClip HD (using either the GTR or EQU sweeteners for standard tuning, the ACU ‘James Taylor’ sweetener is garbage with my guitars) I also tweak things by ear, to get the final perfect result.

Playing at home, I use my Peterson but, playing out at gigs, sessions etc., I’m happy with either my TCE PolyClip or a Snark - I tune with the tuner, a couple of tiny ‘by ear’ tweaks, and I’m up and running. In the band, we all have different brands of clip-on tuners - a Korg, a Snark, a Fender, and a TCE, and we all swear by our own choice. Are we all in tune when we start to play? You bet we are!

I regard all this “My superior tuner’s better than your crappy tuner” stuff as nothing more than one-upmanship - “My ears = good, your ears = bad” kinda stuff - and I just ignore it and make my own choice. If a tuner works for you, no matter what brand, it’s a good tuner. End of, AFAIC.

Others will disagree with me, I know, but that’s fine, we all have our own POV and mine’s no more or less valid than anyone else’s, so the usual disclaimers apply - IMHO, YMMV, etc.

[stephenT]

Snark: The Pocket Protector of Tuners.