New Guitar Tuner

[Dickey Clapton]

I originally bought a “Cool” tuner that charges through usb-nice for charging but not sure still available
Recently bought a tc Poly tune-LOVE it— not sure about the poly function of checking all strings at once by open strum
Then got a strobe lip HD when on sale on Black Friday at my local store- jury still out on it. My ears like the poly tune better

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by cmac

I've been using the Polytune 2 pedal tuner for a few years now, works very well though it can sometimes struggle to identify the low E on my Lowden because of the overtones and harmonics.

I looked at the Unitune clip-on tuner after reading this discussion and it seems to be discontinued by TC Electronics, since it's not listed on their website, though there are still plenty available to buy.

I wonder if people were mostly buying the Unitune and were ignoring the Polytune clip.

I don’t know if the Unitune was ever shown on their website - it’s a Sweetwater exclusive and I’m not aware anyone else has ever been able to sell it. If you buy three or more of em, the price is under $21.

I personally like the polytune function, but I’m in a small minority. I just use it for a quick check sometimes and find it really useful for that. It misses the low E a lot, but if it shows the other five strings in tune, I don’t listen to it’s opinion on the low E. I also like that you can get it in black, which doesn’t look as clunky to me as a white tuner.

That said, my two acoustics now are Emeralds and I use the little D’Addario tuners mounted to the soundhole with a piece of dual-lock (essentially stronger Velcro - best stuff ever for pedal boards). They’re not quite as versatile as the polytune, but they work just fine and they’re completely stealth and out of the way... They’re even more stealth than the model they make for soundholes, which clip over the top of the hole - this is completely contained under the lip...

unnamed by Ray, on Flickr

-Ray

[ancient tones]

Is it important to consider if a clip on tuner is being used playing with others, or at home or studio with oneself?

[DownUpDave]

Originally Posted by ancient tones

Is it important to consider if a clip on tuner is being used playing with others, or at home or studio with oneself?

It will work in all situations, really shines when playing with others and or noisey environments. At home I really like using my Samsung phone with the DaTuner app, very accurate and gives me octave, db and cents readings

[tmont]

+1 for Unitune from Sweetwater. Quick, very accurate.

[cmac]

Originally Posted by raysachs

I don’t know if the Unitune was ever shown on their website - it’s a Sweetwater exclusive and I’m not aware anyone else has ever been able to sell it.

Ah, OK. I'm in the UK and the Unitune is relatively widely advertised through instrument store websites and also on Amazon. Some of the store adverts show it out of stock, though, and at least one says 'discontinued', but that may just be discontinued in the UK market or something like that.

[guitar george]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Well, good luck with the Peterson Stroboclip, George. I fiddled with one for over twenty minutes in a quiet room at Sweetwater’s brick and mortar store when I passed through the area, and couldn’t get it to calm down enough to tune the guitar I’d clipped it to.

Oh dear, I'll give it 20 minutes and that's it! If I can't figure it out in 20 minutes it's going back.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

Wade, if that was the original StroboClip, I feel your pain! My StroboClip (original version) has lived in its fancy tin and barely seen the light of day since I bought it several years ago - way, way too twitchy and fiddly to be useful and, for on-stage use, no use whatsoever.

But the Stroboclip HD, the most recent iteration, is a different beast and is a considerable improvement on the original. The 'twitchiness' has been brought better under control, it's much more stable, superbly accurate, sweetened tunings, and it's the tuner I use at home.

However, it is very sensitive to external noise, so it's pretty useless for use out of the house at sessions, jams, etc., and for stage use - for any kind of playing out I use my Polytune, which is super-accurate, fast, and stable.

I have to agree - I am a big fan of the StroboClip HD, and use at all the time in my home studio. I particularly like the sweetened ACU settings. Last night I took it along to a jam session at a local venue, and trying to tune (with the StroboClip HD) with a lot of background noise was almost impossible.

I'm going to try a Polytune.

[Photojeep]

I have gone through several snarks of various ages and colors (models?) and find they just don't last all that long and most have eaten batteries far too robustly. I also had a D'Addario sound hole tuner that just didn't work very well hearing the low E on my Gibson-(no idea why)

I'm reading this thread very closely and since they're not that expensive, I think I'm going to get myself a Unitune to see if it can handle my Gibson.

Best,
PJ

[Caddy]

Originally Posted by cmac

I've been using the Polytune 2 pedal tuner for a few years now, works very well though it can sometimes struggle to identify the low E on my Lowden because of the overtones and harmonics.

I looked at the Unitune clip-on tuner after reading this discussion and it seems to be discontinued by TC Electronics, since it's not listed on their website, though there are still plenty available to buy.

I wonder if people were mostly buying the Unitune and were ignoring the Polytune clip.

It is sold only by Sweetwater. Exclusive to them. I just bought a couple more a few weeks ago.

[heavy_picker]

I use the Reverb.com brand clip on tuner, they look like a Snark tuner. It has settings for classic tuning “C”, Guitar, violin (mandolin) and bass. They sell for $5.00, which includes shipping. They work fine. I keep one in each guitar case. Then I buy bulk replacement batteries at IKEA, a pack of 8 batteries is about $3.00. If you lose one at a gig, your only out $5.00. I have more expensive tuners, but I don’t find them any better.

[ancient tones]

Just ordered 3 of the unitune clip from sweetwater. If you order 3 they are $20.62 each. That tells you I like the polytune clip!

I have been trying out the polytune clip and the Peterson stroboclip hd recently. I was a snark only guy for years and am so thrifty that I would only buy them on sale for less than 10 bucks. A tuner is only a tool. I feel the polytune clip is easier to use, but the Peterson interfaces in a way that helps me tune more accurately. With that said they have taught me how to use my snark better.

I split the difference in tuning the open strings and fretted strings. And tune the open and fretted strings to each other. I suppose it is similar to the Bryan Kimsey video. At a jam I check my tuning often, but wonder if accuracy matters? Some of the fiddle players never check tuning and the banjos may never be in tune ;-). I'll be curious which tuner I'll use at jams. I'll try them all but wondering if the snark is good enough?

I'm sorry that i never tried the $5 reverb tuner.

[golfreggie]

Originally Posted by Caddy

It is sold only by Sweetwater. Exclusive to them. I just bought a couple more a few weeks ago.

I purchased the Unitune from Sweetwater a couple months ago and find it tunes really tight. I have a few Snarks and they are fine, but I can tell the Unitune is better at the actual tuning accuracy. I don't find myself making small audible adjustments after tuning. I think I had the Polytune years ago and gave up on it as the battery life was terribly short. They must have improved on that as I am not having that problem with the Unitune. Even though I have only had it a couple months, I was not even getting that length with the Polytunes from a few years ago. I will probably get two more Unitunes to put one in each guitar case. I am very happy with the Unitune from Sweetwater

[cmac]

Originally Posted by Caddy

It is sold only by Sweetwater. Exclusive to them. I just bought a couple more a few weeks ago.

In the USA, maybe. But there's more to the world than just the USA.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/tc-electron.../dp/B075YPW2K7
https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-an...lip-Tuner/24P9
https://www.thomann.de/gb/tc_electro...clip_tuner.htm

[The Bard Rocks]

[QUOTE=golfreggie;5923595. I think I had the Polytune years ago and gave up on it as the battery life was terribly short. They must have improved on that as I am not having that problem with the Unitune. Even though I have only had it a couple months, I was not even getting that length with the Polytunes from a few years ago. I will probably get two more Unitunes to put one in each guitar case. I am very happy with the Unitune from Sweetwater[/QUOTE]

My Intellitouches go years and years on the same battery, a little coin-sized thing. I've had these things probably 25 years, maybe more.