Super Snark tunner

[Willabe]

I bought a super snark tuner, seems fine so far, you guys like them? Was only $30 bucks.

It's nice cause you don't have to plug into it. The guitar tech said it lines up with his $2K strobe every time. 

What's the best? What are you guys using for a tuner, live/stage and at home?

 

[BetterOffShred]

I have a fat-finger on my Telecaster, and one of these
https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-NS-Micro-Clip-On-Tuner/dp/B005FKF1PY/ref=pd_sim_267_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B005FKF1PY&pd_rd_r=RE5VJ9F9MNAGBHETF4XC&pd_rd_w=fyg81&pd_rd_wg=vYdLf&psc=1&refRID=RE5VJ9F9MNAGBHETF4XC
and I really love it.  It is pretty accurate and it's good for dark rooms etc.  Other than that, I just use a good old Fender tuner which they haven't made in years.  If I start gigging again, I'll probably use the Korg pitch black tuner again.  I had one years ago but it got lost along the way somewhere.
https://www.amazon.com/Korg-PBAD-Pitch-black-Advance-Tuner/dp/B01N3KP76M/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1491952387&sr=1-4&keywords=korg+black+tuner
Good tuners.  Very visible on stage and I believe you can daisy chain stuff of the power like the Boss tuner.

-Brett

[jjasilli]

I find Snarks good for home use; or sitting-in with a band.  However they can be slow operating; and pick-up other instruments on stage.  Also easy to lose; and tend to break at the neck ball-joint.


Boss TU-2 tuner on my pedal board.  Heck, it's good enough for Sonny Landreth.


On my repair bench is a plastic Korg rectangular tuner. 

[pompeiisneaks]

I also use a pedal tuner, T.C. Electronic Polytune 2 black, love it.

[G._Hoffman]

Snarks are fine for a quick tune, but they are in no way a replacement for a strobe tuner.  I mostly use a snark for getting things close when I'm having to tune and detune a bunch of times (when, say, fine tuning the action on a acoustic where I have to pull the saddle out, sand off the bottom, and put it back in and retune to check the results), or when I'm changing strings I'll tune with the Snark a few times, stretching the strings between each round, and then tune by ear in the end so it is actually in tune. 

But nothing will work for setting intonation except a strobe tuner - nothing else is accurate enough.


Gabriel

[John]

I like Snarks; good enuff for $20 IMO. The way I play you can't tell if I"m in tune anyway.

[jjasilli]

Good point!  Seems there are pro's & cons to any choice of tuner.

[Willabe]

Thanks for all the reply's guy's. 

I've still got my old Conn strobe tuner for setting intonation.

I'm liking this little super snark cause I can just leave it on my guitar without having to unplug/plug/unplug to tune at home and I can put it in my shirt pocket when I go to a music/guitar store.

Thinking of probably getting a Boss tuner in the near future.

[John]

This just reminded me of my buddy's brother, whose name is also John. John is beyond anal with everything music related, and quite the snob as well when it comes to gear. Anyway, for years he would only use a tuning fork to tune his guitar. Oh, side note: he never plays out, just plays for himself. So anyway, a friend of his comes over to play one day, and they can't get their guitars in tune. Come to find out, his tuning fork was just a wee bit flat. Dave (his bro) laughs about that to this day.

[pompeiisneaks]

I remember hearing a story somewhere about a sound engineer at a major studio mandating all band members use either the exact same tuner OR the same brand tuner as they all were off of one another a touch.  :) 

[Ed_Chambley]

I have snark tuners, but I tune at the 5th fret. Tuning at the nut never works well for me. Open chords sound a little sharp, but I play more from fret 3 to 10.

[MakerDP]

TC Polytone 2 on my pedalboard, PitchLab Lite on my Android phone when I'm not near my pedalboard.

[brewdude]

I like the Peterson Stobosoft. I have it on my laptop and phone, as well as the stroboclip.

[MakerDP]

I remember hearing a story somewhere about a sound engineer at a major studio mandating all band members use either the exact same tuner OR the same brand tuner as they all were off of one another a touch.  :)

Yeah I've heard people doing this too. Makes a lot of sense.

I've also been in situations where it was insisted that everyone tune to the piano because they drift and well it's kinda hard to tune a piano on-demand.

[pompeiisneaks]

Oh believe me, I know, I have a piano, we hadn't tuned it in a few moves, and it cost a fortune to tune, and it takes time to schedule it as well :)

~Phil

[drgonzonm]

This just reminded me of my buddy's brother, whose name is also John. John is beyond anal with everything music related, and quite the snob as well when it comes to gear. Anyway, for years he would only use a tuning fork to tune his guitar. Oh, side note: he never plays out, just plays for himself. So anyway, a friend of his comes over to play one day, and they can't get their guitars in tune. Come to find out, his tuning fork was just a wee bit flat. Dave (his bro) laughs about that to this day.

Playing flat is sometimes preferred in the recording studio.  Do you call a flat tuning fork, a studio fork?   

[edthill]

Thoughts on the Snark...The Snark is cool especially for its functionality and the price. It freaks out in live music situations particularly if you have a loud band, which I do. You have to mute your guitar amp and the spastic members of your group have to someone how manage not to noodle or play while you tune in order to get tuning accuracy. It also looks like ridiculous on the headstock of your guitar, especially if you keep your capo on the headstock too. In the right situation it's more accurate than a boss pedal tuner I feel, but less practical for live, on the fly tuning stuff. Just my 2 cents.

[alerich]

I have a Peterson 450 strobe tuner that I've had for almost thirty years. Still rockin' but these days I only use it for setting intonation on the bench. I have a couple of those BOSS TU-2 tuners on my pedal boards and they seem to work quite well. I have a Korg Pitchhawk G2 clip on tuner I use for my acoustics. It does an amazingly good job and doesn't jump all over the place. I never tuned my 12 string as quickly as I can with the Korg. I have friends who swear by their Snark tuners but my Korg was less than $20 on Amazon if I recall correctly.