# Recommendations for a clip-on electronic tuner ...



## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

Hi everyone.

I am looking for an electronic tuner for my electric and acoustic guitar with the following criteria:

1. Accurate
2. Small 
3. Will not scratch the guitar head.
4. Dependable
5. Will not break the bank.

Believe me, I have looked all over the places and there are so many out there that it becomes confusing.
Better ask the "real players" here!
I'm presently using an app on my cell phone ... not so great when you have to find a way to hold it in the right place, plus it is so so in accuracy.

Thanks!


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

I use a Peterson Strobo Clip, covers your list from 1-4, but is a bit pricey.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

jimsz said:


> I use a Peterson Strobo Clip, covers your list from 1-4, but is a bit pricey.


Thanks !
Added to my list (well ... that would be No. 1 on that list for now).
I'll go and check this.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

JacquesP said:


> 1. Accurate
> 2. Small
> 3. Will not scratch the guitar head.
> 4. Dependable
> 5. Will not break the bank.


Snark


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

laristotle said:


> Snark


This one is good.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

laristotle said:


> Snark


Thanks !! No. 2 on the list.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

Milkman said:


> This one is good.


Great! Thank you.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

D’Addario makes a small black one for about $20. It’s accurate enough, can go behind the headstock on some guitars and it’s not fugly like snarks and Peterson’s. I have a Peterson clip so I can call it ugly if I want to..lol.

There's a pic of it. I think the same tuner is available from maybe Planet Waves and others but Cosmo has them as D'Addario and I have about 6 of them just leave them on all the time and they haven't marked the nitro guitars either. 










On a Tele and probably most Fenders you can put the tuner on the back.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

Wardo said:


> D’Addario makes a small black one for about $20. It’s accurate enough, can go behind the headstock on some guitars and it’s not fugly like snarks and Peterson’s. I have a Peterson clip so I can call it ugly if I want to..lol.
> 
> There's a pic of it. I think the same tuner is available from maybe Planet Waves and others but Cosmo has them as D'Addario and I have about 6 of them just leave them on all the time and they haven't marked the nitro guitars either.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Wardo!
No. 3 on the list.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Saw one that showed you all your strings and whether they were in tune. Forget what it was but that seemed cool.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I really like this one by D’Addario. It is accurate, easy to read on a dark stage, and the battery lasts forever. It does have the fault of all clip ons I’ve used that you can’t tune while the band is playing. They pick up too much background sound. I like the Snarks as well but find they eat batteries. Every time I go to use it the battery is dead.

Eclipse Tuner | Accessories | D'Addario


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I have used pretty much everything that has been mentioned here and some. I like the Snark too but it's not as durable as the others. What I use is the Peterson Strobo Clip. Very accurate and easy to use. It's a bit expensive but for me, it's worth the price.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Pretty much a Snark.
I have a more expensive one and a cheaper one that are different brands--I use my Snark.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I also have this little Fender. It works fine as well.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

the red snark


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)




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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)




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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

I have a Polytune... a bit pricey though.
Bought it after a seller had given a LOT of info on a bunch of subjects :
I felt I had to help a bit... ;-)


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Another vote for the Snark - it can be visually obtrusive, but I just mount it so that the readout is on the back side of the headstock.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I use, then take off after tuning. 
I don't like seeing them left on the headstock.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

The TC Electronic Polytune works for me and very accurate. I use it to set the intonation on my guitars.


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## Lef T (Aug 9, 2018)

Alex said:


> he TC Electronic Polytune works for me and very accurate. I use it to set the intonation on my guitars.


I checked the Polytune out,but it was $80 at L&M.
I bought the Unitune that Sweetwater carries and it was on sale for $24 U.S.
It works great with my Telecaster.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Does anyone here use a tuning fork to tune one string and then tune the other strings to it?


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Doug Gifford said:


> Does anyone here use a tuning fork to tune one string and then tune the other strings to it?


Funnily enough, I found my old tuning fork the other day. It's been fun showing my students how to tune "old school".

I'll hold on to it so I can still tune after the Apocalypse.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I have an A 440 fork - it rejoices in my neglect.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Doug Gifford said:


> Does anyone here use a tuning fork to tune one string and then tune the other strings to it?


I've been using this for over forty years. It's only recently (2yrs) that I used a Snark.
Only because it was in the case of a guitar that I bought.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

I was looking for something the other day and came across my old pitch pipe( that's what my teacher called it) . You blow into it and it has a pitch to tune to for every string.


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## vokey design (Oct 24, 2006)

I like the TC PolyTune. The display is nice and bright, seems to be accurate and fast. Battery life has been great as well, well worth the money.


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## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

Doug Gifford said:


> Does anyone here use a tuning fork to tune one string and then tune the other strings to it?


I used to all the time. But I still tune the A string first out of habit when using a tuner.

_*Fun fact:*_ If you strike the tuning fork, put it on your head and open your mouth, your skull acts as a bit of an amplifier.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

troyhead said:


> _*Fun fact:*_ If you strike the tuning fork, put it on your head and open your mouth, your skull acts as a bit of an amplifier.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

Back here again ... I went to the local store and got this (cheap "on special") at $20.00.
That'll have to do the trick for now.
They had none of the mentioned tuners here in this thread and I needed something "now".
Better than using the smartphone and seems to be accurate enough.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Snarks that I get at the local mom'n'pop, and one marketed by a company called Oasis I got from a builder friend. Sometimes I fine tune by ear, sometimes I can't be bothered.

I still use tuning forks, an A and a C mostly, but I have others. Learned from watching my Dad tweak the family piano and discovered they make nearly chromatic instruments like the autoharp easier to tune.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Who cares, most of us are deaf anyways LOL. Just kidding,Snark for me and its close enough for rock and roll !!!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Every once and a while Reverb.com sells them for a buck.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

player99 said:


> Every once and a while Reverb.com sells them for a buck.


Yup. I have three of them. The comparative flexibility and intuitive controls of the Snark make it worth $19 more. YMMV.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

I use my tuning forks to check for bone fractures!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

JacquesP said:


> I use my tuning forks to check for bone fractures!


I'm not sure if you are joking or not. 

Patients would be referred to us for a test using sound waves to diagnose fractures that were difficult to confirm on x-ray. Not a comfortable procedure for the patient.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Mooh said:


> View attachment 286328
> .


Those wouldn’t look out of place in a Victorian era surgery.. lol


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

bw66 said:


> Yup. I have three of them. The comparative flexibility and intuitive controls of the Snark make it worth $19 more. YMMV.


I have one of the Reverb ones--rarely use it-in fact I think I used the battery from it for something else--I find it awkward to read.
But it's a decent back up.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Also have the Reverb one. Got a few of them and gave them away. The only one left I have not been using as it's harder to use than the snark or the Peterson Stroboclip that I prefer than any of the ones I have.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

greco said:


> I'm not sure if you are joking or not.
> 
> Patients would be referred to us for a test using sound waves to diagnose fractures that were difficult to confirm on x-ray. Not a comfortable procedure for the patient.


That'll (tuning fork) work well for superficial bony structures such as a clavicle, hand bones and some other similar bony structures, ... the vibration certainly causes (increased) pain. This is a good method for "on-site" situations (eg.: football games would be a great candidate) when other diagnostic tools are not readily available.
Anyway, works well for guitars ... and bones!!


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## Tone Chaser (Mar 2, 2014)

Doesn't anyone just use an Ap on their phone? I have several free ones that I often forget about having. They actually work well.


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## JacquesP (May 23, 2019)

I use(d) the "TUNA" app on my "smart" phone before I got a real tuner.
Not bad but rather inconvenient.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ovelin.guitartuna&hl=en_CA


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Tone Chaser said:


> Doesn't anyone just use an Ap on their phone? I have several free ones that I often forget about having. They actually work well.


I like them clipped on all my guitars without built in tuners.

As long as your band mates don't tune at high volumes they work great!

Sucks if they tune through a big thundering amp?

Gigging with others again I would get a pedal board tuner.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I have the Peterson IPhone app. It’s a little bit out on one string but can tweak it by ear anyway.

Also have a Peterson strobe on my board and it’s awesome.


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## pstratman (Jan 26, 2012)




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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

player99 said:


> Every once and a while Reverb.com sells them for a buck.


... a big +1 on on these. IMHO, just as accurate as a Snark, and cheap (when on promo). Nice thing is they're expendable at that price, but mine is still going strong after over 2 years. Only caveat is that they (as many others) next-to-impossible to see in sunlight/stagelight... I like the small-format Planet Waves for gigging, as they are in the shade of the back of the headstock and less susceptible to stage noise.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

The best tuners ever are the Tronical Min-etune. Press the button, strum the strings, the guitar tunes itself.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

player99 said:


> The best tuners ever are the Tronical Min-etune. Press the button, strum the strings, the guitar tunes itself.


Can they tune the B string just a little flat?


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Doug Gifford said:


> Can they tune the B string just a little flat?


Yes absolutely. You can have them save anything you want. There are a bunch of preset tunings, and a bunch of empty presets. It will also allow tuning drifts for example a piano that is slightly out of tune. You can create a custom preset to save exactly as you have it, or it will take that and make each string tune to the note.

They are not perfect, and sometimes can be glitchy. I put them on 4 or 5 of my guitars.

Don't buy old sets though. They have improved quite a bit over the years. The newest versions are faster, more accurate and have more presets.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I have the Peterson strobo clip HD and my backup is the Poly tune clip on. Both are very accurate and durable Both are on the expensive side but compared to what we spend on gear here its insignificant. The cheapest option is the Snark but I've read some complaints of the clips breaking or other quality issues. About $60 more and you have the Peterson. I paid just under $60 for my poly tune years ago but I see there up about the same price as the Peterson now. But worth it.


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## fernieite (Oct 30, 2006)

Tone Chaser said:


> Doesn't anyone just use an Ap on their phone? I have several free ones that I often forget about having. They actually work well.


Yeah, I have the free Boss tuner app on my phone. Works fine.

My main tuner is a tuning fork though.


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## cbg1 (Mar 27, 2012)

troyhead said:


> I used to all the time. But I still tune the A string first out of habit when using a tuner.
> 
> _*Fun fact:*_ If you strike the tuning fork, put it on your head and open your mouth, your skull acts as a bit of an amplifier.


hold the end of the fork handle to the top of an acoustic or bite it between your teeth 

this thread has me wondering if tuning forks are made from ferrous metal an electric guitar pickup might catch the sound .....now i have to see if i can find mine


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

cbg1 said:


> ... if tuning forks are made from ferrous metal an electric guitar pickup might catch the sound .....now i have to see if i can find mine


I have done this and it works.


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