Electronic tuner

[leathermarshmallow]

What do you think is the best electronic tuner for your money?

[smallshinything]

The clip on Intellitouch is an incredible value and something I never play without-it tunes in very noisy rooms and is darn true. At home where it's quiet, I love the Korg TM-40. That one follows me around everywhere. I find it has a great internal mic and I like the built in metronome.

[Ivan Kelsall]

The "Intelli" Clip-on tuners are very popular(& good),& seem to be used by a lot of folk on here. Easily carried in your Mandolin case, they can be slipped into a trouser pocket for use on stage or where/whenever it may be needed for a tune-up.
When i'm at home,i prefer to use a Fender Guitar tuner with an Intelli microphone tuner plugged into it. I clip that onto my Mandolin bridge & it seems to produce a much more stable tuning signal,
Saska

[JEStanek]

Intelli. The only irritation on mine (and reported by others) is a buzzing from part of the tuner that can be fixed with a little scotch tape across the front.


Jamie

[Tim2723]

I use the Intelli for acoustic instruments and a Boss stomp box tuner for anything I can plug in. To me a critical feature is a clear, light-up display so it can be seen in dim light, no matter where you are. I have a couple of inexpensive tuners that work well enough, but you can't see them in the dark.

[gregjones]

I just got an Intelli off eBay from "gozvyu" (seller name). They have them at a buy it now price of $25, with shipping. This seller also has them at auction. Watch the auctions and catch one ending at a non-peak time. I got mine for just under $20 with shipping.

It works well.

[wildpikr]

Intelli. The only irritation on mine (and reported by others) is a buzzing from part of the tuner that can be fixed with a little scotch tape across the front.

I agree about the buzzing...but I take it off after tuning - the headstock looks better without the tuner attached IMO.

[JHo]

I use the Tune Tech (re-branded, slightly upgraded Intelli) and mine does not buzz like my Intelli did. My only gripe with this one, which otherwise works quite well, is that the flat LED color (yellow) and the in-tune color (green) are in certain lights hard to differentiate.

[Bill Van Liere]

The Intelli pictured above is decent tuner for the money if you are after your first tuner. I use one for Bluegrass gigs where I carry only a mandolin.

I most often perform with a mandolin, octave mandolin and guitar and have used a Boss TU-12H with an aligator clip transducer that I purchased together somewhere back in the 1980's I believe, must be. Mine has endured much use through the years and today is held together with duct tape but keeps on going. It works better for lower notes on guitar and octave and also works better than the Intelli for setting a mandolin bridge. These are still sold today for $69.00 at Elderly so they must good. When it finially dies, I plan to purchase one of those Peterson Virtual Stobe Tuners which I saw Jeff Rose and the Detour boys (Michigan Bluegrass band) huddeling around a while back, and they are always in tune.

So I don't know what is best for you, but that has worked well for me.

[Jim Hilburn]

Man I miss my TU-12. Left it at a gig and it's gone forever.
Am I the only one who thinks the Intelli is a few cents off when it shows a right on needle? Especially noticable with mandolin pairs.
What I mean is the note can be slightly sharp or flat before the tuner reacts to it.

[JHo]

Am I the only one who thinks the Intelli is a few cents off when it shows a right on needle? Especially noticable with mandolin pairs. What I mean is the note can be slightly sharp or flat before the tuner reacts to it.

I've noticed that, but then I fine-tune by ear once I'm close enough that the Intelli says I'm right on. Sure there are more precisely accurate tuners out there, but the Intellis and Tune Techs serve their purpose quite well, while still being something I wouldn't be too broken up about replacing for $20-30 if mine got lost or damaged.

I do hear that the Korg clip-on tuner is notably more accurate, but then it lacks a backlight, which is a deal breaker for me. I'm really surprised the folks at Korg didn't think of that, especially when their product sells for twice the price of their competitor's product.

[Bill Van Liere]

To my ear, the Boss is more accurate than the Intelli. For the most part I think a transducer clip works better than a clip on tuner.

[Jim Hilburn]

I got an Intelli when Shar had them for $15. Been using it lately till I left it at a friends for about a week and reverted to the Intellitouch. It was so much more accurate I'm sticking with it.

[mandolirius]

I have an Intelli, because it's the only thing that fits in my case. So do a lot of others I know and none of us think much of them. They're just not very accurate. They'll get you in the ballpark, but that's it. They're ok for jams but not really accurate tuning.

My other tuner is a Sabine MT9000 which is pretty accurate, has audio tones as well and also quite a good metronome function.

[Bob Kirkland]

Man I miss my TU-12. Left it at a gig and it's gone forever.
Am I the only one who thinks the Intelli is a few cents off when it shows a right on needle? Especially noticable with mandolin pairs.
What I mean is the note can be slightly sharp or flat before the tuner reacts to it.

Yes, my experience is absolutely identical. I still, however, use it and tweak my strings by ear if necessary.

[EdSherry]

For stage use, I recommend the Intelli (not "Intellitouch") IMT-500, as pictured in Jamie's post above. # (I used to use the Intellitouch before the Intelli came out, but strongly prefer the Intelli.) #

I've tried the Korg AT clip-on tuner, but agree with other posters that its lack of a backlight is a deal-breaker for me.

I like the Boss TU-12 a lot, and use one for electric guitar, bass, etc., But for acoustic instruments, they need some sort of pickup in order to plug into the tuner. #(The built-in mic on it, and similar tuners, is all but useless when there's any background noise.) #

There are clip-on tuner pickups (Peterson and others make them), and I would agree that the combination of a clip-on pickup and the TU-12 will outperform the Intelli, but by the time you buy one of those ($15-20) as well as the tuner ($70), you're talking much more money than the Intelli ($20-25). #

I agree that the Intelli will not, by itself, get your instrument perfectly in tune. #You still need to "tweak" the tuning once you get close. #But the Intelli gets me to +/- 2 cents.

For studio/recording work, I use an old Conn Strobotuner.

[Greg H.]

I'm also really fond of the Sabine MT9000 (about $32.00 at Elderly) with an alligator clip mike. When it needs to be accurate that's the tuner of choice Once on stage (when quickness matters)I use intellitouch.

[JeffD]

I don't need a tuner more accurate than the intelli. I toyed with the idea of one of those Peterson's, but then I thought, I am going to do the final tweeking anyway, and what is important is how it sounds not how it looks on a screen. The intelli gets me close enough, if not right on. Then by ear I make the final compromises that make the mandolin sing.

[gregjones]

For stage use, I recommend the Intelli (not "Intellitouch") IMT-500, as pictured in Jamie's post above. # (I used to use the Intellitouch before the Intelli came out, but strongly prefer the Intelli.)

The Intelli seems to register, acknowledge, or recognize the presence of a tone much quicker than the Intellitouch. #Even more so on a mando than a guitar.

[Rick Jones]

The major annoyance I had with the Intellitouch, which drove me to buy the little Intelli, was that it would not 'let go' of a note. I'd be done tuning a string, and it would keep reading that note, even after I started on the next string. I often had to turn it off and back on again. The little Intelli seems to grab the note right away, and let go of it when you move on (if that makes sense).

[Jim Hilburn]

[QUOTE]I still tweak it by ear.
How do you know which string is right? Or if either is?
This makes no sense to me. The reason to use a tuner is to get right on, not close.
I guess I don't have the problem of the Intellitouch locking up. When I damp the strings it always clears.
I also have about as small a case as there is, the Gator-Stew-Mac type and the Intellitouch fits in there fine.

[Jim Hilburn]

I'm going to amend my previous statement. I went in to verify if what I said was accurate and realized the Intellitouch does infinitely hold a note even after the strings are muted. But when the next note is struck it immediately reads that one. If it doesn't for you it must not be getting a good signal for whatever reason.

[mandroid]

added a piezo transducer clip , plugs into to my Korg chromatic .
works best when the banjo-mandolin bridge is clipped to, better than the intellitouch on the headstock.

both have their place.

at home I'm often just using the electrono-piano and tune to it.

[red7flag]

I had an intelli until my dog chewed it up. It is as others have said not very precise. Good for jams and then a ear fine tuning. For minor recording, use a Korg CA30 with a Peterson TP-2 tuning pickup, which plugs right into the tuner and clips easily onto the headstock. The Korg is much more accurate, but be careful, it is easy to hit the calibration adjustment. One day, without noticing, I put the tuner in 444 tuning and then wonder I sounded like crud when I joined the jam. Was definately a duh moment when I found out the problem.
Tony
Tony

[jmkatcher]

Turbo Tuner ST-122 (www.turbo-tuner.com). I use it for everything with a Korg clip-on pickup. I've never had my mandolin feel more in tune, and the programmable goodies really help with guitars. It's a lot easier to use than the Petersons as well.