Peterson SC-1 Stroboclip Tuner

[Rob Gerety]

I should say that it has taken me a bit of time to get used to the level of accuracy and sensitivity the iStobe App provides and how that accuracy/sensitivity impacts the task of tuning up an instrument. If you have never used one of these tuners before and you are used to the typical clip on tuners we have all used for years now you will notice that that the variance in the pitch between the moment of attack and over the second or two or three that it decays is displayed in all its glory. Its not like you strike the string and the note sounds and holds its pitch while you tune. It moves all over the place. So this unit allows you to do some very fine tuning - but it does take a bit to get used to it. I'm glad I have it on my iPhone - I use it all the time when its not too noisy. I do still bring my little Intelli to jams/sessions. But this new strobe clip on does look really nice to me. When my Intelli bites the dust, and it surely will down the road, I'll probably pick up one of these.

[buckles]

...If you have never used one of these tuners before and you are used to the typical clip on tuners we have all used for years now you will notice that that the variance in the pitch between the moment of attack and over the second or two or three that it decays is displayed in all its glory. Its not like you strike the string and the note sounds and holds its pitch while you tune. It moves all over the place. So this unit allows you to do some very fine tuning - but it does take a bit to get used to it. ...

Well put, Rob.

[peterleyenaar]

Naturally, I had to get one of these, I must be tuning obsessed, I only have about 5 tuners, including an expensive Seiko ST 1100.
For me this StroboClip tuner is the BEST, the chords on my mandolin have never sounded as sweet as tuned with the StroboClip set at mandolin, sweetend,
I didn't find it too large and it fits (just) in my mandolin case, the strobe tuning requires a little getting used to , however , very precise, now I wished I had Waverley tuners on my mandolin.

[Philippe Bony]

Stroboclip tuner features this :
The StroboClip also features a Sustain mode. In Sustain mode, the StroboClip can be set to hold the tuning pattern for a short time after the note has decayed so that instruments with short voices, such as banjo and mandolin, can be tuned. For regular tuning, the Sustain mode feature can be turned off.

[Brent Hutto]

For me this StroboClip tuner is the BEST, the chords on my mandolin have never sounded as sweet as tuned with the StroboClip set at mandolin, sweetend

Absolutely.

I just got my first mandolin earlier this week but have a StroboClip that I use with my guitar. I'm just learning to pick out a few melodies. This morning I noodled around for a few minutes and then for the first time totally locked in the exact tuning on all eight strings (using the MAN sweetener) instead of just leaving everything "close enough for a beginner".

Played the tune I was working on a couple times and it sounded much more resonant. Then my wife came in from the other end of the house and said "I don't know what you just did but it sounded like you started playing a piano in here". And this with just a little Redline Traveler pancake flatty. Ye Gods!

[i-vibe]

i have no reservations about the tuning abilities of these but that little metal post looks like a possible weak spot and might prove to be troublesome???

i've only seen oics of these tuners....is that an inaccurate and needless concern?

[Brent Hutto]

Yeah, it is the weak spot. It does not feel flimsy at all but it's a pretty long lever that gets twisted around every time you move the tuner around. I would worry about the hinge at the base of the post. The post itself is solid but you could imagine a few years down the road having that hinge wear out.

[Jim Garber]

I can't seem to find other pictures of this tuner even on the Peterson site. I am esp interested in seeing how the clip works since I have a few instruments with odd-shaped headstocks.

[buckles]

Hi Jim, the stroboclip fits nicely on a mandolin or guitar and the swivel head is easy to position. I have more trouble using it on a fiddle. On a fiddle, the best for me has been to clip it on the back of the scroll, between the pegs, and stick the display out between the third and fourth string pegs, so I can see it easily while the violin is in playing position.

[shortsighted_stevie_b]

Hi folks,
I tried the Stroboclip for 2 days, then I gave it back. It is a nervous little thing, too nervous for me. The "needle" jumps around: too low, too high, suddenly another note appears in the display...pfffffff...tuning a mandolin seemed to be impossible.
Maybe anybody outhere has other experience??

[Brent Hutto]

I'm used to using an older Peterson strobe to tune my guitars. The Stroboclip seems to settle faster than my external one so nothing jumpy about it for me. But it's second nature for me to move the tuners slowly but surely and "sneak up" on the note, usually without overshooting at all.

Maybe sticky tuners or nut slots? I find my mandolin in general to take a bit lighter touch on the tuners than my everyday guitar (which has nice Waverly tuners). But since strobe tuners are basically the only kind I've ever used I haven't had any trouble other than the fact my fat fingers don't like to get in there among the knobs so good...

[buckles]

stevie, there are two modes the stroboclip can use for displaying, one is NOR for normal, the other is SUS for sustain. if you had switched to SUS you would have gotten a more stable display.

[shortsighted_stevie_b]

@brent and buckles: I guess you are right. Even if i tried every mode the Stroboclip offers, i didn't work well - to me.
Maybe I am the one, who's too nervous...:-))

[Brent Hutto]

I don't know that it's nervous. You're just used to tuning in a way that doesn't mesh well with the Peterson display.

I always play by myself, almost always in my own living room where it's nice and quiet and I generally have plenty of time. So I learned to sneak up on tuning at a speed that would probably drive anyone crazy...if there were anyone around to hear it. For me the more information the better and Peterson tuners are perfect.

When I first started playing guitar I got a super cheap "needle" tuner. I realized at once that I was hearing sour notes that the needle seemed to say were dead on. I'd sneak up on it a tiny bit at a time and at some point the needle would point to <0> but I was still nudging it up to where it sounded right. So I ended up just setting one string by the needle and tuning the rest by ear based on intervals.

My problem was, that is really really really slow. My ear is very sensitive to something being slightly "off" but I'm terrible at figuring out which direction or how much. So I got a (used) strobe tuner and have been happy as a pig in mud ever since. But that says as much about me as about the tuners.

[MLT]

I can't seem to find other pictures of this tuner even on the Peterson site. I am esp interested in seeing how the clip works since I have a few instruments with odd-shaped headstocks.

Jim,

I ordered mine before they were available to ship, I had my local store check to ensure that the clip opened wide enough to accomodate the head of my Labraid prior to making the order. Here are a couple of pic's, maybe someone else has a different (scroll, etc) head and a strobo-clip that they could post as well.

[fredfrank]

I got one of these, and although I like it, my wife had commandeered it for her bass. Most of our other tuners can't hear all the bass strings, but this thing sure does!

[Jim Garber]

Jim,

I ordered mine before they were available to ship, I had my local store check to ensure that the clip opened wide enough to accomodate the head of my Labraid prior to making the order. Here are a couple of pic's, maybe someone else has a different (scroll, etc) head and a strobo-clip that they could post as well.

Thanks... the worst offender is my Pandini which prob has a "scroll" similar to yours. I know that the old Intelli tuners clipdid not work on it.

[delsbrother]

Wow, that thing on a scroll head is.... unattractive.

[Brent Hutto]

I think anything clipped to the headstock of a musical instrument is ugly. Tuner, capo, whatever. Then again, a lot of headstocks seem butt ugly to me so there's no accounting for taste.

[roundel325]

Be careful with this tuner. I've been using it for the last month and love the accuracy (good enough to tune string pairs together when it can't be done by ear at a loud bar gig), but this morning when folding it up to put it in my case the pivot on the rear of the LCD failed. It just came apart. No broken plastic, but there is something rattling around in the LCD housing now. Since the tuner body is press-fit together, I can't open it up to try to repair it. Hopefully I can get it replaced, but I'm officially not impressed with the mechanics of this tuner, given it's price.

It's going to be tough to go back to the intelli...