Request advice for ukulele tuner (accurate and that does not eat-up batteries)

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UkeJordi

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Please could somebody advise on a good ukulele tuner? I presently have the Snark SN-6 but i am not at all happy with it. It's a good tuner but my unit has a fatal problem: it literally devours batteries, and the problem is getting worse, a bran new quality CR2032 only lasts a few days (and i don't use it that much, I tune once a day for a few moments). So I need something that will not die on me when I am travelling, and that is accurate. Please can you recommend?

Thanks

UkeJordi
 
Do you leave your tuner on while playing? I've had several Snarks (but have since become loyal to the Planet Waves micro headstock tuners) and for me batteries seem to last about a year or so, but then I don't leave the tuner on while playing. I turn it on, tune, turn it off, and don't turn it on again until the next time I need to tune - a couple times a day at most.
 
I only have the device switched-on when tuning, which is one or 2 minutes at most because my uke holds its tuning very well and mostly I do a small adjustment once a day. Yet, even with a new battery, after I switch off then the next time I power it on the screen is dimmer and the battery almost gone after 4 or 5 times...
 
I've had the same thing with a different tuner (a Fender, I think): I made completely sure that I had it turned off, even turned it off and put it in a drawer to make sure that I would not accidentally turn it on - and a day or so later, the battery would be empty.

I don't think it has anything to do with the brand of tuner, just an individual faulty one (a short somewhere, maybe?).


None of my Snarks (and I have about half a dozen now) have had the same issue; over the course of a year or more the display slowly gets dimmer, but that seems to be expected.
Especially because I start them out with the batteries that they come with, which are probably not the freshest / best quality to begin with.


Whereas the one micro headstock tuner that I bought came with a battery that was drained within half an hour of installing it - but the new battery I put in is lasting fine (I don't like those as much as I like the Snarks, though; they seem less accurate and less sensitive and the pulsating metronome - which cannot be switched off without switching the entire tuner off - gets on my nerves).

I don't suppose you still have a warranty on your Snark?


Eta: I love your taste in Ukuleles, by the way!
I have two Bruekos myself, and am madly in love with my new Mainland Mango Concert at the moment. :)
 
I am anxiously awaiting my D'Addario teeny-weeny tuners. They were 2 for $25. Bargain. What I love about them is they have a built-in metronome. Holy smokes, I'm hoping this helps for setting the correct tempo.
 
I'm a big Snark tuner fan. Accurate when compared to a Peterson StroboTune, and quick to the pitch. Their new mini tuner shares these traits.

The Planet Waves Micro is a tight package, small enough to be left on the headstock. I don't like it though. It wanders around the pitch. Most interesting of all, it is virtually useless on my Clara. My guess is that the Clara's construction (the rigidity of the composite and the hollow neck) transmits so much sound up the neck that it can't sort through the tone and attending overtones to settle on a single pitch. YMMV.

I also have a Tiki Tuner that I like very much. It has settings for chromatic, ukulele-C and ukulele-D tunings. It's a jaunty red color. Very pleasing.
 
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I have a tiki gogo tuner. Love mine, and I have had the same battery for a long long time tuning multiple instruments.
I have a Peterson Strobo clip that I use on occasion,but I don't use it often enough to comment on battery life with it.
 
I have a box full of tuners, mostly from the guitar days, and I cast another vote for the micro-tuners, for the uke. Can't beat the price, and you can get a two-pack at Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/DAddario-NS-Micro-Clip-On-Tuner/dp/B005FKF1PY

I haven't had any problems with them that aren't common among the others -- now and then, they don't like the A-string, but that's easily fixed by adjusting them on the swivel a hair.
 
reverb.com has a tuner for 3.99 that used to be 3usd. It's really a great sensitive tuner that is more accurate than my ear is. I couldn't say the same about any snark I've had. My only complaints would be that they dont seem to like noisy environments and it couldn't register a low-b string on a 5 string bass. But they're my goto tuners for any instrument work I have to do.
 
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Have you considered a smart phone app. I use DaTuner, which is android only and does everything I need, but there are heaps of them to choose from and most are free and the add free versions are a couple of bucks.

I also always know where I put my smartphone but where my tuning fork is is anyone's guess. I can also recommend using a baby grand piano but they are a little hard to carry round. They do have the advantage of not requiring batteries which can save money and they are very hard to misplace.

Tuning manually is good practice in terms of music skills and ear training and I generally only pull the smartphone out every now and then to check or when I am breaking in ukes I have just made.
 
you just have a defective unit. You could probably just buy another snark and not see the same problem. Keep the receipt.
 
Doug W said:
you just have a defective unit. You could probably just buy another snark and not see the same problem. Keep the receipt.
Click to expand...
I've had a Snark for about a year and haven't changed the battery yet!! I just bought 2 sn6 on amazon too. you must have gotten a :bad" one
 
I use the Martin Guitar phone app.
 
UkeJordi said:
Please could somebody advise on a good ukulele tuner? I presently have the Snark SN-6 but i am not at all happy with it. It's a good tuner but my unit has a fatal problem: it literally devours batteries, and the problem is getting worse, a bran new quality CR2032 only lasts a few days (and i don't use it that much, I tune once a day for a few moments). So I need something that will not die on me when I am travelling, and that is accurate. Please can you recommend?
Click to expand...

If you have an Android based smartphone, I recommend "Waves" tuner. It can be optimized for a ukulele (what ever that does). Seems to be very accurate. The down side is, it's useless in a noisy room. Up side is, needs only your phone charged and costs only 3 dollars.
 
Patrick Madsen said:
I like the GoGo Tiki Tuner. The batteries have lasted way longer than any other tuner I have including Snark.
Click to expand...

Newportlocal said:
I have a tiki gogo tuner. Love mine, and I have had the same battery for a long long time tuning multiple instruments.
I have a Peterson Strobo clip that I use on occasion,but I don't use it often enough to comment on battery life with it.
Click to expand...

I third this motion. My Gogo Tiki is my favorite. Man, is it bright. But like Newport, I can't attest to the battery life, because I don't use it on a daily basis. It still works fine though, and it has the same battery that came in it 2 years ago.
 
sukie said:
I am anxiously awaiting my D'Addario teeny-weeny tuners. They were 2 for $25. Bargain. What I love about them is they have a built-in metronome. Holy smokes, I'm hoping this helps for setting the correct tempo.
Click to expand...

Hah! I knew that you secretly wanted to be able to leave a tuner on your headstock all the time.

Now you've finally found a way to do it...
 
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