What tuner do you use?

strat4me

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I am currently using a Snark tuner but was wondering if there is a better tuner for the ukulele?
 
I am currently using a Snark tuner but was wondering if there is a better tuner for the ukulele?

I started with Snark, now I use the Planet Waves/D'Addario tuners. I have one on each of my instruments.

-Kurt​
 
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Eno ET-33. It came in a package with my first ukulele, before I ever heard of snark or planet waves. It is still going strong.
 
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I was using the D'Addario Planet Waves NS-Micro tuner, and after getting a half-dozen of them and keeping them on various ukes, I realized that the constant battery changing was costing me a small fortune. After about 30 days use, the batteries (in everything) in my house seem to go flat. Now they are all in a cigar box in my drawer, unused.
see here: https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-NS-Micro-Clip-On-Tuner/dp/B005FKF1PY

I grabbed one of the Reverb tuners when they went on sale for $1 with free shipping. It works well enough. Next time they went on sale, I bought myself a 5-pack as 'backups', none of which have even been opened yet and are in the drawer for when the first one I bought finally dies. It is still going strong 2 yrs later. Battery lasts a long while too, which is nice. see here: https://reverb.com/item/204704-reverb-clip-on-tuner

For an app, I like and used instuner on iOS. It has several different modes, including 2 'strobe tuner' modes, and was free when I bought it. see here: http://eumlab.com/instuner/

One of the things I like about instuner is that it shows the OCTAVE of the note you are in, which is very handy for string changes so you done overtune to an octave too high and pop a string from excessive tension.

Would that I could, I'd like to get the TC Electronic PolyTune clip-on ($49) which has a strobe mode, or the Peterson Clip-on Strobe Tuner ($79) but that's an awful lot for me to spend for precision that I can get from a free app.

Maybe if I win the lottery and after ALL debts are paid, I can 'splurge' on such a fancy tuner - LOL :)
 
I use a Snark tuner that I bought “new” for a low price on eBAY a coupla' years ago, and it still works ok; well enough for my purposes. FWIW, however, when first tried, its display was pretty dim, and before too long, the battery died. I'm guessing it may have been NOS (new old stock).
YMMV, but caveat emptor.
 
I have a Snark which works very well and is still holding together. (5+ years) When I read about all the problems a lot of people seem to have with them breaking and falling apart it makes me wonder how they are being handled. It shouldn't be a problem at all if you handle it with the proper respect. I also use a Reverb which is another excellent tuner. I couldn't pass up the deal when they were selling for $1 with free shipping.
 
I have probably a dozen Planet Waves/D'Addario mini tuners and the batteries last a very long time. You do have to be sure to turn them off when not tuning, I've noticed in my uke group that a few people leave on all through the hour rehearsal.
 
I have a Snark tuner which I've had and used since I started on this Uke journey. It works fine without any breakage.

But, in a weak moment, I bought a Kala tuner that tunes in GCEA, ADF#B & Chromatic (I think), and isn't worth a bucket of spit. I threw it in my spare parts box and have only kept it because . . . I dunno.

Maybe, if folks wouldn't leave their Snarks attached all the time, they wouldn't break. I dunno . . . :eek:ld:
 
I use an app on the phone
 
SNARK SN-6

It's had one battery change since December 2015, a couple of months ago.

(I did buy a couple of others, as backup, but haven't needed to use either, & one is still in its packaging.)
 
Good to know they work well. I looked at them a while ago Online, though didn't purchase one because I knew nothing about them. They are very reasonably priced from what I could see.

I too have a clip on eno et-33 which as I recall was bought off of Amazon for a good price (various sellers are there and the price was very variable). It has worked very well for me, is compact and seems reasonably robust; I bought a second eno when I mistakenly thought that the first one had died. Their button cell batteries do last (I think that the original factory battery supplied with it lasted about two years) and good quality replacements are cheap to buy. When the display eventually becomes dull and hard to see then replace the battery - don't bother checking its voltage with a multimeter - and the display will look even better than it did when the tuner was new.

I have a Korg free standing tuner that I use for other instruments and used with Uke's before I got the eno. It works just fine but is relatively bulky and can pick up background sounds. The Korg (CA-30) is about a decade old. I can't remember ever changing the battery on it and (for non Uke use) would replace it with another if lost or brocken.
 
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I have, in order of acquisition, an Eno ET-3000+, Snark SN-6, a small tuning fork and a DAddario Planet Waves NS Micro. The Eno ET 3000+ is really a guitar tuner that also does chromatic but is too big to sit on the uke while playing. The Snark is great but I worry about breaking it. The tuning fork is probably the most accurate but you need a good ear and a quiet room to use it well. And that leaves the Planet Waves NS-Micro which is my "go-to" tuner these days because of it's small size and reasonable accuracy. As an aside, I've never had battery issues with any of these tuners least of all the tuning fork.
 
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I thought I would share a few observations. Reverb graciously donated tuners for all of our school ukuleles (I had been inquiring to purchase) and they are decent tuners. Some stop working, requiring the removal of the battery, then reinstallation. Problem fixed. Works every time. Batteries are the 2032s, which I buy at IKEA.

I also have a Snark SN-6 (older model), some D'Addario micro tuners (sound hole and mini clip) and had one break...excellent customer support from them. I also have a Joyo tuner that was an eBay purchase.

I tested all of these following Cool Cat's tuner review, and the most accurate was the D'Addario (consistent across a bunch of them) and then the Joyo. But every tuner will get you into decent tolerance of intonation. Only the best trained ears can do better on their own with a fork.

I have also had great experience with the Kala Tuner on my phone. This is a bad solution at a jam, but good at any other time. And it is free. It is nice to always have a tuner with me if I need it.
 
I like the Snark, but the thing I can not stand about it is the little rubber foot that is part of the clip. Once it start comes off, and IF you manage to get it back on the clip, its just a matter of time before the stinker comes off again, and you have to wrestle it back on.

I do not like playing with the snark on the uke. So when I am done tuning it goes back into the bag and in the case, unless I am breaking in new strings.
 
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I have a Snark, works fine. It has needed a new battery at one point over the last 2 years. Also have a couple of the Plant Waves Micros, the sound hole version keep falling in the sound hole on all 3 of my ukes and is a bit of a pain to turn on and off, I stopped using it. Their Micro headstock tuner works fine, and it's more hidden then the Snark, it needed a new battery after about 6 months. The Snark is easier to move between instruments. I have an app on my phone but I don't carry the phone with me all that much so the standalone tuners are more convenient.
 
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I was using the D'Addario Planet Waves NS-Micro tuner, and after getting a half-dozen of them and keeping them on various ukes, I realized that the constant battery changing was costing me a small fortune. After about 30 days use, the batteries (in everything) in my house seem to go flat.

I wonder what that's all about - I have 6 of those NS-Micros and I've only ever had to change one battery. And if you buy the batteries in bulk on Amazon, it cuts the small fortune down by about 50% of retail, with a lot less packaging.

ETA: worth mentioning - I always, always turn my tuners off the minute I'm done tuning. Drives me crazy to see those flashing lights when I play - but I wonder if this conserves battery life as well??
 
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He's on UU quite often, but it might be worth noting the Peterson clip on tuner that Barry Maz talked about as well. As a trained classical musician (band and choir), the reverence for the Peterson Strobe Tuner in the instrumental world is unmatched. These tuners still cost over $500 new, some significantly more than that.

They sell a clip-on with a strobe feature, about $78 (!) right now. It is likely more accurate than you'll ever need...but there you go.

Incidentally, Peterson also sells an app, and people are just as happy with their app as their desktop versions. In the instrumental world, people also adore the Tonal Energy Tuner. Just some more things to consider.
 
There's always the good old pitch pipe! :D
 
I have a tuning fork,and a small clip on tuner called a 'Grafter'.
It is nothing special, but it does the job! I believe its simply a
generic tuner, mass produced in the east (as are so many things)
and it has never let me down.
But I prefer the tuning fork to be honest.Tune one string with it
and then tune up using 'relative tuning'. Suits me,and does not
scare the horses!
 
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