Recommendations of tuners that use easily available rechargeable batteries

Orton Pearson

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Can anyone recommend a tuner that does not use a CR2032 battery but instead uses rechargeable batteries that can be bought anywhere? I need a recommendation that is not based on a fixed in rechargeable battery that cannot be got at to be replaced.

There are now rechargeable CR2032 batteries but they need their own special battery charger that will not charge any other type of battery. Since the rechargeable CR2032 batteries and appropriate specialist chargers are not common they are prohibitively expensive in comparison with the more easily found rechargeable batteries and their chargers.

My need is for a tuner which uses the sort of rechargeable batteries that can be bought anywhere such as AA, AAA or C. They can be recharged by means of normal battery chargers. I already have such batteries and chargers, including chargers that use solar power.
 
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All of the clip-on tuners I've seen use CR2032s or similar - space is at a premium and larger batteries won't fit.

If you got a uke with a pickup then you can get an external tuner. I have a tuner built into my metronome (Kliq MetroPitch -- takes 2 AAs) which I can plug into, or I plug into a computer or my phone (via iRig HD2) and can run a tuner there. You can also plug into a pedal which runs on 9V (either by battery or wall power).

If you don't have a pickup, the phone (and metronome, I think) can also work by microphone, but that doesn't work so well if there's a lot of other noise about.
 
You can buy a clip to use with a tuner like a Korg. Not as convenient as something like a Snark, but should fit your needs, & IMO works well.
 
At Battery Junction, 20 Panasonic CR2032 cost $4.80. Add $4.20 shipping to total $9. Stick two in every gig bag or case and elsewhere you can think of. So this may be a viable option if expense and availability are the priorities for a tuner.
 
Bill’s post above leads you in the right direction but be quick to note it’s contents as he typically removes his posts after a few days - I wish he didn’t ‘cause what he says is worth keeping recorded for folk to use later.

I’ve found KORG products to be good and suggest a combined tuner and metronome with clip on microphone like Korg’s TM60C Combo Tuner Metronome & Contact Microphone. They are not cheap and I think they’re clumbersome but if you want to stick with larger batteries then you will need to take the contact microphone route and pay more. A contact microphone is needed for use in groups because an ordinary microphone will too often pick up conflicting sounds from the players around you. For home use and other places with low background noise a basic KORG CA-30 should be fine and (assuming that it’s stiil being made) a lot cheaper. I’ve had a CA-30 for years, in the right environment it works for me and you might be able to pick up one second hand too - IMHO second hand is the green way to buy and typically cost effective too.

Personally I prefer compact clip on tuners for Ukes and am happy enough with button cells. I dispose of spent batteries properly and generally work at being ‘green’ in other ways, but YMMV.
 
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My first reaction is my D'Addario/Planet Waves micro-tuner battery lasts so long, I don't think about it, and I'm a rechargeable battery heavy user. I keep a couple of CR2032 in my gig bag all time, they have a long shelf life.

You can buy a clip to use with a tuner like a Korg. Not as convenient as something like a Snark, but should fit your needs, & IMO works well.
Having said that, I just searched and found a Peterson TP-3 Clip-On Tuner Pickup. Good choice for ukes without a pickup, just buy any AA, AAA or 9v powered tuner with 1/4" input port. My first tuner was like that, but the small clip-ons a far more convenient.

Clipon cable.png


At Battery Junction, 20 Panasonic CR2032 cost $4.80. Add $4.20 shipping to total $9. Stick two in every gig bag or case and elsewhere you can think of. So this may be a viable option if expense and availability are the priorities for a tuner.
The original poster, Ukeless, is in the UK.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/videos
 
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I purchased my son the new Kala Klap rechargeable clip on tuner from Amazon, it was affordable ($11.99) and he is thrilled with charging it via USB. Charge lasts at least as long as any of my Snarks or my 3 Kliq Ubertuners.
The Kala has a very readable color display and is a chromatic tuner. I tested on 2 of my Ukes and he uses it multiple times a week with his Bass Guitar. Which buy the way basses can prove difficult for some tuners to pickup properly.
Best wishes in your tuner searches.
 
I have an old chunky tuner that used a 9v battery, that I rarely use.
I am no expert, but I believe that clip on tuners pick up vibrations directly from the headstock, and hence are more reliable than those you don't clip on, which only use a microphone. I dont know if you can get a clip on with standard batteries.
I wouldnt go without clip on tuners, and those batteries last a long long time.
 
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I purchased my son the new Kala Klap rechargeable clip on tuner from Amazon, it was affordable ($11.99) and he is thrilled with charging it via USB. Charge lasts at least as long as any of my Snarks or my 3 Kliq Ubertuners.
The Kala has a very readable color display and is a chromatic tuner. I tested on 2 of my Ukes and he uses it multiple times a week with his Bass Guitar. Which buy the way basses can prove difficult for some tuners to pickup properly.
Best wishes in your tuner searches.

Good find Steve, I was not aware of these.

If you don't need a clip on tuner and you own a smart phone there are many good free tuning apps. I use mine all the time when I am just playing at home. Your phone is rechargable so there you go!!!!
 
If you mean AA batteries, there are tuners that user them, but, of course, they're not clip-on. I have one, but I no longer use it since clip-ons are so convenient. If you want rechargeable, get a Kala rechargeable tuner. Vic Schmeltz reviewed one a while ago, and I bought one. Just be aware that it tunes several instruments, so you have to hold the power button for two seconds to turn it on and off.

https://kalabrand.com/products/kala-klipz-recharge?variant=5405725753377

You have a lot of good choices for a larger tuner.

https://smile.amazon.com/Korg-CA40-...=1539599604&sr=8-6&keywords=instrument+tuners
 
My Korg tuner takes one AAA battery. I have a clip-on microphone that plugs into the tuner, and then you can clip on to the instrument, like you would a Snark or other clip on tuner. Works well.
 
My Korg tuner takes one AAA battery. I have a clip-on microphone that plugs into the tuner, and then you can clip on to the instrument, like you would a Snark or other clip on tuner. Works well.

I have the same. If your uke has a pickup built in, you can just use a standard 6mm lead to connect to the tuner.

I prefer clip on tuners but I found most clip ons weren't satisfactory with a u-bass but the Korg worked fine.
 
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2023 batteries are just too cheap to worry about. Get them in large packs via Amazon or an EBay source.
 
I think the OP is more concerned about environmental impact than out-of-pocket cost.
 
I also have the Kala rechargeable clip-on tuner and recommend it highly. All my other tuners have been tossed into my ukulele junk box as spares/backups if needed.

I purchased my son the new Kala Klap rechargeable clip on tuner from Amazon, it was affordable ($11.99) and he is thrilled with charging it via USB. Charge lasts at least as long as any of my Snarks or my 3 Kliq Ubertuners.
The Kala has a very readable color display and is a chromatic tuner. I tested on 2 of my Ukes and he uses it multiple times a week with his Bass Guitar. Which buy the way basses can prove difficult for some tuners to pickup properly.
Best wishes in your tuner searches.
 
I think the OP is more concerned about environmental impact than out-of-pocket cost.

Quite, 'use until it is exhausted' consumables are so last century. I also regard cables from instruments to amps etc as also last century. Play an instrument cable-free either into a cable-free microphone or use a transmitter that sends the sound from the instrument to be picked up by the amp.
 
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With regard to the Kala Klap I can envisage a performer's uke going out of tune in mid-performance and that performer giving the audience the re-assuring comment "Don´t worry, I've got the Klap".

What is the real name of this recommended tuner?
 
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Looks like there are other rechargeable clip-on tuners on Amazon, too, at least in the US.
 
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