Peterson Stroboclip HD Tuner - REVIEW

bazmaz

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Looks nice, and I am quite tempted by the sweetened tunings. But there are a number of complaints on Amazon about the arrangements of the buttons, and how it can difficult to access the center power button in the dark without hitting the wrong button and changing the mode and so forth. Some of those criticisms are over a couple of years old now - is this still an issue with the new model?
 
The Peterson Stroboclip HD tuner is my favorite tuner. Yes, the buttons are small - but they are easily operated. I like the sweetened tunings and have found it to be my most accurate and easy to use tuner.
 
Looks nice, and I am quite tempted by the sweetened tunings. But there are a number of complaints on Amazon about the arrangements of the buttons, and how it can difficult to access the center power button in the dark without hitting the wrong button and changing the mode and so forth. Some of those criticisms are over a couple of years old now - is this still an issue with the new model?

I bought a Peterson Stroboclip HD about a month ago and I’m very happy with it. The center power button sits higher than the two adjacent buttons, so it's quite easy to identify, even just by feel alone.
 
Was certainly fiddly on the old version. This one not so much. Buttons are quite tactile and obvious
 
It seems having a nice display and easy to find find the tuning. However I am very skeptical to any sweetened tunings, especially when concerned ukuleles with their nylon strings, what with the uncompensated saddles and nut faults. Just too much automation that wont't work so well in many instruments.

So to me a stable needle display tuner, able to show manual compensation much easier than with a strobe tuner. Even if the cents off are not really shown. My preference.
 
To be honest, I kind of agree with you on ukuleles - but the 50 tunings cover FAR more than ukes. Can see it being really helpful for things like Buzz Feiten tunings and lap steels. I know brass players too who use strobes for exactly their ablity to de-tune, or tune up, micro amounts on notes.

The trouble with needle tuners in clip on form is that the needle itself is so thick in the LCD (due to the limitations of the LCD) that they cannot be as accurate as this tuner. Sure an analogue needle tuner like I used to use with guitar 30 years back was very accurate. But they were mechanical and even then the mechanical strobes would beat them for the same reason. Very different to clip on needles though.
 
Just tested my Unitune clip with DaTuner android app. When unitune, not exactly a standard needle display but some colors added, showed my 4 strings were in perfect tune, then I was not more than about maybe 2.5 cents off in them of what the mic tuner showed. Our hearing perception is about 5 cents, not taken in account the difference tone help with our strings, but in general.

Unitone is certainly over marketed with some stupid inner workings with their advertising about how accurate you can actually tune when it is not so. As you told, some limitations regarding the display.

But what is most important you can tweak your ukulele regarding imperfections much easier than with the strobo mode. Instead wondering how fast things go left or right :)
 
Nice review. Peterson makes great products and has been the standard for many years.
 
Just tested my Unitune clip with DaTuner android app. When unitune, not exactly a standard needle display but some colors added, showed my 4 strings were in perfect tune, then I was not more than about maybe 2.5 cents off in them of what the mic tuner showed. Our hearing perception is about 5 cents, not taken in account the difference tone help with our strings, but in general.

Unitone is certainly over marketed with some stupid inner workings with their advertising about how accurate you can actually tune when it is not so. As you told, some limitations regarding the display.

But what is most important you can tweak your ukulele regarding imperfections much easier than with the strobo mode. Instead wondering how fast things go left or right :)

To be honest, people who use strobe tuners (the expensive bench models at least) do so as they are in musical instrument tech jobs. It's for dialling in as close to accurate intonation and setup as can be achieved.

Can you hear those imperceptible differences, no, likely not. But then the clip is only $50 not $1500!
 
Mine was just delivered by Amazon. It's nice, and easier to use than I thought it would be, but I'm not sure if I'll keep it yet. For one thing, I can't hear any difference at all with the sweetened tunings on my guitar - which was one of my reasons for the purchase. Not saying it's not real, but I don't hear it. My favorite guitar tuner - the Polytune - seems to work about as well, and is easier to read being brighter.

I have D'Addario Mini Tuners mounted on all my ukes, and the Peterson does work better than those. But the Mini Tuners are so convenient as they don't have to be removed when traveling or placing the uke in the case that I don't see myself replacing them any time soon. I've gotten rather used to not having to mount and unmount tuners, and just always having one on the peghead whenever I pick up a uke.

Where I could see real value in the Peterson is setup work setting intonation. I'll try that with one of my guitars this afternoon.
 
I think setting up and intonation is the real bonus Besley - it's kind of why I own one (and owned the earlier one). I'm trying to tell the truth to people in reviews so it stands to reason I should get the ukulele as accurately in tune as I can before I record.

But when I am playing in other rooms for fun - I tend to use D'Addario's too.

I do know other people who own these who use them before they record instrumental stuff. Suppose again it's a bit of peace of mind that it's accurate as it can be before hitting record!

ps - just tried the sweetened acoustic guitar tuning on my Gibson J45 and it's quite noticeably different - in a nice way. I can't really notice it on the ukulele though - despite the tuner itself telling me 'something' has changed!
 
I noticed that the UKE 'sweet' setting is for a concert ukulele - will that make much difference for soprano and tenor users?
 
I don't think so - it's a sweetener for GCEA tuning. The bartitone is problematic though.
 
Sweetened tuning I suppose is to take care of the uncompensated saddle. The C string is very thick and tends to go sharp upper the fretboard we play. I see no other reason, except that compensation to take care of that. To have it tuned somewhat lower. Our ukulele strings are within one octave, or rather within a 6th.

Also regarding guitar with just a 2 octave range. It can't be compared to a piano with 7 or more octaves and then some limitations of how the upper frequences of base strings sound. Is it like digital pianos are are that much compensated? They are not. It is an acoustic piano thing.

All this James Taylor thing of sweetening acoustic guitar by tuning base strings somewhat lower, I don't really buy. Anyways you will need to have suberb guitar and always new strings on it if hear any difference. Of course you can believe in that like Barry just told above in his believe.

With my old uke strings and and unitune strobe mode I could get somewhat closer of what the second hand mic tuner told, Something like about +-1 cent. Is that important, I really don't know. Too much bother anyways when the display has only one segment unlike your expensive Petersons lol
 
I don't need to 'believe' it - I can hear the sweetened tuning on my acoustic guitar with my own ears!
 
There is a difference also between acoustic guitar uncompensated saddle slant than if it is compensated. Between unwound and wound strings. So I guess agree with you on that.

Don't believe in that the acoustic vibrations need that in a just 2 octave open string range like in piano. I don't have a higher end acoustic like yours :(
 
I stopped by the Guitar Center to buy stroboclip HD. To my surprise they had it marked down 30%. I asked it it was a return. The clerk said, “No. Just a random mark down. So, I saved $18. I was happy with that.
 
I stopped by the Guitar Center to buy stroboclip HD. To my surprise they had it marked down 30%. I asked it it was a return. The clerk said, “No. Just a random mark down. So, I saved $18. I was happy with that.

Good deal! In fact, i would buy one again at the ticket price. Why? Well, because as I say - in the big scheme of things we are spoiled with tuners. As I say in my review I still remember when your only option was to get a big plug in thing with a needle that cost (even with inflation) several times more than a Snark (or similar).
 
GuitarCenter.com lists the 30% discount with a save30 coupon code, but rejects it as expired when I tried to use it. They'll probably honor it if one talks to a real person. I'm going to be right by my local store later this week and may stop in. Like Baz, I have one but could use another -- especially since my wife's been picking up her autoharp again and may remember that I stole hers ;) .

You can create customized sweetenings if you want a sweetened baritone. I have no idea how to figure out what you'd want to set them to beyond starting with something close and then adjust to taste.
 
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