After market built in tuner

[wayjo]

Hi folks,

First post! Lovely to be here!

I had great fun and joy converting my first tenor to electric. The pickup between bridge and saddle does a good job and I think I did quite a good job of not wrecking the ukulele when I put two holes in it, one for the tuner and one for the jack and battery housing.

I now have another tenor, a bit nicerer than the last. I don't want to convert it to electric but, I do want to build in a digital tuner, similar to the one that came with my pickup but without the volume, bass and treble controls. I'm hoping someone understands what I mean.

I've searched for way too long now. I can only find a "built in tuner" if it's already built in to an existing ukulele being sold, new or otherwise.

Has anyone seen one of these babies? If not, I might need to get creative .

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice.

Cheers
wayjo

 

[Arcy]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't think I've ever seen a built-in tuner that wasn't part of a pickup system.

For a low-profile no-mod solution you might look at something like d'Addario's sound-hole tuners, or if you want to mod get a regular clip-on tuner, remove the clip, and create a semi-permanent mount. "Semi-" since you'll need to get at it for batteries / charging. You may be able to pop the guts of a tuner out of its case and 3D print a custom, mountable case.

I'd mount it temporarily where you want it to make sure it works in that location. Tuners aren't in general designed for the places you're likely to want to mount them, so they may not work as expected (or they might. Test it!)

Micro Soundhole Tuner | Accessories | D'Addario

Designed specifically for acoustic guitar, ukulele, and other acoustic instruments, the D'Addario chromatic Micro Soundhole Tuner remains perfectly concealed within the instrument’s soundhole

www.daddario.com

 

[KohanMike]

For a low-profile no-mod solution you might look at something like d'Addario's sound-hole tuners...

I tried that tuner on my tenor uke and it didn't quite fit, the bracing under the top got in the way of the clip. But that might have been the way my uke is constructed. If you don't like the protrusion of regular headstock tuners, look at the D'Addario Micro, it can be clipped underneath and the readout can be rotated with a push of a button.

 

[ic-uke]

Hi folks,

First post! Lovely to be here!

I had great fun and joy converting my first tenor to electric. The pickup between bridge and saddle does a good job and I think I did quite a good job of not wrecking the ukulele when I put two holes in it, one for the tuner and one for the jack and battery housing.

I now have another tenor, a bit nicerer than the last. I don't want to convert it to electric but, I do want to build in a digital tuner, similar to the one that came with my pickup but without the volume, bass and treble controls. I'm hoping someone understands what I mean.

I've searched for way too long now. I can only find a "built in tuner" if it's already built in to an existing ukulele being sold, new or otherwise.

Has anyone seen one of these babies? If not, I might need to get creative .

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice.

Cheers
wayjo

Hi Wayjo and congratulations on your first post.

I don't have anything to recommend either, sorry.

Perhaps, the Clamp-on tuner option would be worth consideration, especially in light of the fact that you have multiple instruments. Only one battery to change and all the instruments are calibrated to a single tuner.

It comes in handy when you need to match your tuning to the fixed tuning of another instrument i.e. piano. Find what it's tuned to, calibrate your Clamp-on tuner accordingly and you're in tune with each other. After you've tuned up, pass the tuner around to your bandmates and you're now playing in tune with a piano that may not have been re-tuned since it left the factory.

Cheers

IC-Uke

 

[TimWilson]

If you don't like the protrusion of regular headstock tuners, look at the D'Addario Micro, it can be clipped underneath and the readout can be rotated with a push of a button.

I ADORE this tuner! It looks tiny in that picture, but honestly, in person, it looks even smaller -- and is still super-easy to read because you can turn it in whichever direction you need. Definitely leave it on allllll the time, too, and no sign in my regular checks that it's marring the wood underneath it in any way. (Mine's mahogany, your mileage may vary!)

I have some expensive tuners, including this Peterson strobe tuner (which I just now noticed is "only" $59, down from the $79 I paid for it), but I'm not sure I've used a tuner that I enjoy more than this one. A gas, works dandily, cute as a button (and barely bigger than one), and only $20 for one and $37 for two, pretty much a no-brainer sez me. 😁

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Anyone know if a Snark will work properly if clipped into the side sound port rather than to the headstock? I’m guessing it may actually work better/ at least as well and will give it a try & report back shortly.

 

[wayjo]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't think I've ever seen a built-in tuner that wasn't part of a pickup system.

For a low-profile no-mod solution you might look at something like d'Addario's sound-hole tuners, or if you want to mod get a regular clip-on tuner, remove the clip, and create a semi-permanent mount. "Semi-" since you'll need to get at it for batteries / charging. You may be able to pop the guts of a tuner out of its case and 3D print a custom, mountable case.

I'd mount it temporarily where you want it to make sure it works in that location. Tuners aren't in general designed for the places you're likely to want to mount them, so they may not work as expected (or they might. Test it!)

Micro Soundhole Tuner | Accessories | D'Addario

Designed specifically for acoustic guitar, ukulele, and other acoustic instruments, the D'Addario chromatic Micro Soundhole Tuner remains perfectly concealed within the instrument’s soundhole

www.daddario.com

Hi Arcy,

Thanks for the welcome!

Yes, I was considering repurposing a decent clip-on jobby. I can see it going down that way very quickly . I'm amazed they don't already exist but, I guess very few people are happy to cut holes in their uke so prob limited market.

Cheers dude!
wayjo

 

[wayjo]

I tried that tuner on my tenor uke and it didn't quite fit, the bracing under the top got in the way of the clip. But that might have been the way my uke is constructed. If you don't like the protrusion of regular headstock tuners, look at the D'Addario Micro, it can be clipped underneath and the readout can be rotated with a push of a button.

Many thanks Mike, that's certainly worth a look at!

 

[wayjo]

Hi Wayjo and congratulations on your first post.

I don't have anything to recommend either, sorry.

Perhaps, the Clamp-on tuner option would be worth consideration, especially in light of the fact that you have multiple instruments. Only one battery to change and all the instruments are calibrated to a single tuner.

It comes in handy when you need to match your tuning to the fixed tuning of another instrument i.e. piano. Find what it's tuned to, calibrate your Clamp-on tuner accordingly and you're in tune with each other. After you've tuned up, pass the tuner around to your bandmates and you're now playing in tune with a piano that may not have been re-tuned since it left the factory.

Cheers

IC-Uke

Thanks IC-Uke!

I do have 3 clip-ons already... somehow 🤷‍♂️, and I don't think I would be without at least one anyway. As you say, so much more flexible.

cheers
wayjo

 

[wayjo]

I ADORE this tuner! It looks tiny in that picture, but honestly, in person, it looks even smaller -- and is still super-easy to read because you can turn it in whichever direction you need. Definitely leave it on allllll the time, too, and no sign in my regular checks that it's marring the wood underneath it in any way. (Mine's mahogany, your mileage may vary!)

I have some expensive tuners, including this Peterson strobe tuner (which I just now noticed is "only" $59, down from the $79 I paid for it), but I'm not sure I've used a tuner that I enjoy more than this one. A gas, works dandily, cute as a button (and barely bigger than one), and only $20 for one and $37 for two, pretty much a no-brainer sez me. 😁

I think you might work for D'Addario... 😁

 

[SweetWaterBlue]

Anyone know if a Snark will work properly if clipped into the side sound port rather than to the headstock? I’m guessing it may actually work better/ at least as well and will give it a try & report back shortly.

I quit using Snarks several years ago when it appeared they ate batteries like they were going out of style. Maybe I just bought a bad batch.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

I just replaced the 2032 in my Snark for the 1st time (it's lasted nearly 8 months) but, in general, I agree. 2032's aren't efficient.