We’re an odd lot around here. When a
really high-end piece shows up for a
review – last month’s Moonstone Vulcan
Extreme, for instance – everyone seems
intimidated at first, like when a really
cute new girl would show up at school.
Eventually, it will get picked up and played,
but only after several rounds of “Oh my
God, that’s beautiful!” and “How much
is it?” But send in something less rarified
– some cool pickups, a new stomp
box, or a nice mid-level guitar – and all
hell breaks loose. Everyone tries to horn
in on the action, even our Production
Manager, which is sad only when you
discover he’s really a drummer. So when
Sonic Research sent their compact ST-122
Turbo Tuner chromatic strobe tuner for us
to review, history’s most pathetic catfight
quickly ensued, with myself eventually
emerging as the shallow victor over my
editor, owing in part to my almost superhuman
slapping skills, but mostly because
I run surprisingly fast for a big guy.
After hiding safely behind locked doors,
I decided to lose the instructions – it is
a tuner, after all – and just live with the
thing for a while. I easily tuned up my battered
acoustic, with the Turbo Tuner being
simple enough for even me to understand;
hit the power button, place it in the
general area of the guitar, and tune up.
The built-in mic had no issues, performing
well even with the extraneous racket
of Adam banging on the door. Automatic
note selection was fast as hell. Out of the
box the ST-122 defaults to Auto/Chromatic
mode, so it’s basically power up, plug in
or start playing, and tune, with the strobe
being bright enough to see clearly and
the LCD large enough to read comfortably
for even the worst of eyes.
Next, I decided I’d try intonating a Strat
after slapping on a fresh set of strings.
Again, it was ridiculously simple to get
where I wanted by simply winging it – no
manual referencing for this man’s man.
However, curiosity eventually got the best
of me, and scrolling through the ST-122’s
various modes gave me a taste of this
tuner’s capabilities, so, coming down from
the high of my previous coup d’état over
my editor, I admitted my fallibility and
popped open the manual.
The buttons are straightforward, with
the primary functions labeled on the
buttons themselves, and the secondary
functions, accessed by holding
down the ALT button, labeled underneath
their respective buttons. The
BAKLITE [sic] button scrolls through
Off, On, Key or a unique Sound function,
lighting up when – you guessed it
– a sound is made. The MODE button
scrolls through the various tunings and
instruments available while in alternate-
tuning mode, offering everything
from DADGAD to cello tunings. To get
back to Chromatic mode, simply hit the
CHROM button. Manual or Automatic
operation is available in any mode,
chromatic or alternative-tuning. The
reference pitch can be changed from
A=440Hz by hitting the ALT and A440
CHANGE keys simultaneously.
Many other secondary features are accessible
here, such as Auto Power Off, Show
Note Frequency, Power On settings and
the all-important Restore Defaults, among
others. Of note is the ability to enter in
your own tunings, so whether you do a
lot of Sonic Youth covers, or play dobro
and pedal steel in a honky tonk band, the
Turbo Tuner is worth a look. Heck, you
could even merrily tune up your cello for
that upcoming performance of Cabaret,
and I wouldn’t judge you. Not after what
I’ve just been through.
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Sonic Research
MSRP $199.99
turbo-tuner.com
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