July 2011 \ Features \ 10 Clip-On Guitar Tuners You Should Use

10 Clip-On Guitar Tuners You Should Use

Jordan Wagner

Korg Pitchclip PC-1, Meisel COM-80, Intellitouch PT40, Fishman FT-1, GFS GFT-40, Seiko STX2, Rotosound AMT 530, Snark SN-1, Planet Waves Chromatic Headstock Tuner, Peterson StroboClip
Premier Guitar July 2011
(10 of 11)

Planet Waves Chromatic Headstock Tuner
• Calibration: 435 Hz - 445 Hz
• Built-in piezo transduscer
• Good tuning accuracy
• Limited display mobility
As a well-known name in the guitar accessories industry, it seemed only natural that Planet Waves would be in the clip-on tuner scene. Their Chromatic Headstock Tuner was designed with sleekness and portability in mind, and while it gets high marks in those regards, it’s missing some key elements that separate the great clip-on tuners from the good ones.

Planet Waves’ clip-on tuner is a sleek and slim piece, and it slid onto the headstocks of both the Tele and Martin while keeping a very low profile. The two-color LCD screen is angled at about 30 degrees from its base, with the tuner’s single button—governing power and calibration—located at its edge. Because the tuner sat so close to each guitar’s headstock, it was difficult for me to read the screen while I was tuning. The guitar’s tuning pegs obstructed a lot of the view, so after hitting a note in the sitting position, I had to move the guitar closer to me and then adjust the tuning. Normally, I would have just moved the position of the LCD, but the screen is joined directly to the clip and completely immobile. This wasn’t much of an issue when I had the guitars lying on a bench, but it was frustrating when I was sitting or standing with the guitar.

Compared to the Martin’s onboard tuner, the accuracy of the Planet Waves tuner was pretty close, losing only a fraction of the accurate pitch on the higher strings. I feel that it could have been closer if the clip had a tighter bond with the headstock, which was a drawback of the design. Only a little strip of rubber on the bottom jaw of the clip kept the tuner in place, and it didn’t take much to move it around by hand. With the Telecaster, the PolyTune was notably more effective in applying a precise tuning. The Planet Waves tuner simply wasn’t able to pick up the resonance as well as the PolyTune could detect the notes from the jack output.

Street: $29.99

<<< Snark SN-1 Clip-On Chromatic Tuner   -   Peterson StroboClip >>>


« Previous    1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11    Next »

Related Articles

Summer Survival Giveaways Day #18: Dunlop
Walrus Audio Hosts Relief Fund for Oklahoma Tornado Victims
Catalinbread Galileo Pedal Review
Fretboard Implant
GALLERY: Summer NAMM 2011 - Day 3 Editors' Picks


Comments

 (39 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Adam
on 04/21/2013 		What do i do... I accidentally left my snark on my guitar all night. Now my guitar sounds very off.
Cliff
on 04/20/2013 		I've played in many outdoor and indoor settings up to 20 guitars strumming and found the Solutions ST-23 to be the best all around.
James Reed
on 04/01/2013 		If you're a guitarist who actually plays outside of your bedroom, then DO NOT BUY THE SNARK. They're way too easy to break, get something that doesn't have any delicate moving parts. I've had 2 Snarks bust on me in more than one place in less than a year. I'm never buying one again.
bdrhythm
on 03/10/2013 		I have two Snarks. They have issues. First, the rubber foot came off one (glued back on--no problem). Also I have experienced that sometimes it picks up nothing. You have to "reboot it", sometimes more than once and then it tends to kick in--other students of mine have told me the same thing happens to them. Also, the pivot is pretty delicate. Mine is holding up, but I can see where it could break pretty easily. It's a budget tuner--for the money it works fine. I have a lot of students and now have tried the Peterson and the Boss TU-10 clip ons. The Peterson seems most impressive, but there's a little learning curve--pro oriented. The Boss seems to have a really solid clip on where others like the Snark and Peterson seem a bit delicate. Don't know about the Boss's accuracy, but with a one-time use by me it seemed to work just fine.
Darrell Cramer
on 03/06/2013 		For size and accuracy I have found the Snark tuners to be the number one choice for me. I have tested it's 'fine tune' readings with my previous choice of intellitouch and found it to be 'spot on.' I have found no issues with the design but I put it on my guitars and leave them there so I don't move them much. For the accuracy, for the money, I'll stay with Snark.
Kennyg
on 02/09/2013 		The Snark has design flaws. The display has a problem which calls for new design, it wont light up on some, read about them online.
bloody fingers
on 10/25/2012 		I got the next step up said to work with other string instruments as well. Its red instead of blue and the street price is about 14 bucks (blue 10). Im a rank beginner student for the second time around after 30 years and was having trouble getting on with my trusty old 440 fork. This Snark clipped on the headstock and is super easy to zero in on EACH string. No need to do a first and then harmonics unlessw thats your naturql way. I just do one string at a time. Also great for drop tuning, I use DtoD. On offr swith as well as the blinky metronome. It shuts itself off to conserve battery after a few minutes. Its a real bargain.
Tony Pags
on 10/01/2011 		When will Premier Guitar do actual video shoot-outs on the online magazine? This will let the reader make up their on mind. This would be a better assessment in real application for reviews....just a thought
TuneMyGtr
on 08/28/2011 		The Peterson is one my favorites...it's double the money but it's a very good tuner
MickyRad
on 08/27/2011 		I like my old Boss TU-12 but will check out some of the newer clip on's on my next visit to my local music store



Your Comment:  

All comments are subject to editing or deletion by the Premier Guitar staff.

Your Name:  


Please enter the text you see in the image:  
10

4EDBF7FF-39D9-43E1-A7D0-36EB108F6DED