Korg Pitchclip PC-1 Clip-On Tuner
• Tuning Range: A0 - C8
• Extremely compact
• Single chromatic tuning mode for guitar and bass
• Reversible display readout, easy to read
• Korg rates precision +/-1 cent
In the world of tuners, Korg is a king. Their highly accurate rackmount tuners and compact tuners are popular among seasoned pros and everyday musicians alike—in fact, many players’ first tuners bore Korg name on their plastic housings.
The Pitchclip is a distant cousin of the company’s extremely popular Pitchblack pedal tuner. It’s one of the smallest tuners of the bunch, with a vivid LED display that pops up at a maximum angle of 120 degrees from its clip. There are no extra bells and whistles programmed into the Pitchclip, only a single chromatic tuning mode that covers the tuning ranges for guitar and bass.
My first impression was that the Pitchclip’s clip felt loose in my fingers, but I was pleasantly surprised when I clipped it to the Tele’s headstock and gave the neck a good shake—the Pitchclip didn’t budge. Though the display only tilts up or down, Korg built in the fantastic feature of reversing the display meter on the LED by holding the power button for more than one second. This allowed me to place the tuner pretty much anywhere I wanted and still be able to read the screen.
Compared to the PolyTune, the tuning accuracy with the Pitchclip on the Tele was decent. Starting out of tune, I was easily able to pull the notes into an accurate tuning, but it was more difficult to get a perfectly precise read, each string readout wavered between in tune, slightly sharp, and slightly flat. Placing the tuner on the meatier middle part of the headstock helped stabilize the readings a bit, but not completely. However, the accuracy was much improved with the Martin, with only slight shaking on the low E string.
Street: $19.99