I have 2 strobe tuners. ( Yes, I was a performing guitarist from the early 70's through the 90's.) One is a Peterson 400, and a Conn ST-11. Surprisingly enough, you can STILL get these serviced today. Both of mine were serviced about 2 years ago, to make sure the old electronics are still in good condition. Great vid..
Hi Scott. At 0:45 you ask the question "Why do you need a tube tuner? Don't forget that many of those tuners were made before the invention of transistors.
Had my Peterson for God knows how long... still going strong and never had a problem. I remember playing in a band with guys much younger and when they saw it they acted like it was a freaking UFO lol. I'd tell them to use it to tune, but they wouldn't and used their headstock tuners. To my knowledge, we never played a single song in tune lol. I don't get how people can't hear when they're out of tune. Obviously, you can't tune up perfectly by ear, but you can sure as hell hear when it's not. That band didn't last long haha. Strobos and petersons are built like tanks. When we die they'll still be going lol
I have one of the newer Peterson Strobostomp pedals...THAT thing is killer and probably the best tuner I've ever seen. This guy above knows what he's talking about. Setting Intonation with a peterson is a breeze compared to others like Korg and Boss.
I've been using a turbo tuner for years. It works similar to those boss tuners. It uses an oscillating crystal in place of moving parts like that of traditional strobe tuners.
Very cool, Scott. Didn't know about the quality of the Korg and Boss tuners demonstrated in your vid. Just ran a search on eBay and bought a Boss TU120. Can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the suggestion. I have been using the Boss TU3 and Boss TU80 for guitar, and a TC Electronic Polytune for Uke. Best wishes, Michael
+mj healy COOL! I saw that TU120 on there and another for about $80.00 on Reverb.com I think. You're going to love that sucker when you get into it. I LOVE that they MAKE you continue to play the string like you REALLY DO when you are PLAYING. lol You don't just hit ONE STRING REALLY HARD and then wait 30 seconds for it to die. So, you are tuning like you are playing. Makes all the sense in the world.
I just bought the korg wall tuner on your recommendation from a vid that must of been deleted of yours. It looks to be an awesome tuner and noone is aware of it (except you, you turned me on to it). Got it on clearance 99 bucks shipped. Thanks for the recommendation even though I could not find your original vid
Scott, for what it's worth, I find the Turbo Tuner from Sonic Research to be quite handy - it's a small, hefty, strobe based tuner. Thanks for so many great videos. P.S. just talked to my brother who has been living in Noblesville the last 25 years.
Thanks Scott! I was looking for a tuner. Just bought a Boss TU-120 on ebay. I was going to get the Korg Pitchblack but after watching your video I decided to spend a little more for the TU-120
I've got the Old School Tube tuners... Conn ST-6 & ST-8 as well as the Conn Stroboconn 6T-5. They have tubes, they are big, they are heavy, but DARN they are accurate. The Stroboconn 6T-5 is absolutely a technical marvel. Considering that Peterson Strobe Center (new version) costs over $4000, I'll keep the 6T-5 as a fixture in the sound lab. The prices I got them for are why I ended up with the tube models, but I've been sold on Strobe tuning for years.
+Panda Sensei As stated in the video. Headstock tuners won't be much good for anything, especially not for setting intonation. You'll find out as time goes by, or you won't. Cheers.
Saw all those boss tuners in a previous video. I knew something was up. Ive been lookin for them here in my neck O the woods. None yet. but I know I will find one.
+Billy Hacker Yeah, sometimes prices go stupidly high after the GOOD stuff is exposed. So, I wanted to have my fair share FIRST. lol Just like those Johnson foot controllers, I've got a ton of those up for sale right not. A lot of times they sell for more than the amps do. lol
+Groovy Music Lessons Yep. Sad day.. the neck on my T40 is splitting at the NUT. Probably my fault used a socket to adjust instead of proper tool. To wide so it started splitting the neck at lamination spot.
I had a Boss TU -60 yet didn't know it was good , nothing to compare it with. Wife got it on a lawn sale. I then got a Boss TU-70. I checked it using a German made A440 tuning fork and it is dead on every time. It has the LED needle and a red led for sharp and flat , settings for half step and full step down plus 4 other tuning settings . Plus auto and manual/ pitch /mode for the flats and open tuning. A light you can use or not for the screen. It does guitar and bass. Shows the note on a finger board called fret icon. Uses a 9 volt radio battery going to add a plug to use a 9 volt wall wart. batteries are not cheap . Everything else I've looked at Korg and Boss now are cheap and small . Yes my TU-70 is made in China came out in the 90's
i,ve just bought a peterson stroboclip and that should be dead on. i have a bunch of tuners and yes a few clip on tuners but i use the peterson now for checking intonation. I think most digital tuners are very hard to get in tune with because the needle is not stable enough exept for the peterson and korg(with analog needle) that has always been great.. i have lot of tuners because i love them spec the strobe ones (only have one strobe tuner because the cost a fortune) and the real needle tuners. my dream is to have a old coon strone tuner and when that happens i will sell the others(exept for one) and only use that.
Let me answer the question for you. Why a tube tuner? (editing) "good" tuners will do a decent job finding the dominant frequency of your instrument. "poor" tuners will average everything together. The "best" tuners will display everything that is happening, and render all sounds a pickup transmits and the tube will blink at the same rate as all sounds in the room. That means of course, your dominant note will show up the strongest, and if there is a harmonic it will show up a bit dimmer, and rotate to its relationship with the note you are tuning for. This is the ideal of analog that digital will not be able to reproduce without more advanced computer programming.
Bid on a TU-60 this week and lost... Think it sold for about 53 bucks (I had bid 50 I believe). What's a good price for one in good working condition? Looking at the Peterson digital classic also. Tuning has ALWAYS been my worst problem.
OH YEAH! I remember a lot of the groups on the road back then that had these all over the place. Same here with having a couple of them in the band room to tune up EVERYTHING.
Nice trek through memory lane, used to have a Korg WT10A tuner due to my ignorance sold it mid-1980s big mistake yes it did need calibration with a (Tuning Fork) every so often but I personally found it quite reliable. I still tend to use my old TU-120 which I find good enough for most uses and doing my harmonic saddle adjustment. but like all UV type metering, you have to wait until the needle completely falls to its default position after each note to get an accurate reading for the next note too tune. Thanks again forgive my ignorance but how many TU-60s 0r 120 does one person need? Lol. For portability and accuracy, what is your experience, and recommendation for new contemporary tuners availiable on the market ?
Not wanting to throw cold water on this video, but striking a tuning fork on a metallic or plastic surface is actually wrong and can cause poor results. Striking on wood or the knuckles of your hand is really prefered.
@@groovydjs Hi Scot ...Yes I used a big Peterson for years....But I wanted to tell you that in the coarse of pursuing tuning perfection over the years (like you do) I had need from time to time of a tuning fork...so after doing some homework and finding that it would be best to not buy low budget tuning forks but rather spend more on a precision machined ones that professional piano tuners used....they cost way more but I thought: If I am going to use this as a PERFECT standard I would spend the extra cash and get a nice one. The reason I am replying to your comment to the above guy "p2gee" is Actually correct in so far as his comment, Because EVERY precision tuning fork maker ALWAYS cautioned me to not strike the fork on hard surfaces but rather use my elbow or my knee....they said hitting it on hard surfaces does damage them and since I was spending alot on a nice one that I had better take their advise... So I think your "commenter "p2gee" above may not have been trying to be a smart ass but pass on correct information.....so since I know you want everyone of your listeners to have correct information I thought you should know that you might have misunderstood his comment and "blocked" him by mistake. You probably get plenty of "jerks" who chime in so it's probably easy to think "oh here we go..another jerk" but what he was saying was in fact correct....so I though I might bring that to your attention....But hey I make mistakes all the time so don't sweat it... Your friend Tim_e_63@hotmail.com
Hi Scott. Once the Conn is calibrated, how long does it hold that calibration? For several hours or minutes, or until you turn it off? Thanks, you give out great information.
Many thanks. It usually hangs right in there after set.....but I do check it every time to be sure since the parts that makes it so accurate are moving parts.
If you are paying a tech to set your guitar up and s/he isn't using a strobe tuner (or as Professor Groovy showed, one of these other accurate needle tuners) then you are literally paying for a job poorly done. I have never found a non-strobe tuner good enough to get intonation right all the way up the neck. Kudos to Dr. Groovy for finding some of these old tuners that work. Don't spend $150.00 on a T-Rex compressor and tune your instruments with a cheap digital tuner that doesn't work. After a few weeks of using a strobe tuner the sound of an out of tune guitar will be like nails on a chalk board to you.
Thanks Ben. You are dead on correct....which is why some douche bag out there marked your comment as spam. Goes to show you just how guitarded MOST people are. I appreciate you comment! Many thanks.
well thanks for teaching me about the Conn tuner....i just got one....and yep- the OLD cats all swore by them....and i know why.....i didnt know about the tuning fork.... can i tune it to my electric piano do you think? its a good one....a Roland....it should be accurate....i dont have a tuning fork...
I really need me one of those CONN tuners. I feel like i am missing out BIG TIME. Theres a photo of our boy Ace Frehley backstage with an Ibanez Destroyer hooked up to one of these. Cool stuff.
+Groovy Music Lessons www.gilmourish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/wall_stage1.jpg i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/stevesmithjr/gilmoursthing1.jpg There are a few on this stage, looks like a "Where's Waldo" pic. lol www.gilmourish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/animals_stage1.jpg www.gilmourish.com/wp-content/images/aboutface_rig.jpg I'm just going to keep going for the kids who have missed out on these legendary things. www.gilmourish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/meltdown_setups.jpg www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/gtrs/76_ptbackstage-tuning_th.jpg i.ytimg.com/vi/D3D8KiGgs8o/maxresdefault.jpg www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/high-end/318562d1353805070-neil-young-whizzer-neil-young-whizzer.jpg ultimateclassicrock.com/files/2015/04/Stephen-Stills-and-Neil-Young.jpg?w=600&h=0&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89
If it's so hard to get hold of the Boss/Korg tuners that you like is there any new tuners that can be bought easily at any music store that you could suggest?
TU-120 is a f'ing awesome tuner!!!!! Thanks for the heads up. I also use a basic Snark tuner. What I found is that if you dial everything in with the snark, tuning, intonation, etc. And then check it with the Tu-120 - it definitely fine tunes everything you did. But once it's all tuned up - the Snark shows everything is dead on as well. So I guess the Snark does not disagree with the tuning of the TU-120, but just isn't fine enough - so it's a good device to tune up the strings between sets at a club or during practice. But the TU-120 is what you want when you set the thing up or if you are going to record.
You are 100% correct. I have problems with the Snark on different instruments. Just depends on how strong the neck is against the tension of the strings etc. I have got a lot of false readings with the Snark. I do the same thing though. Just grab ANY tuner, get everything in the ball park, then go grab a SERIOUS tuner like the TU-120 and dial it all in perfectly. That will tell me that there is NOTHING wrong with the way the instrument is set up and that it will remain that way unless I change something. If something begins to sound off or just flat out wrong, it can only mean the strings have gotten stupidly old and dirty or that a screw has gotten loose somewhere and that a saddle has moved. It just couldn't be anything else unless the truss rod snapped (probably will never happen). So, back to it with the 120 to find the culprit and fix it for the next year or so. You are doing things exactly as you should and that is rare. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you. I feel glad that you got that Boss instead of me. You deserve it because you "GET IT".
Oh my God - chords sing now, sometimes something wouldn't sound right - I'd check it with the snark and it didn't show anything really out. Even the sustain is out of this world, every fret is near dead on - and I got a full 1/8" action at the 12th fret on a strat neck/tele body guitar. It's maddening good now.
Great! Pretty cool what these "Obsolete" things can do compared to these nifty, el cheapo headstock thingys huh? I just like being in tune more than not. lol
Howdy Scott. When it comes to stretching new guitar strings in do you think that repeat stretches until pitch stays is ideal? I know this is the preferred method. I have experimented with only stretching a couple times and the stability/ string life seems to last longer. Have you ever experimented with this. ? Thanks.
+Musicistherapy Yeah, 100% way to go. Stretch them until it is ALL out. Takes about 4-5 minutes from grabbing the guitar, taking off strings, cleaning frets and cleaning fretboard and restringing and having all the stretch out and ready to be on the stage. I used to have to change the strings on my guitars every single set (6 sets per nigh....7 nights per week). Did that for a couple of decades and then the Elixir Polywebs came out and my string changing days were over. What a relief!
+TheDp1965 Just because it's what everything as far as tuners go by. The whole "A=440" thing. It's usually written all over every tuner ever made.....seemed like a pretty smart choice to make.
Any suggestions on some new tuners good enough to set up a guitar, I saw the new Peterson but I'm not sure and I'd like your opinion, thanks for the video!
+Nicola Giannini Yeah, the new Petersons do a great job. I don't think they could live with themselves if they put out a bad product. Lots of pride with that company.
I bought a Korg GT-6 back in the eighties. Great thing. But I threw it away some years ago, because within two years the batteries were drawn empty within a few days and only some minutes of use. Putting them on our version of ebay gave no demand, sadly, so no TLC for my needle tuner.
Hi Scott!! Thanks for another good and interesting video. Wonder if you've made a review of the Gibson Moderne? Just seems like a cool axe... Keep up the good work! /Per
Scott when you say these tuners are accurate do you just mean a real A 440? Or do you mean when you tune up the guitar with them it sounds really sweet because my tuner sucks and I'm thinking of buying a new on. I got a really good ear which is a curse, so I notice all the flaws in tuning.
@@groovydjs Are you talking the James Taylor thing? He does a thing like you describe where you mess with the cent's of the open strings. Out of all three above in your video which one do you think is best?
Where does it pick up the signal from? The pickups or somewhere else? Is it just a little red turns to green in the center then another red on the other side of it?
I'm just trying to find out if it gets its signal from the pickups (if so...which pickup are you using) is it a headstock signal, is it from a bridge saddle pickup?
Oh sorry Scott, I always put the switch in the middle to try to tune with both pickups, I set everything up as close as I can, and put antler nuts in most my stuff, and usually do intonation with a chicken chicken KORG tuner, but was thinking of using this fender mustang software tuner to redo everything after watching your video. Thank you for your reply sir.
Yes strobe are great, but when you play very heavy music and the whole stage is shaking, then you have to make sure they don't fall..not very strudy...
+Fred Eagle There are some made of heavier materials and lighter materials. The heavier ones just tend to be a bit louder. It would be pretty tough to mess one up, but I'm sure it has been done. If you find ONE, that's all you'll ever need.
+WaRLoKWYATT I know you'd love the hell out of one. It's just great knowing that each guitar's intonation is as good as it will ever get. Of course some will always work out better depending who put the flippin' fret slots where. lol
Yeah I just looked up the price on the good ones and I'm like "Holy shitballs!" But I have always wanted one for my guitar setups, so I'm wondering if one of the Peterson stomp box style strobes would be good. I've heard good things.
+WaRLoKWYATT I have yet to hear of ANY bad product from Peterson. They have it down to a science. Yeah, their high end strobe tuners are STAGGERING in price. At least these CONN ones can be had from $150-$300 which is a whole lot better than THOUSANDS on some of those Petersons.
Groovy Music Lessons Yeah, the ones that Dave's world of downs syndrome uses, are like $400 - $800 on ebay. The classroom versions are wayyy more too. But the stomp box version you can find for around $100. I should invest in one. The old Korg handheld tuners, Snarks and Boss TU-2 just aren't cutting it for me. I have to play the guessing game to get the intonation perfect.
+WaRLoKWYATT LOL, GREAT name for his channel. lol I hear you about all of those so-so tuners. I've got a ton of those things around from people leaving them in their guitar cases when I buy an axe from ebay etc. I always REALLY love it when the little Pitch Pipe that you blow into shows up in the case. Yeah, I want to wrap my lips around that HPV infested thing!
so mr. Scott where can I buy a great tuner? I'm a beginner and all but im going to take lessons at my college for guitar. Thank you and AWESOME video!!!!!
The 2 that I have found to be most dead on are the Korg GA 40 if you need a basic guitar/bass tuner. If you need a chromatic tuner to tune instruments that require sharp or flat notes or notes that need to be tuned OFF by 15 cents on certain instruments like Pedal Steel guitars or open tuned instruments, then the Korg CA-30 works very well. Both can be had for around five dollars on eBay. They have both been consistently better than other "cheapies". I get a lot of both of them in various guitar cases/bags when buying used guitars. Running them in line to the strobe tuner, they keep on hanging right in there better than others. I would take one to a gig without a backup anytime.
Thanks for that. (I've learned tons of stuff from your vid's... including odd little things like this that nobody talks about ;-) Do you have an opinion about the tuner in Yamaha's THR-10 series? Do you have an opinion about the THR-10C as a whole?
Well, if you ever run across one, I'd love to know what you think. A friend who's played for 50 years says his THR10C made him realize he's spent his whole life toting 70 lbs of amps and pedals, uphill both ways, in the snow, for no good reason. He thinks every guitar should come with one, everybody would practice twice as much and not wake up the whole damn house. Dunno if you'd agree... maybe you'll think he's full of crap... (he is every once in a while, but not usually).
Hey Scott !!! Original KISS Paul Stanley Ace Frehley CONN-STROBE Tuner Used on Various Tours www.ebay.ca/itm/Original-KISS-Paul-Stanley-Ace-Frehley-CONN-STROBE-Tuner-Used-on-Various-Tours/232574790365?hash=item362689aadd:g:t64AAOSwR2RaGYG2
THE BEST ...use this tuner on NEW strings. You will be amazed at how bad harmonics are on new strings. The harmonics are what collide when using more than 1 guitar in a song. Redundant tones DOUBLE THE VOLUME OF THEM AND YOU CAN'T TELL THEM APART...ETC.
i,ve just bought a peterson stroboclip and that should be dead on. i have a bunch of tuners and yes a few clip on tuners but i use the peterson now for checking intonation. I think most digital tuners are very hard to get in tune with because the needle is not stable enough exept for the peterson and korg(with analog needle) that has always been great.. i have lot of tuners because i love them spec the strobe ones (only have one strobe tuner because the cost a fortune) and the real needle tuners. my dream is to have a old coon strone tuner and when that happens i will sell the others(exept for one) and only use that.
I have 2 strobe tuners. ( Yes, I was a performing guitarist from the early 70's through the 90's.) One is a Peterson 400, and a Conn ST-11. Surprisingly enough, you can STILL get these serviced today. Both of mine were serviced about 2 years ago, to make sure the old electronics are still in good condition. Great vid..
Hi Scott. At 0:45 you ask the question "Why do you need a tube tuner? Don't forget that many of those tuners were made before the invention of transistors.
Had my Peterson for God knows how long... still going strong and never had a problem. I remember playing in a band with guys much younger and when they saw it they acted like it was a freaking UFO lol. I'd tell them to use it to tune, but they wouldn't and used their headstock tuners. To my knowledge, we never played a single song in tune lol. I don't get how people can't hear when they're out of tune. Obviously, you can't tune up perfectly by ear, but you can sure as hell hear when it's not. That band didn't last long haha. Strobos and petersons are built like tanks. When we die they'll still be going lol
I have one of the newer Peterson Strobostomp pedals...THAT thing is killer and probably the best tuner I've ever seen. This guy above knows what he's talking about. Setting Intonation with a peterson is a breeze compared to others like Korg and Boss.
I've been using a turbo tuner for years. It works similar to those boss tuners. It uses an oscillating crystal in place of moving parts like that of traditional strobe tuners.
I have been using the Conn Strobe for 35 yrs and have always loved using it!
I'm thinking about getting one , unfortunately I have issues with my left hand & I'm unable to play guitar at the moment
I think those should be called pitch forks, it makes perfect sense really. Good stuff once again thanks man I appreciate it.
Very cool, Scott. Didn't know about the quality of the Korg and Boss tuners demonstrated in your vid. Just ran a search on eBay and bought a Boss TU120. Can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the suggestion.
I have been using the Boss TU3 and Boss TU80 for guitar, and a TC Electronic Polytune for Uke.
Best wishes,
Michael
+mj healy COOL! I saw that TU120 on there and another for about $80.00 on Reverb.com I think. You're going to love that sucker when you get into it. I LOVE that they MAKE you continue to play the string like you REALLY DO when you are PLAYING. lol You don't just hit ONE STRING REALLY HARD and then wait 30 seconds for it to die. So, you are tuning like you are playing. Makes all the sense in the world.
I just bought the korg wall tuner on your recommendation from a vid that must of been deleted of yours. It looks to be an awesome tuner and noone is aware of it (except you, you turned me on to it). Got it on clearance 99 bucks shipped. Thanks for the recommendation even though I could not find your original vid
Scott, for what it's worth, I find the Turbo Tuner from Sonic Research to be quite handy - it's a small, hefty, strobe based tuner. Thanks for so many great videos.
P.S. just talked to my brother who has been living in Noblesville the last 25 years.
Howdy Scott! Thanks for all the GREAT videos! I play better today because you take the time to edumacate us via TH-cam. Many Thanks!
Thanks Scott! I was looking for a tuner. Just bought a Boss TU-120 on ebay. I was going to get the Korg Pitchblack but after watching your video I decided to spend a little more for the TU-120
I've got the Old School Tube tuners... Conn ST-6 & ST-8 as well as the Conn Stroboconn 6T-5. They have tubes, they are big, they are heavy, but DARN they are accurate. The Stroboconn 6T-5 is absolutely a technical marvel. Considering that Peterson Strobe Center (new version) costs over $4000, I'll keep the 6T-5 as a fixture in the sound lab.
The prices I got them for are why I ended up with the tube models, but I've been sold on Strobe tuning for years.
I have a Chromatic Tiger. It's 5$ a piece max, works on every stringed instruments and the precision is insane at the cost.
+Panda Sensei As stated in the video. Headstock tuners won't be much good for anything, especially not for setting intonation. You'll find out as time goes by, or you won't. Cheers.
Uh huh...And I dive-bomb my archtop with a bigsby all night long and never go out of tune.
+Groovy Music Lessons I had a tuna sandwich and it was spot on.
I have a Korg model OT-12 but I like my Matrix SR-1000
I have the Korg...haven't used it in 35 years!
Saw all those boss tuners in a previous video. I knew something was up. Ive been lookin for them here in my neck O the woods. None yet. but I know I will find one.
+Billy Hacker Yeah, sometimes prices go stupidly high after the GOOD stuff is exposed. So, I wanted to have my fair share FIRST. lol Just like those Johnson foot controllers, I've got a ton of those up for sale right not. A lot of times they sell for more than the amps do. lol
+Groovy Music Lessons Yep. Sad day.. the neck on my T40 is splitting at the NUT. Probably my fault used a socket to adjust instead of proper tool. To wide so it started splitting the neck at lamination spot.
I had a Boss TU -60 yet didn't know it was good , nothing to compare it with. Wife got it on a lawn sale. I then got a Boss TU-70. I checked it using a German made A440 tuning fork and it is dead on every time. It has the LED needle and a red led for sharp and flat , settings for half step and full step down plus 4 other tuning settings . Plus auto and manual/ pitch /mode for the flats and open tuning. A light you can use or not for the screen. It does guitar and bass. Shows the note on a finger board called fret icon.
Uses a 9 volt radio battery going to add a plug to use a 9 volt wall wart. batteries are not cheap .
Everything else I've looked at Korg and Boss now are cheap and small . Yes my TU-70 is made in China came out in the 90's
Thanks Scott! Great information.
i,ve just bought a peterson stroboclip and that should be dead on. i have a bunch of tuners and yes a few clip on tuners but i use the peterson now for checking intonation.
I think most digital tuners are very hard to get in tune with because the needle is not stable enough exept for the peterson and korg(with analog needle) that has always been great..
i have lot of tuners because i love them spec the strobe ones (only have one strobe tuner because the cost a fortune) and the real needle tuners.
my dream is to have a old coon strone tuner and when that happens i will sell the others(exept for one) and only use that.
Let me answer the question for you. Why a tube tuner? (editing)
"good" tuners will do a decent job finding the dominant frequency of your instrument.
"poor" tuners will average everything together.
The "best" tuners will display everything that is happening, and render all sounds a pickup transmits and the tube will blink at the same rate as all sounds in the room. That means of course, your dominant note will show up the strongest, and if there is a harmonic it will show up a bit dimmer, and rotate to its relationship with the note you are tuning for.
This is the ideal of analog that digital will not be able to reproduce without more advanced computer programming.
Bid on a TU-60 this week and lost... Think it sold for about 53 bucks (I had bid 50 I believe). What's a good price for one in good working condition? Looking at the Peterson digital classic also. Tuning has ALWAYS been my worst problem.
Do you have any recommendations for commonly available tuners?
Alabama (the county band) used these. My band director had one as well. Flashback for me.
OH YEAH! I remember a lot of the groups on the road back then that had these all over the place. Same here with having a couple of them in the band room to tune up EVERYTHING.
I just got a BOSS TU - 100 seems pretty nice and also short lived thought was rare, but just saw 4 on E-bait do you know it?
THANKS SCOTT, ONE OF YOUR BEST VIDEOS! I WILL BE BUYING ONE. IF I CAN BEAT YOU TO IT. BE WELL MY FRIEND. JOCCO(DISABLED VET)
Nice trek through memory lane, used to have a Korg WT10A tuner due to my ignorance sold it mid-1980s big mistake yes it did need calibration with a (Tuning Fork) every so often but I personally found it quite reliable. I still tend to use my old TU-120 which I find good enough for most uses and doing my harmonic saddle adjustment. but like all UV type metering, you have to wait until the needle completely falls to its default position after each note to get an accurate reading for the next note too tune.
Thanks again forgive my ignorance but how many TU-60s 0r 120 does one person need? Lol.
For portability and accuracy, what is your experience, and recommendation for new contemporary tuners availiable on the market ?
Not wanting to throw cold water on this video, but striking a tuning fork on a metallic or plastic surface is actually wrong and can cause poor results. Striking on wood or the knuckles of your hand is really prefered.
@@groovydjs Hi Scot ...Yes I used a big Peterson for years....But I wanted to tell you that in the coarse of pursuing tuning perfection over the years (like you do) I had need from time to time of a tuning fork...so after doing some homework and finding that it would be best to not buy low budget tuning forks but rather spend more on a precision machined ones that professional piano tuners used....they cost way more but I thought: If I am going to use this as a PERFECT standard I would spend the extra cash and get a nice one. The reason I am replying to your comment to the above guy "p2gee" is Actually correct in so far as his comment, Because EVERY precision tuning fork maker ALWAYS cautioned me to not strike the fork on hard surfaces but rather use my elbow or my knee....they said hitting it on hard surfaces does damage them and since I was spending alot on a nice one that I had better take their advise... So I think your "commenter "p2gee" above may not have been trying to be a smart ass but pass on correct information.....so since I know you want everyone of your listeners to have correct information I thought you should know that you might have misunderstood his comment and "blocked" him by mistake. You probably get plenty of "jerks" who chime in so it's probably easy to think "oh here we go..another jerk" but what he was saying was in fact correct....so I though I might bring that to your attention....But hey I make mistakes all the time so don't sweat it... Your friend Tim_e_63@hotmail.com
Is the BOSS TU-3 any good ? I would think coming from BOSS with all the previous great tuners they would be pretty Good?
Hi Scott. Once the Conn is calibrated, how long does it hold that calibration? For several hours or minutes, or until you turn it off? Thanks, you give out great information.
Many thanks. It usually hangs right in there after set.....but I do check it every time to be sure since the parts that makes it so accurate are moving parts.
scott. i dont have a rack system but for regular house tuning. what would you recommend for a tuner. maybe the boss pedal tuner
If you are paying a tech to set your guitar up and s/he isn't using a strobe tuner (or as Professor Groovy showed, one of these other accurate needle tuners) then you are literally paying for a job poorly done. I have never found a non-strobe tuner good enough to get intonation right all the way up the neck. Kudos to Dr. Groovy for finding some of these old tuners that work. Don't spend $150.00 on a T-Rex compressor and tune your instruments with a cheap digital tuner that doesn't work. After a few weeks of using a strobe tuner the sound of an out of tune guitar will be like nails on a chalk board to you.
Thanks Ben. You are dead on correct....which is why some douche bag out there marked your comment as spam. Goes to show you just how guitarded MOST people are. I appreciate you comment! Many thanks.
Thanks for the video Scott. I just snapped up a GT-6 on ebay, so I guess there are still a few floating around!
well thanks for teaching me about the Conn tuner....i just got one....and yep- the OLD cats all swore by them....and i know why.....i didnt know about the tuning fork....
can i tune it to my electric piano do you think? its a good one....a Roland....it should be accurate....i dont have a tuning fork...
I really need me one of those CONN tuners. I feel like i am missing out BIG TIME. Theres a photo of our boy Ace Frehley backstage with an Ibanez Destroyer hooked up to one of these. Cool stuff.
+John Jarema Yeah, here it is. I've always loved this picture! 26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2bt6q9HyZ1qbfb3ao1_500.jpg
+Groovy Music Lessons www.gilmourish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/wall_stage1.jpg
i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/stevesmithjr/gilmoursthing1.jpg There are a few on this stage, looks like a "Where's Waldo" pic. lol www.gilmourish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/animals_stage1.jpg www.gilmourish.com/wp-content/images/aboutface_rig.jpg I'm just going to keep going for the kids who have missed out on these legendary things. www.gilmourish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/meltdown_setups.jpg
www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/gtrs/76_ptbackstage-tuning_th.jpg i.ytimg.com/vi/D3D8KiGgs8o/maxresdefault.jpg www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/high-end/318562d1353805070-neil-young-whizzer-neil-young-whizzer.jpg ultimateclassicrock.com/files/2015/04/Stephen-Stills-and-Neil-Young.jpg?w=600&h=0&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89
I have a headstock tuner even on mic mode it still socks. The most accurate is the one in my DAW. The strobe tuners seem kinda rare now
Thanks Scott ,interesting video
Just scored a Peterson model 100 for $90 on fleabay! Thanks for kinda pushing me over the fence.
If it's so hard to get hold of the Boss/Korg tuners that you like is there any new tuners that can be bought easily at any music store that you could suggest?
Thanks, just picked up a TU-120 on ebay for $60. Beat you to it!
TU-120 is a f'ing awesome tuner!!!!! Thanks for the heads up. I also use a basic Snark tuner. What I found is that if you dial everything in with the snark, tuning, intonation, etc. And then check it with the Tu-120 - it definitely fine tunes everything you did. But once it's all tuned up - the Snark shows everything is dead on as well. So I guess the Snark does not disagree with the tuning of the TU-120, but just isn't fine enough - so it's a good device to tune up the strings between sets at a club or during practice. But the TU-120 is what you want when you set the thing up or if you are going to record.
You are 100% correct. I have problems with the Snark on different instruments. Just depends on how strong the neck is against the tension of the strings etc. I have got a lot of false readings with the Snark. I do the same thing though. Just grab ANY tuner, get everything in the ball park, then go grab a SERIOUS tuner like the TU-120 and dial it all in perfectly. That will tell me that there is NOTHING wrong with the way the instrument is set up and that it will remain that way unless I change something. If something begins to sound off or just flat out wrong, it can only mean the strings have gotten stupidly old and dirty or that a screw has gotten loose somewhere and that a saddle has moved. It just couldn't be anything else unless the truss rod snapped (probably will never happen). So, back to it with the 120 to find the culprit and fix it for the next year or so. You are doing things exactly as you should and that is rare. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you. I feel glad that you got that Boss instead of me. You deserve it because you "GET IT".
Oh my God - chords sing now, sometimes something wouldn't sound right - I'd check it with the snark and it didn't show anything really out. Even the sustain is out of this world, every fret is near dead on - and I got a full 1/8" action at the 12th fret on a strat neck/tele body guitar. It's maddening good now.
Great! Pretty cool what these "Obsolete" things can do compared to these nifty, el cheapo headstock thingys huh? I just like being in tune more than not. lol
I translated many of the BOSS manuals over the years.
Howdy Scott. When it comes to stretching new guitar strings in do you think that repeat stretches until pitch stays is ideal? I know this is the preferred method.
I have experimented with only stretching a couple times and the stability/ string life seems to last longer. Have you ever experimented with this. ? Thanks.
+Musicistherapy Yeah, 100% way to go. Stretch them until it is ALL out. Takes about 4-5 minutes from grabbing the guitar, taking off strings, cleaning frets and cleaning fretboard and restringing and having all the stretch out and ready to be on the stage. I used to have to change the strings on my guitars every single set (6 sets per nigh....7 nights per week). Did that for a couple of decades and then the Elixir Polywebs came out and my string changing days were over. What a relief!
Is there a reason you use an A tuning fork could you set or tune your tuner with say an E tuning fork ????
Thanks for your video awesome!
+TheDp1965 Just because it's what everything as far as tuners go by. The whole "A=440" thing. It's usually written all over every tuner ever made.....seemed like a pretty smart choice to make.
been using the polytune 2 strob tuner pretty awesome mini tuner
I enjoyed it Scotty!
informative
Any suggestions on some new tuners good enough to set up a guitar, I saw the new Peterson but I'm not sure and I'd like your opinion, thanks for the video!
+Nicola Giannini Yeah, the new Petersons do a great job. I don't think they could live with themselves if they put out a bad product. Lots of pride with that company.
@@groovydjs I bought one of their strobe tuning apps for my phone from their website how accurate do you think that will be?
Hi Scott I didn't see a Bb setting on the Conn strobe for tuning trumpet or sax how do you use this for horns that are tuned Bb and Eb Thanks
Oh yeah, they are here. These are in every band room in every school out there. Big time Trumpet favorite. No notes missing.
Thanks Scott
I bought a Korg GT-6 back in the eighties. Great thing. But I threw it away some years ago, because within two years the batteries were drawn empty within a few days and only some minutes of use. Putting them on our version of ebay gave no demand, sadly, so no TLC for my needle tuner.
+Frits van Zanten You have to remember to turn them off, don't use batteries from Radio Shack and stop pouring Coca Cola into the unit.
Hi Scott!! Thanks for another good and interesting video.
Wonder if you've made a review of the Gibson Moderne? Just seems like a cool axe...
Keep up the good work! /Per
How do you know that the tuning fork is correct?
dude strobe tuners are cool :)
Scott when you say these tuners are accurate do you just mean a real A 440? Or do you mean when you tune up the guitar with them it sounds really sweet because my tuner sucks and I'm thinking of buying a new on. I got a really good ear which is a curse, so I notice all the flaws in tuning.
I hear you. You have to make adjustments to how many cents flat that certain strings have to be in order to truly be as in tune as possible.
@@groovydjs Are you talking the James Taylor thing? He does a thing like you describe where you mess with the cent's of the open strings. Out of all three above in your video which one do you think is best?
how do i tune muh 'pitch fork'?
Interesting video, I wonder how accurate the fender fuse software one is that came with the mustang II I bought?
Where does it pick up the signal from? The pickups or somewhere else? Is it just a little red turns to green in the center then another red on the other side of it?
It has increments of cents, it runs through the amp, then to computer via USB. I will try to do a screen shot...it shows up on laptop screen.
I'm just trying to find out if it gets its signal from the pickups (if so...which pickup are you using) is it a headstock signal, is it from a bridge saddle pickup?
Oh sorry Scott, I always put the switch in the middle to try to tune with both pickups, I set everything up as close as I can, and put antler nuts in most my stuff, and usually do intonation with a chicken chicken KORG tuner, but was thinking of using this fender mustang software tuner to redo everything after watching your video. Thank you for your reply sir.
fuse.fender.com/
Why do you need so many tuners?
Woaaah trippy
wrong spelling but i hope you will understand anyway,the buttons are to small on my phone.
i miss the old strobe tuners
What is the point in hording all those Boss tuners?
To resell and make money from them. The prices have already gone up considerably since I did this video. So, that's the point. Cheers.
Can you plug a guitar straight into the ST-11 ?
Sure thing my man.
Yes strobe are great, but when you play very heavy music and the whole stage is shaking, then you have to make sure they don't fall..not very strudy...
I use THESE strobe tuners at home. LIVE, I use rack mounted strobe tuners.
how uniformly accurate are tuning forks ? are there cheap poor ones and expensive good ones ?
+Fred Eagle There are some made of heavier materials and lighter materials. The heavier ones just tend to be a bit louder. It would be pretty tough to mess one up, but I'm sure it has been done. If you find ONE, that's all you'll ever need.
Thanks Dr G. You are a perfectionist...which makes life hard sometimes . Keep on chooglin,
what about the korg tm-50?
Cool
Yeah I've always wanted a strobe tuner.
+WaRLoKWYATT I know you'd love the hell out of one. It's just great knowing that each guitar's intonation is as good as it will ever get. Of course some will always work out better depending who put the flippin' fret slots where. lol
Yeah I just looked up the price on the good ones and I'm like "Holy shitballs!" But I have always wanted one for my guitar setups, so I'm wondering if one of the Peterson stomp box style strobes would be good. I've heard good things.
+WaRLoKWYATT I have yet to hear of ANY bad product from Peterson. They have it down to a science. Yeah, their high end strobe tuners are STAGGERING in price. At least these CONN ones can be had from $150-$300 which is a whole lot better than THOUSANDS on some of those Petersons.
Groovy Music Lessons Yeah, the ones that Dave's world of downs syndrome uses, are like $400 - $800 on ebay. The classroom versions are wayyy more too. But the stomp box version you can find for around $100. I should invest in one. The old Korg handheld tuners, Snarks and Boss TU-2 just aren't cutting it for me. I have to play the guessing game to get the intonation perfect.
+WaRLoKWYATT LOL, GREAT name for his channel. lol I hear you about all of those so-so tuners. I've got a ton of those things around from people leaving them in their guitar cases when I buy an axe from ebay etc. I always REALLY love it when the little Pitch Pipe that you blow into shows up in the case. Yeah, I want to wrap my lips around that HPV infested thing!
so mr. Scott where can I buy a great tuner? I'm a beginner and all but im going to take lessons at my college for guitar. Thank you and AWESOME video!!!!!
+cuauhtemoc morisco There is a Boss 120, like the good dr is showing, on Ebay right now as of 11:40 pm Thurs. May 5, 2016. $35
Brian York sorry for the late reply. I think someone already bought it. Thank you for the help.
Well, now that we know about the good stuff we can't get... of the affordable tuners we *can* get, what are the least objectionable ones?
The 2 that I have found to be most dead on are the Korg GA 40 if you need a basic guitar/bass tuner. If you need a chromatic tuner to tune instruments that require sharp or flat notes or notes that need to be tuned OFF by 15 cents on certain instruments like Pedal Steel guitars or open tuned instruments, then the Korg CA-30 works very well. Both can be had for around five dollars on eBay. They have both been consistently better than other "cheapies". I get a lot of both of them in various guitar cases/bags when buying used guitars. Running them in line to the strobe tuner, they keep on hanging right in there better than others. I would take one to a gig without a backup anytime.
Thanks for that. (I've learned tons of stuff from your vid's... including odd little things like this that nobody talks about ;-)
Do you have an opinion about the tuner in Yamaha's THR-10 series? Do you have an opinion about the THR-10C as a whole?
Many thanks! I've honestly never dealt with anything in the THR series at all. So, zero information from me on that. Sorry.
Well, if you ever run across one, I'd love to know what you think. A friend who's played for 50 years says his THR10C made him realize he's spent his whole life toting 70 lbs of amps and pedals, uphill both ways, in the snow, for no good reason. He thinks every guitar should come with one, everybody would practice twice as much and not wake up the whole damn house. Dunno if you'd agree... maybe you'll think he's full of crap... (he is every once in a while, but not usually).
It's an amazing amp, I agree. The tuner in it is really bad though ...
i own 2 korg GT-6's now
My girlfriend just brought home a conn,someone tossed in the trash,working great,
Hey Scott !!!
Original KISS Paul Stanley Ace Frehley CONN-STROBE Tuner Used on Various Tours
www.ebay.ca/itm/Original-KISS-Paul-Stanley-Ace-Frehley-CONN-STROBE-Tuner-Used-on-Various-Tours/232574790365?hash=item362689aadd:g:t64AAOSwR2RaGYG2
Yeah, I remember those pictures well I was stoked to get my first one back in the 70's. It was my first piece of gear that I KNEW that they had. lol
What are you gonna do with so many? You should let others benefit from using them too. Wouldnt that be good?
THE BEST ...use this tuner on NEW strings. You will be amazed at how bad harmonics are on new strings. The harmonics are what collide when using more than 1 guitar in a song. Redundant tones DOUBLE THE VOLUME OF THEM AND YOU CAN'T TELL THEM APART...ETC.
i,ve just bought a peterson stroboclip and that should be dead on. i have a bunch of tuners and yes a few clip on tuners but i use the peterson now for checking intonation.
I think most digital tuners are very hard to get in tune with because the needle is not stable enough exept for the peterson and korg(with analog needle) that has always been great..
i have lot of tuners because i love them spec the strobe ones (only have one strobe tuner because the cost a fortune) and the real needle tuners.
my dream is to have a old coon strone tuner and when that happens i will sell the others(exept for one) and only use that.