# Instruments and Equipment > Equipment >  So I bought a Peterson Clip on Tuner-total disappointment.

## Jonkay

After reading so many very favorable reviews about this tuner on a number of different forums, I bought one eager to put it through its' paces. I found it to be no better than my 12 year old Peterson Virtual Strobe II, and just as quirky. Perhaps a little more quirky, actually. I suppose it's fine if your just using it to tune an instrument. It is not all that great for setting intonation. I thought that in the last decade that Peterson would have improved their virtual strobe technology. I can actually achieve better results with the Virtual Strobe II, and that unit has annoyed me for years. So the Peterson Clip on Strobe Tuner goes back tomorrow. Kind of sad, really, because I was so looking forward to getting it.

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## LongBlackVeil

I love my peterson strobo clip but I have to say it doesn't work well with the mandolin. It doesn't pick up the g string accurately and I also have trouble setting intonation with it. 

It works great for my guitar though. For the price It should work great for both

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## fatt-dad

I like the red Snark.

f-d

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lflngpicker

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## Bob Clark

I like the red Snark as well, but are they still making them?  I recently recommend them to a friend and she said most vendors are out of them.  Temporary shortage, or discontinued item?

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## William Smith

Love my clip on stroboclip, never had any problems. love the sweetener presets, ya could get one for each instrument ya play.

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## AW Meyer

I bought a Peterson Strobo Clip. I can't say that I'm in love with it. It's too finicky for my liking. I usually just reach for my Snark, which is a lot handier, as far as I'm concerned.

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## Jim Garber

I have a Peterson Strobo-Clip . I agree that it is pretty finicky. I can't quite figure out when the string is actually in tune. The wheel keeps on spinning. I revert to the Snark -- I have a few of the black chromatic ones in various cases. They seem to work just fine. I figure I should try out the Strobo-clip once more and see if I can get it to work. I just figure I would rather play the mandolin than mess around with a tuner.

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## foldedpath

No clip-on tuner is perfect, but the StroboClip is the best one I've found for my mandolin and other instruments, by a large margin. This thread will inevitably devolve into everyone listing their favorite tuner choice like every other tuner thread. But let me try to add some advice for those who do want to try the StroboClip:

I have seen it cause some frustration with first-time users, usually caused by one of two things. First, some people get confused by the display and don't realize they're seeing upper harmonics as well as the fundamental. It's a more sensitive display method than showing an arbitrary zone around perfect pitch and calling that "in tune." You get to decide for yourself, how in-tune you want to be. 

The idea is to "lock up" the moving bars, but depending on the note you're tuning, you may not have to get it perfectly immobile to be good enough for playing at a jam. In the heat of an Irish session where I just want a very quick touch-up, I'm not going to spend too much time chasing those bars, I'll just get it as close as I can within a few seconds of effort. Tuning before recording, or setting intonation might require a bit more tuning effort. 

Obviously if you're already familiar with the virtual strobe concept, this won't be the problem. But for people used to inexpensive tuners that have ... shall we say... a somewhat slack window around the target pitch for ease of operation, it can look like a very fussy display method.

The second big thing is understanding how to pluck the string. You want to boost the sound of the fundamental relative to those upper harmonics, and also eliminate sympathetic resonance from other strings, which the StroboClip will pick up more than some other tuners. So don't just whack the string with your pick, like you would when playing the mandolin. Instead, lay the side of your hand across the strings you're not tuning (including the adjacent one in the course, if you can manage it), and brush the string with the side of your thumb, or a fingertip if you don't have long nails. That creates a dull-sounding note; strong in fundamental pitch with fewer harmonics. It will help with any clip-on tuner, but I think these two methods of damping adjacent strings and "thumbing" the note are an especially important technique with the StroboClip... which is why they actually mention it in the instructions!

If you're still having problems, then it may just not be a display method you're comfortable with, or (long shot) you got a bum tuner and should get it fixed or replaced.

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AW Meyer, 

Brian Shaw, 

buchrob, 

Jesse Weitzenfeld, 

Jim Garber, 

Mike Bunting, 

Pete Smith, 

Ryk Loske, 

tangleweeds

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## Jim Garber

Thanks, Mr. Path. I can see that this tuner is intended to be a vast step up from the cheapies and I will give it a chance esp with your advised techniques. OTOH I almost prefer to get in the range and then fine tune from there using (what do they call them?) my ears, which I sometimes forget I have.

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## LongBlackVeil

@foldedpath: do you use the stroboclip to set intonation? I dont have that much problem using it to tune open strings, except the g string is sometimes hard for it to pick up. But when i try to set intonation with it, forget it, it wont even pick up the notes at all on the 12th fret, which sucks because id like to have the kind of accuracy that the strobo clip offers when setting intonation.

i just use my little daddario for intonation

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## Iron

> I like the red Snark.
> 
> f-d


What is the difference between a Red Snark and a Black or Blue Snark besides color ?
Thanks

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## billhay4

Not only do I find this tuner impossible to use setting intonation, it isn't particularly friendly getting two adjacent strings to exactly the same note. Mine sits at home.
Bill

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## allenhopkins

> What is the difference between a Red Snark and a Black or Blue Snark besides color ?
> Thanks


The red one (SN-2) has a built in microphone, which means you can tune instruments to which you can't clamp the tuner.  There's a switch on the side that lets you alternate between clamp-on mode and mic mode.

One problem is that leaving the tuner in mic mode pretty much defeats the "dead-man switch" feature, which is supposed to turn off the Snark if it goes two minutes (I think) without sensing a vibration.  The mic "hears" ambient room noise, so the tuner never turns off.  Snarks can be "battery pigs" anyway, but you're pretty sure to run the battery flat in an hour if you leave the tuner switched to "mic," and forget to hit the power button.

Having said that, I own a half-dozen red Snarks scattered among cases and gig bags.  Whatever their problems (weak ball joint, easily detachable rubber clamp pads), they have given me max bang for the buck.  I don't leave home without one.

*Later:* one oddity is that I've almost never seen such a price range, as I've seen for Snark tuners advertised on-line.  Currently Sam Ash is selling the SN-2 for $25, while *Strings & Beyond* has 'em for $12.  The ones I have I've picked up on-line for $10-12 each, and I don't understand how people think they can get twice that.

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Iron

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## fatt-dad

what Allan said.  I like the mike and I like the metronome.  I sort of like the color too with respect to enhancing my otherwise simple pancake. The red snark is the accessory of choice on my Flatiron 1N. They also work great!

f-d

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Iron

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## Iron

Thanks men, I think I will order me a Red one.

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## JeffD

I had read somewhere that the black snark uses an updated algorithm from the red snark. 

The graphics of the black are easier to see.

I have bought a Peterson strobe-clip, and I love it. I use it with the mandolin sweetener setting. I use it for everything.

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## foldedpath

> Thanks, Mr. Path. I can see that this tuner is intended to be a vast step up from the cheapies and I will give it a chance esp with your advised techniques. OTOH I almost prefer to get in the range and then fine tune from there using (what do they call them?) my ears, which I sometimes forget I have.


Yep, I do that too (final ear check) because sometimes it's just faster to get that last string in tune by an ear comparison to one I know is on pitch from the StroboClip, rather than chasing the display. I have to hear the strings sounding in-tune by ear before I continue playing. Or at least reasonably in-tune. When playing with fiddlers and pipers, that concept of "in tune" can get a little squirrely. 
 :Wink: 




> @foldedpath: do you use the stroboclip to set intonation? I dont have that much problem using it to tune open strings, except the g string is sometimes hard for it to pick up. But when i try to set intonation with it, forget it, it wont even pick up the notes at all on the 12th fret, which sucks because id like to have the kind of accuracy that the strobo clip offers when setting intonation.


I use the larger StroboFlip tuner (now discontinued, I think) when I need to set intonation with the bridge, because the larger display is just easier to read. But I don't think my StroboClip has a problem hearing the 12th fret harmonic compared to a fretted note at the 12th. If it's not picking up those notes, maybe try clipping the tuner to the bridge instead of the headstock?

Another thing you might try, is using a bit of fingernail just behind the 12th fret when you do the fretted-to-harmonic comparison. On some mandolins that can help those high notes sound more clearly.

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## LongBlackVeil

> Yep, I do that too (final ear check) because sometimes it's just faster to get that last string in tune by an ear comparison to one I know is on pitch from the StroboClip, rather than chasing the display. I have to hear the strings sounding in-tune by ear before I continue playing. Or at least reasonably in-tune. When playing with fiddlers and pipers, that concept of "in tune" can get a little squirrely. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I use the larger StroboFlip tuner (now discontinued, I think) when I need to set intonation with the bridge, because the larger display is just easier to read. But I don't think my StroboClip has a problem hearing the 12th fret harmonic compared to a fretted note at the 12th. If it's not picking up those notes, maybe try clipping the tuner to the bridge instead of the headstock?
> 
> Another thing you might try, is using a bit of fingernail just behind the 12th fret when you do the fretted-to-harmonic comparison. On some mandolins that can help those high notes sound more clearly.


Hmm never thought of clipping it to the bridge, that might be a good idea, I'll try that. I bought this for my guitar before I even had a mandolin, so I just used it like I did with my guitar, I would think that might be more accurate read anyway, and would be easier for my poor vision to make out.

Also what do you mean "lock up the two bars" ? I've always just ignored the top bar, it didn't really even mention the top bar in the instructions if I remember right

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## yankees1

I like mine and it does take a while to learn how to operate and adjust but it is very accurate.

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## Dick Wade

I like the Planet Waves mini tuner. It works very well for me, but the best thing is the size. I don't like to see a beautiful mando or guitar with a bunch of plastic clamped to the tuning head.

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## Jim Garber

Maybe Peterson should make a red version  :Smile: 

I do wonder (no criticism here except for myself): When these clip on tuners first cam out they were a godsend for noisy situations like playing in a bar or a jam session. Now I find that I depend on it all the time even when I am home and practicing in a quiet space. I used to actually tune without it or with a tuning fork. I do need my ears back.

Actually, many years ago in the late 1970s I was in a band with some good friends. There were no small, cheap tuners. Our fiddler went out and bought a full size Peterson strobe tuner which he would transport to our gigs. It was funny because people in the audience hadn't a clue what we were doing when each of us would go to the back of the stage and face the green glow. Some folks thought we were watching TV.

BTW IIRC that strobe tuner cost $200 in 1978. According to an online inflation calculator that would translate to over $700 in 2013 money.

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## mandobassman

I'm with Jim on this.  I still prefer to tune with a tuning fork or a violin pitch pipe.  The band I played with throughout the '70s and '80s had one tuning fork that the entire band used.  We were always in tune.  Now everyone has their own tuner and wants to use their own tuner and quite often they're not calibrated the same and the whole band is out of tune.  Everyone says "I'm in with the tuner".  I really think there is a whole generation of musicians now who have relied on a clip-on tuner so much that they really have no ability to hear if a instrument is in tune or not.  Just like when I used the tuning fork, I use a tuner to tune the A strings, then tune the remaining strings by ear to the A course.

I have never used the Peterson tuner myself, but one of my bandmates uses it for his banjo and Dobro.  He loves it.  I know there are a ton of Snark fans here, but I really dislike them.  They chew through batteries faster than many of my sons toys.  They are nearly impossible to read outside.  And the swivel mount easily breaks.  I've been interested in the Peterson, but I can't see spending over $70 for a tuner when a pitch pipe does the job for me.

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Ellen T

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## Don Grieser

I've never liked the Snark tuners--they read each string in a pair to be in tune, but they are never in tune with each other. The best tuner I've found so far is the IntelliTouch PT-10--their new small clip on tuner. More often than not, my pairs are in tune with each other with this tuner. I like it.

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## DHopkins

> I like the Planet Waves mini tuner. It works very well for me, but the best thing is the size. I don't like to see a beautiful mando or guitar with a bunch of plastic clamped to the tuning head.


I like this one, too.  It's small and unobtrusive and can be placed on the top or bottom.  The display can be rotated 180 degrees.

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## kenny boy

BLACK snark  have 3 work great easy read  I like them better planet wave & korg min.

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## mandobassman

> BLACK snark  have 3 work great easy read  I like them better planet wave & korg min.


There's about 5 thoughts in that one run-on sentence.

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Charles E., 

Cheryl Watson

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## Ellen T

I must be a true luddite; I had never even heard of tuners until I joined here not so long ago.  Pitchpipe and ears haven't failed me yet.

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## fatt-dad

> I must be a true luddite; I had never even heard of tuners until I joined here not so long ago.  Pitchpipe and ears haven't failed me yet.


Ah, but do you play with others?  (Just kiddin'.)  I'm not too much a slave to the tuner. That said, I'm glad for the modern convenience.

f-d

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## Caleb

Helpful info. So far I've only used two versions of the Intellitouch. Guess I'm used to it and it seems to work pretty well.  But, as someone else has mentioned, I have a fervent dislike of any tuner clipped onto an instrument.  Ruins the look of the instrument to me.  When I'm done tuning, mine comes off the headstock.

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## Misty Stanley-Jones

There are two different black snarks. The SN8 is the newest and is more sensitive and accurate than the red. I do prefer the display do the red though.

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## yankees1

I find that in tuning strings I get a much more accurate tuning if I deaden the strings with my fingers  that I am not tuning .

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## Misty Stanley-Jones

Me too. I deaden the string in the course that I'm not tuning and I always use the bottom one as the reference to tune them to each other. I check the 5ths too but always start with the tuner. So far it works well for me.

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## JeffD

> I must be a true luddite; I had never even heard of tuners until I joined here not so long ago.  Pitchpipe and ears haven't failed me yet.


I used a tuning fork for the longest time, and was very reluctant to use a clip on tuner. I thought my ability to hear if I was in tune or not would atrophy. Sheer convenience of them won me over, and my ear is as good as ever. 

As long as you always give the last word to your ears. If its not in tune, it doesn't matter what a tuner says.

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Ellen T

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## Nevin

I am with JeffD, tuners are very handy, particularly in live situations where your ability to hear small differences can be hindered.  I still like a to play a few chords and scales after tuning to make sure it sounds right.

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## mandroid

> Hmm never thought of clipping it to the bridge, that might be a good idea, I'll try that.


Technique, is typical for banjo tuning .. a simple piezo clip with a plug & a tuner 
with a 1/4" jack to plug into ..

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## Ivan Kelsall

The 'Red Snark' is the best tuner i've used to date.Unlike Larry,i don't find that it uses up batteries too quickly. Two batteries in 3 years seems pretty good to me. Also,unlike Don Grieser's,mine tunes up each string within a pair as perfectly as any tuner can do,considering it's also picking up sympathetic vibrations from the 'paired' string. The thing i like most about it,is that after my twice yearly mando.'clean-up',when i replace the bridge,i can tune up any pair of strings to a lower pitch which the Snark will recognise, & then i can check the bridge position with some accuracy,meanwhile keeping the string tension low enough to be able to move the bridge as i need to to get it spot on. 'Whatever' - the Red Snark works perfectly for me.
   For a bridge 'clip on' tuner,here's a pair that works well - the Intelli IMT103 'Violin' tuner along with the Intelli IMP100 clip on transducer,
                                                                                                                                      Ivan :Wink:

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## Willie Poole

Tuners get it close, ears get it perfect......Most people don`t go back and check each string after they tune it with a tuner and when tuning other strings the first ones do go out, I check mine about three times and don`t have to tune much during a 3-4 hour show.....

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## LongBlackVeil

> Tuners get it close, ears get it perfect......Most people don`t go back and check each string after they tune it with a tuner and when tuning other strings the first ones do go out, I check mine about three times and don`t have to tune much during a 3-4 hour show.....


Depends who's ears were talking about.

I have to say, I think I have a pretty good ear with a guitar. But the mandolin seems like a different story. I don't think I've quite developed a good ear with the mandolins higher pitch yet

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## JeffD

Now this is only one data point and shouldn't make a whole decision for you, but after using the Peterson for a while now, I went back to the black Snark. 

I am sticking with the Peterson. What I have found is that when the Peterson says you are in tune, you are real darn close if not spot on, while the Snark seems to require more final fixing with the ear. More than I remember.

With the Peterson I can independently tune each string of a pair, and most of the time if they agree on the tuner they are in exact unison - no beat frequency. Not so with the Snark. I had forgotten the extra twiddling I would do to get the unison perfect.

Now the humidity has stabilized and the strings are not new so there are a lot of variables, but this is my experience FWIW.

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## Cheryl Watson

Thanks for the report on the Peterson Strobe tuner--I guess I can save my money there.  Peterson strobe tuners (the standard expensive ones) were always hard for me to tune with in the studio and it sounds like the small clip-on digital version is even more confusing with which to tune

I like the Sabine clip-on and the Planet Waves NS Macro best out of all the tuners I have tried. 

I've owned two black Snarks and both ate batteries like crazy. I really did make certain they were turned off, BTW.  Has anyone else had this problem?

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## almeriastrings

I tried the clip on Peterson, and likewise found it rather "fiddly" in operation and I thought the build quality for the price was not that impressive either. 

Snarks = ate batteries at a frightening rate (even when properly turned off) and had 3 break at the ball joint...

Intellitouch PT-20 = Nice clear 'traffic light' display. Solid build. Accurate enough. I still have an original Intellitouch.. must be 10 years old now.. but still works and has never broken. 

I use a Stroboplus HD in the studio or when checking intonation on instruments. Very accurate, but you'd need a very large accessory compartment in the case to haul one around for routine use!

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...Strobo-Plus-HD

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## Mike Bunting

I have had absolutely no problems with the Stroboclip or the Flip. I can usually make the bars line up as easily as I can get the needle to settle in those other tuners.

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## Pete Martin

Best tuner I've ever used.  On any tuner, you need to deaden the strings you are not tuning, so the tuner won't hear sympathetic vibrations from other strings.  If you do that, any tuner works much better.

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## Polecat

> Snarks = ate batteries at a frightening rate (even when properly turned off) and had 3 break at the ball joint...


I've had a red Snark for about the last 3 years, use it pretty often and I've had to replace the battery twice. What is your "frightening rate", Almeria? I can see that the ball joint is the weak point of the Snark, but it seems to me with moderate care there's no reason for it to break. As you are not the only one to post on these issues, I can only assume that Danelectro's quality control is pretty erratic and that I got lucky. 
There is certainly an easy and a hard way to use a tuner - deadening the other strings gives the gizmo a "cleaner" signal, as does plucking the string directly above the 12th fret,  which cuts down the overtones produced by the vibrating string. 
At home, I still tune using a tuning fork and my own ears, on the "use it or lose it" principal.

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## almeriastrings

> I've had a red Snark for about the last 3 years, use it pretty often and I've had to replace the battery twice. What is your "frightening rate", Almeria? I can see that the ball joint is the weak point of the Snark, but it seems to me with moderate care there's no reason for it to break. As you are not the only one to post on these issues, I can only assume that Danelectro's quality control is pretty erratic and that I got lucky. .


On mine, 4 batteries (good, reliable brand batteries) inside 6 months. This was making certain it really was switched off. The same brand batteries last 12 months or so each in the Intellitouch.. which has a bigger, brighter display. I teach classes and some students had the same issue. Not all of them, but several of them. I have no idea why that would be, except that in some cases there seems to be a residual drain on the current, even when "off".  Other than the battery drain and weak ball joint (the plastic surround seemed to be the weak point) as a tuner they were fine. Easy to read and accurate enough. The little rubber foot also became very loose and fell off, however.

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## Pete Martin

Here is how I tune.  Tuner talk starts about 2:35

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4gn9YjAWbo#t=65

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## gforeman

I have a rather expensive Peterson Virtual Strobe, but it's kind of big, not too handy, and the clip-on tuner.  The clip on tuner works well for me, but...

I picked up their iOS app, and I have to admit, I'm impressed.  I put it against my Virtual Strobe and tuned my Mando and both were dead-on.  Best $10 I have ever spent.  and my Phone is always with me. :Smile:

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## Perry

The Peterson StoboClip is where it's at. Sure it's take some doing to get the wheel to stop turning but that's because it _is_ more accurate.  Other tuners zone in easier but have a much bigger margin of error.

On a side note I do not like the Mandolin sweetened setting for mandolin and prefer the equal setting I do however like the acoustic setting for guitar.

Does anybody here prefer the mandolin sweetened tuning and if so what have you found? The only description is that it tunes to perfect fifths. And I assume they mean the intervals between strings. I'm not so sure that is  most desirable for mandolin. And when I use that setting I don't like the way it sounds.

Thoughts?

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## stevedenver

> I have a rather expensive Peterson Virtual Strobe, but it's kind of big, not too handy, and the clip-on tuner.  The clip on tuner works well for me, but...
> 
> I picked up their iOS app, and I have to admit, I'm impressed.  I put it against my Virtual Strobe and tuned my Mando and both were dead-on.  Best $10 I have ever spent.  and my Phone is always with me.


amazing isn't it?

I am a Peterson devotee, especially for guitar set ups-makes intonation a breeze.

I had the Peterson clip on strobe and returned it simply because I found it about as accurate as my little old $13 meisels. I kept the Peterson a few days and decided that practically, it wasn't that much better, if at all.

I have a micro clip on tuner too, and I like it due to the colors instead of a needle, and its tiny size. *Be warned the micro tuner reacts with varnish*-have a spot on one of my mando headstock face thanks to its pad :Disbelief: 

I don't know about the rest of you, but there are those times, on stage, in jams or simply at home, when my 'ear' gets fatigued or confused, and I can hear strings, tweak em and still not get it right after several times. Often some other string is out of relative pitch, or some thing else is conflicting, like hearing the banjo tune up, or having someone else close to tune but just off,  etc., but having a tuner remedies those times when I simply cannot hear, either literally due to ambient noise or 'not getting it'.

Im fine with having a sure fire back up that tells me which string(s) are in need of tuning, especially when im in a hurry.

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## JeffD

> On mine, 4 batteries (good, reliable brand batteries) inside 6 months. This was making certain it really was switched off. .


Wow! Are you tuning up and then turning it off? Or are you leaving it on the instrument turned on? I typically don't leave the tuner on, but whether I do or not I turn off the tuner as soon as I am in tune.


The other part of the equation is the quality of the batteries you are using. Have they sat around in a gig bag too long? I keep my new batteries in the refrigerator until I need them.

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## JeffD

> The Peterson StoboClip is where it's at. Sure it's take some doing to get the wheel to stop turning but that's because it _is_ more accurate.  Other tuners zone in easier but have a much bigger margin of error.


I think that is true. With practice it is not all that onerous.




> On a side note I do not like the Mandolin sweetened setting for mandolin and prefer the equal setting ... Does anybody here prefer the mandolin sweetened tuning and if so what have you found?


I haven't done a real A-B. I like the sweetened settings, though I would hard pressed to tell you exactly why or what I hear differently. I didn't by the Peterson for the sweetening, its just a fun feature.

The ultimate A-B would be to tune one string in each course with the sweetening and one without, and see what difference can be detected. (You could do this with the Peterson because, as I said before, when I tune the two strings in a course using the tuner, they are almost always in unison with each other.)

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## almeriastrings

> Wow! Are you tuning up and then turning it off? Or are you leaving it on the instrument turned on? I typically don't leave the tuner on, but whether I do or not I turn off the tuner as soon as I am in tune.
> 
> The other part of the equation is the quality of the batteries you are using. Have they sat around in a gig bag too long? I keep my new batteries in the refrigerator until I need them.


No - the tuner just goes on the instrument briefly, then is taken off and switched off. The batteries were all fresh, genuine Panasonic or Sony. Same ones I use in other tuners with zero longevity problems.  I am pretty sure there is a problem with some of these tuners. Others report the same kind of issue. Obviously, though, not all are affected - just some.  Could be a component tolerance problem. I have never had tuners before or since that went through batteries at that rate, though. If you do a Google search for "Snark Tuner Batteries" quite a few reports show up. I did note that you needed it on 'vibration' to activate the auto cut-off. In 'mic' it just stays on and eats juice. I turned them off manually, however... so it wasn't that.

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## Misty Stanley-Jones

My snark batteries last a year. I tune up and then turn it off.

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## mandroid

x-referencing.. this looks like the same Idea as the Peterson
 remote clip on for their other tuners,  but cheaper .. 
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...clip-on-pickup

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## Bob Clark

I generally use my red Snark on vibration mode and turn it off when not in use.  The original battery lasted over two years.  Maybe I got lucky! :Grin:

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## Colin Lindsay

> My snark batteries last a year. I tune up and then turn it off.


Mine last one gig - taken from case, used to tune, then replaced in the instrument case. By next gig theyre usually flat. I use black or blue snarks - bought for the cheap price - but now need a good tuner that runs on AA batteries or the like and will tune weird instruments such as my hurdy-gurdy.

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## Markus

My experience mirrors JeffD's. This tuner gets me closer than other clip ons and thus requires less time trying to match pairs when on stage.

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## herbsandspices

I tried out the Peterson strobo-clip, and was really disappointed. It's super bulky (I keep my tuner clipped on, so this thing is an eyesore - at least make an all black version!), and so pricey, that I was shocked to find it not any more accurate (in my experience) to the cheaper alternatives. I don't love my Snark, but it's the best clip-on tuner I've found so far.

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## jesserules

> My snark batteries last a year. I tune up and then turn it off.





> I generally use my red Snark on vibration mode and turn it off when not in use.  The original battery lasted over two years.  Maybe I got lucky!


Year and a half since I ordered my three red snarks.  Batteries all still going!

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## Mike Bunting

> Year and a half since I ordered my three red snarks.  Batteries all still going!


Are you in tune yet?

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## jesserules

> Year and a half since I ordered my three red snarks.  Batteries all still going!





> Are you in tune yet?


Wait - is that what they're for?

I just use them to hypnotize ground squirrels ...

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## Charley wild

> My snark batteries last a year. I tune up and then turn it off.


Same here!

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## kjcole

Sure saw a lot of pros using Petersons at Kaufman Kamp this year.  I've been using one about a year now and the tips here about how to pluck the string etc are exactly what the company says in the instruction booklet.   Much more accurate than most clip ons.

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Mike Bunting

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## Grommet

If one of the tabs that form the socket retaining the ball on your Snark tuner breaks off, place a small size nylon cable tie around the remaining tabs with the ball in place. I also used a small hot glue gun to reinforce a bit. Still holds after 2 yrs. Can't remember who posted this first.

I haven't noticed rapid battery depletion. I will say that my favorite way to tune when I'm not jamming is to go to freeonlinemandolintuner.com and tune by ear. I would love to mess around with someone else's Strobo-Clip to see if i like it. I hear the neck joints are about as fragile as a Snark though.

Scott

Scott

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## CedarSlayer

I got the Peterson Clip, the Peterson Iphone adapter and The Peterson Strobosoft App on my Iphone.  The difference in tuning is amazing.  It is awkward trying to angle the phone while tuning without something to hold the phone, but oh the sound difference.  I plan to give away my two clip on tuners, useless is what they are.

Bob

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## Markus

Scott, the neck part of my Stroboclip broke, so I emailed them. They sent the replacement part free in the next days mail. Screwed it on and its been a year. Not everything is repairable, but at least some was designed to be able to replace.

It might be fragile-ish, but you get customer service with this device.

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## Grommet

That's good news Markus. Very glad to hear it. If i ever go electric I would love to try one of the stomp pedal tuners by Peterson. As far as clip-on tuners go.. I hear that smart phone tuner apps are a cut above accuracy wise. My phone on the other hand......

Scott

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## Bill Baldridge

I remember reading the quote but not the source.  The interview question to a well known pro was, "What did you do before cheap electronic tuners came into common use?"  The answer was, "We played out of tune." :Smile:   That being said,  I  have to tweak my tuning by ear, regardless of the tuner I use.  

I would sure hate to go back to jamming without clip on tuners.

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## MLT

I feel the need to add my positive opinion of the Peterson StroboClip.  I have used others and find the Peterson to be the most accurate for me.  I also agree these tuners are quite a bit more expensive than many others, mentioned here, on the market; however, the customer service provided, if you have had to experience it is great.  On two occasions I have done things which have broken the clamp or arm--not the tuner mechanism--and Peterson has shipped me a new part at no cost.  I did not expect this, but do appreciate it.

Just my opinion.

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## lflngpicker

The regular sized Planet Waves clip on tuner is excellent for accuracy, but is pricey.  It tends to scratch the headstock a bit so you have to take care not to knock it when it is on.  The Black Snark Sweetwater sells for $14.00 works great on a mandolin and it is nicely cushioned so as not to scratch my beautiful J Bovier or Kentucky headstocks.  It has a metronome which I haven't attempted yet...

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## Cal

_<membership privileges for this account have been permanently removed.>_

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