Peterson Stroboclip HD Tuner Review and Comparison to Original

[gospelman]

I absolutely LOVE the new Peterson Stroboclip HD Tuner that has replaced the original Stroboclip Tuner. The new tuner is much more consistent and reliable compared to the original. This is especially true on instruments with a quick decay like banjos and mandolins. In this video I explain some of the differences between the 2 tuners and give you a hands-on experience with a banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and 5-string electric bass. The new HD tuner performs extremely well with all 3 instruments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8F4L3JQ3sA

[MontanaMatt]

I too love my stroboclip hd. I wish is was a smaller form factor, but the accuracy and ease of reading is superior to all other clips I've used. I used it this weekend at a extremely loud bar gig, worked great!
PW, intellitouch, snark all are obsolete to me
Bought three more for my band mates, so The Bridger Creek Boys are now Peterson endorsers!

[foldedpath]

It's good to see the new model in action, and I'm sure it's an improvement. However, the display on my original version StroboClip doesn't cut out quickly like the one shown in the video with any of my instruments: mandolin, octave mandolin, or guitar.

That looks like either a fault in this particular one, or maybe a weak battery? Probably a fault if it happens even with a new battery. If it were me, I'd send that back to Peterson and see if they can repair it, because it shouldn't work like that.

[gospelman]

It's good to see the new model in action, and I'm sure it's an improvement. However, the display on my original version StroboClip doesn't cut out quickly like the one shown in the video with any of my instruments: mandolin, octave mandolin, or guitar.

That looks like either a fault in this particular one, or maybe a weak battery? Probably a fault if it happens even with a new battery. If it were me, I'd send that back to Peterson and see if they can repair it, because it shouldn't work like that.

Hmm...I just put in a new battery. Maybe I will contact Peterson. Thank you for your comment!

[Mark Gunter]

Bryan, it was cool watching the video for a side-by-side comparison, thanks. It sounds like one of the problems you've had with the original might be a defect with your unit ... or do you have it set to a different mode? You mentioned some type of a sustain mode: Is that an automatic feature, or a mode setting that you may be using that foldedpath is not using? I don't have the original stroboclip, so I'm ignorant about that.

I recently got the stroboclip HD and loving it. There's another great review written up here that helped me decide on it: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...-tuner-is-here!

[gospelman]

Bryan, it was cool watching the video for a side-by-side comparison, thanks. It sounds like one of the problems you've had with the original might be a defect with your unit ... or do you have it set to a different mode? You mentioned some type of a sustain mode: Is that an automatic feature, or a mode setting that you may be using that foldedpath is not using? I don't have the original stroboclip, so I'm ignorant about that.

I recently got the stroboclip HD and loving it. There's another great review written up here that helped me decide on it: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...-tuner-is-here!

The original stroboclip does have a "Sustain" mode that was designed to help it hold onto a note longer on instruments with a fast decay. I have used it, but I didn't have it on in the video. It does register a note for longer periods, but it doesn't fix the jumpiness of the reading, and it will also read the wrong note. The new stroboclip doesn't have the sustain mode, nor is it needed.

I have contacted Peterson about a potential issue with my old stroboclip. I have yet to hear back from them.

[ccravens]

Thanks for the video.

And helping me spend $60..

[Drew Egerton]

I have had an original StroboClip for a while, and have not been very impressed with it, especially for the price.
Pretty disappointed. Same issues with jumpiness and reliability as noted in the video. Will consider an HD, but not crazy about how much I've already spent.

[grassrootphilosopher]

I absolutely LOVE the new Peterson Stroboclip HD Tuner that has replaced the original Stroboclip Tuner. The new tuner is much more consistent and reliable compared to the original. This is especially true on instruments with a quick decay like banjos and mandolins. In this video I explain some of the differences between the 2 tuners and give you a hands-on experience with a banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and 5-string electric bass. The new HD tuner performs extremely well with all 3 instruments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8F4L3JQ3sA

I had the original Stroboclip. It was the best tuner I ever had. It set my hearing right in a way that changed my hearing instruments in tune forever.

My Stroboclip was nothing like in the video - except when the battery was low!

Setup was the key though. A poorly setup instrument did not benefit from the Stroboclip.

The setback: It was not sturdy enough. Mine fell on the ground - careless me. Afterwards it worked for a while and then was done. My stupid little lowcost tuners survived these incidents without problems (yet they do not tune nearly as nice as the Stroboclip).

If you are serious about tuning right, the Stroboclip is the way to go...

probably not for Don McLean though (some of the most beautiful songs ever though):





If you hear the guitar being out of tune in the videos (like David Grisman in "Morning Sun" on the Tone Poems CD) then you benefit from a Stroboclip.

[gospelman]

As I said earlier, I put in a fresh battery before making the video. I have heard from several folks that their original stroboclip was very finicky and similar to mine in the video. The new HD has none of those issues so far. Now I wait to see how long the battery will last.

[HonketyHank]

Thanks to the OP for his evaluation. I saw it and bought one of the new ones. So far I like it for my newer mandolins. My older ones, well there's a problem. The new tuner is way better than the old tuners.

[Jess L.]

Peterson Stroboclip HD Tuner Review and Comparison to Original

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8F4L3JQ3sA

Thanks gospelman, good video!

I had a small dilemma a few weeks ago after I *lost* my Polytune. I waited expectantly for the lost tuner to show up, reverting back to tuning by ear for a while since I couldn't find my old spare backup Korg tuner either.

When it became apparent that the lost Polytune was actually permanently lost and not just hiding under furniture or something, I wasn't sure if I should buy another Polytune (go with what I know) or take a chance on an 'unknown' like the Peterson that I might not like and end up having to give it away or something.

At that time, I chickened out and just bought another Polytune.

But now... curiosity and a mild case of not-quite-cured Gadget Acquisition Syndrome has finally motivated me to order a Stroboclip HD. I'd heard about strobe-type tuners for years, but this one looks like they've finally made it a little easier to use. Being the cheapskate that I am, I chose the slow free shipping (saving a few dollars here and a few dollars there gives me more dollars to spend on bigger things later lol), so it will take a few extra days to get here. Looking forward to having a new toy to play with!

If I like the new Stroboclip HD, I will remove the second Polytune from active duty and assign it to serve as a spare in a drawer somewhere. Guess there's no harm in having two good tuners.

[David Leone]

Bought one from the Peterson site for $59. Amazon had the same tuner for just about twice as much; avoid. What sold me was the banjo demonstration. Thanks for the video.

[grassrootphilosopher]

As I said earlier, I put in a fresh battery before making the video. I have heard from several folks that their original stroboclip was very finicky and similar to mine in the video. The new HD has none of those issues so far. Now I wait to see how long the battery will last.

I had understood that you had put a fresh battery in the Stroboclip before shooting the video. But there´s no harm in repeating.

I think that an instrument with setup difficulties will cause the strobe to dance around. A good setup is definetly mandatory. Loud environments did not help when tuning with the Stroboclip.

After my stroboclip fell the problem it developed was a non plausible fidgeting of the strobe ligth. It also went off or dimmed. Putting in a new battery helped for a while. But it was not usable anymore. Another caveat is that the Stroboclip eats up battery fast if not turned off after tuning. Standby use is not recomended.

A question:
What is your impression of the "sturdiness" of the Stroboclip, of the new Stroboclip HD and its comparison to the original and what do you think about the atachment device of the HD. I´d like to get as many impressions as possible, because I´m thinking of getting one (original or HD...) again.

[gospelman]

A question:
What is your impression of the "sturdiness" of the Stroboclip, of the new Stroboclip HD and its comparison to the original and what do you think about the atachment device of the HD. I´d like to get as many impressions as possible, because I´m thinking of getting one (original or HD...) again.

That's a good question. I don't think I am qualified to give you a good answer. I haven't used the original out and about much due to it's inconsistency. It mostly just stayed in my case and I would use it right before a gig and switch to a Snark. I have only used the HD a couple of times for gigs so far. I have 4 gigs over the next couple of weeks so I'll see how it does. Durability and battery life are still unknown until they give out. Clip on tuners are made from plastic and are fragile. Only time will tell if they will hold up. I will try to keep this thread updated with how it lasts.

[Mark Gunter]

Bought one from the Peterson site for $59. Amazon had the same tuner for just about twice as much; avoid. What sold me was the banjo demonstration. Thanks for the video.

That seems a little strange to me. I bought mine off Amazon (seller: GearNuts) for 59.99 - this after I searched the web and found them for sell at 59.99 everywhere. I just checked again, and found them for 59.99 at Amazon, offered by six sellers, and none for sale at more than 59.99.

I did see an original style stroboclip (not HD) for sale on Amazon for too much money - offered by a load of different sellers ranging from $110.46 all the way up to $216! So I have to assume that you were looking at the wrong tuner?

[David Leone]

That seems a little strange to me. I bought mine off Amazon (seller: GearNuts) for 59.99 - this after I searched the web and found them for sell at 59.99 everywhere. I just checked again, and found them for 59.99 at Amazon, offered by six sellers, and none for sale at more than 59.99.

I did see an original style stroboclip (not HD) for sale on Amazon for too much money - offered by a load of different sellers ranging from $110.46 all the way up to $216! So I have to assume that you were looking at the wrong tuner?

That must be right. I didn't spend much time searching on Amazon before going to the Peterson site but chose to pay through Amazon. Looking forward to trying this tuner since my nylgut fretless skinhead banjo confused the Snarks.

[MontanaMatt]

You can get them for $50 free shipping from Reverb, but it was with a sale code

[foldedpath]

For everyone trying one of these Stroboclips for the first time (old or new version), I strongly recommend paying attention to this part of the instruction sheet:

Strobe Newbie?
If you are new to strobe tuners, you will notice that they are much more sensitive and accurate than your previous tuner. This may mean that you’ll need to adjust your “touch“ when you pluck a string to tune. Instead of a plectrum, use your finger or thumb to gently pluck the string.

I think many users tend to blow past that part in the instructions (who reads instructions, eh?), or they forget and use the pick when tuning. I would even go further -- try using just the side of your finger or thumb to brush the string (while damping the other strings), instead of plucking. This way, you're feeding the tuner more of the fundamental pitch, and less of the upper harmonics that are excited with a sharp pick attack. I can get a good solid display of pitch on my older version StroboClip just brushing with thumb/finger, even in the middle of a loud pub session.

[MontanaMatt]

I posted in the 100% parallel tuning thread about my band using the sweetener settings with success. It is a great function to deal with guitar and banjo capos. I used it with my mando in B and the bands tuning was great. It's not something that the crowd can really discern, but we felt it. Observational bias, probably, but placebos work

[gospelman]

By the way, I purchased my HD from Guitar Center with a 15% off coupon on accessories. Total price with Shipping and Tax was $54.56.

[gospelman]

For everyone trying one of these Stroboclips for the first time (old or new version), I strongly recommend paying attention to this part of the instruction sheet:

I think many users tend to blow past that part in the instructions (who reads instructions, eh?), or they forget and use the pick when tuning. I would even go further -- try using just the side of your finger or thumb to brush the string (while damping the other strings), instead of plucking. This way, you're feeding the tuner more of the fundamental pitch, and less of the upper harmonics that are excited with a sharp pick attack. I can get a good solid display of pitch on my older version StroboClip just brushing with thumb/finger, even in the middle of a loud pub session.

I read that part, and used it some, but I found that I could use picks and still obtain accurate readings. It's fine to use your finger for a guitar, however getting a clean note on a single string with a mandolin is difficult without a pick. Also, it's not feasible for me to remove my banjo picks every time I want to tune my banjo.

[Jess L.]

... Another caveat is that the Stroboclip eats up battery fast if not turned off after tuning. Standby use is not recomended. ...

It doesn't have auto-off?? That's not good. I rely on auto-shutoff to engage after a few minutes otherwise I forget to turn tuners off and then the batteries *really* go flat in a hurry.

I was also reading elsewhere earlier today, that it might need a "firmware update" via USB and Chrome or something, to fix bugs, according to the Peterson website the latest firmware update was just a couple weeks ago - likely won't be already installed on the unit I receive which has probably been sitting in a warehouse for a while.

I hope I don't regret ordering this thing.

[Mark Gunter]

JL277z, pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you are beginning to regret it already

[gospelman]

It doesn't have auto-off?? That's not good. I rely on auto-shutoff to engage after a few minutes otherwise I forget to turn tuners off and then the batteries *really* go flat in a hurry.

I was also reading elsewhere earlier today, that it might need a "firmware update" via USB and Chrome or something, to fix bugs, according to the Peterson website the latest firmware update was just a couple weeks ago - likely won't be already installed on the unit I receive which has probably been sitting in a warehouse for a while.

I hope I don't regret ordering this thing.

You can reconfigure your tuner to auto shutoff through the Peterson Connect and a usb cord. See the video:
https://youtu.be/UUe-gApJnT0?t=5m7s