Tuner Pedal vs. Headstock Tuner

[Alex Orr]

Just wondering how folks were handling tuning in live environments. My experience using a Korg Pitch Black and a Boss TU-3 seemed less accurate than a headstock Peterson. The Pitch Black in particular often seemed to have trouble even "hearing" the mandolin. However, I was wondering if anyone out there has found a tuning pedal that was a better option. Is the StroboStomp really any better than the headstock tuner?

[j. condino]

Since you are asking about live situations and mentioned a couple of pedal type tuners, are you using a pickup?

Sonic Research Turbo Tuner.

It is the first thing on my pedalboard and kicks @$$ !

[sgosnell]

I have only one pedal tuner (actually just part of a multi-effects pedal) but I never use it. I have a Korg (Hammerhead, not Pitch Black) and a few other tuners, which I also never use. I do use three different headstock tuners, mostly interchangeably. The Peterson StroboClip is my favorite. I also have a TC Polytune, which I bought because it was on sale for ~$15 once, and it's about as accurate as the Peterson but harder to read, and several of my instruments have the D'Addario Clip-free tuner permanently attached to the back of the headstock. I use those for quick touch-ups when it's more trouble than it's worth to go for one of the others. They're good enough, but less accurate than either the Peterson or the TC. The other tuners I have are far inferior, and were a waste of money for me. I see no need for a pedal tuner. It's a lot of money for little return. Both the Peterson and the TC are advertised as being accurate to 0.1 cent, which is close enough for jazz. YMMV.

[pops1]

A $10,000 lump mandolin. Now that will be a big seller. Ha ha ha ha ha

[Alex Orr]

I'm using a K&K Twin.

The headstock tuners have been working fine, but I guess I'm subconsciously always looking for excuses to buy more pedals

I have only one pedal tuner (actually just part of a multi-effects pedal) but I never use it. I have a Korg (Hammerhead, not Pitch Black) and a few other tuners, which I also never use. I do use three different headstock tuners, mostly interchangeably. The Peterson StroboClip is my favorite. I also have a TC Polytune, which I bought because it was on sale for ~$15 once, and it's about as accurate as the Peterson but harder to read, and several of my instruments have the D'Addario Clip-free tuner permanently attached to the back of the headstock. I use those for quick touch-ups when it's more trouble than it's worth to go for one of the others. They're good enough, but less accurate than either the Peterson or the TC. The other tuners I have are far inferior, and were a waste of money for me. I see no need for a pedal tuner. It's a lot of money for little return. Both the Peterson and the TC are advertised as being accurate to 0.1 cent, which is close enough for jazz. YMMV.

Ha!!! Yes...finally someone who also has multiple headtsock tuners! I get so much shit about it from bandmates, but I figure if I have a Peterson and a little Daddario nanotuner that I might as well use them both if I have the headstock space

[sgosnell]

The biggest value of the D'Addario Clipfree to me is that it's always in place, ready to use. It's not as precise as I would like, but it is convenient. Sometimes convenience outweighs precision.

[Zach Wilson]

I use both... The peghead tuner seems to be more accurate and it rarely runs out of battery (a great confidence). The pedal tuner is easy to see, is a mute, and is already on my board. I like the tc electronic one.

[Perry]

TC Polytune in every case. Be it acoustic guitar, acoustic mandolin, electric guitar, electric mandolin

I just turn the volume down for silent tuning…don’t see the need for a tuning pedal anymore.

[pops1]

I prefer the Unitune to the Polytune, but I have both. Battery life is exceptional, and accurate tuning right there with my Peterson.

[sgosnell]

I ordered a Unitune from Sweetwater when it was on sale for a stupid low price, ~$15 or so IIRC, and they sent me a Polytune, so I have no experience with the Unitune. It wasn't worth complaining about.

[pops1]

I ordered a Unitune from Sweetwater when it was on sale for a stupid low price, ~$15 or so IIRC, and they sent me a Polytune, so I have no experience with the Unitune. It wasn't worth complaining about.

The Unitune doesn't have the 6 guitar string settings to annoy you is all. Otherwise it is the same tuner.

[sgosnell]

Yeah, I know they're pretty much the same, just an added feature on the Polytune, which is why I didn't complain. I don't use the polytune function, but maybe it might be useful someday, somehow.

[foldedpath]

In my former life when I was playing gigs, I used the first version of the Peterson Strobostomp tuner and it worked fine. This was with a signal fed from a DPA 4099 clip-on mic run through a wireless rig to the pedalboard. With any version of the Peterson tuners, like the headstock clip-on I use now, you have to learn where the "good enough" stability of the simulated strobe wheels is for live playing, and not aim for perfection.

The one big advantage of a pedal tuner vs. headstock clip-on is that it mutes the signal through the PA when you have to tune in the middle of a performance. There are other ways to do that, but it makes it a simple one-step process.

[mando-bob]

When plugged in (K&K Twin Fusion) I use the BOSS TU-2 or the TC stomp tuner, when playing through a mic I use the TC Polytune or Unitune. They all work fine for me. Had exactly the same bad experience with the Korg stomp tuner as you have.

[David Lewis]

I use the fender amp tuner in the Gt 50 I have. Clip on, I like the boss and the snark.

[CES]

My very first tuner was a Korg that was very accurate, but only useful live if you plugged into it. So, I used to have Snarks on everything, but the claw that holds the tuner started breaking around the same time there was a crazy good deal on the D’Addario screw on tuners. So now I have those on 2 mandolins and a guitar. The only clip on I still have is one that came as a freebie with a Uke. Can’t recall the brand, but it’s as accurate as the Snarks and works just fine for the instruments that don’t have the permanent mounts, though it’s much larger than the D’Addarios.

My most accurate tuner is my Peterson phone app. I use it if I’m setting intonation or going to record something, but it’s far too sensitive for use in a noisy environment, or even with the TV on in the background, lol.

Back when I was playing in church I liked having the tuner on my LR Baggs Venue. It was great for guitar and bass, and good enough to mute and use on mando between songs for a quick touch up if needed. Plus, it gets the tuner off the headstock…

Other than the Peterson, all the others are good enough to get close, but I always do the final touch up by ear.

Pedals are cool, though, so I’d take Mr. Condino’s advice and run with it 🤣

[steve in tampa]

In a live setting prefer a pedal tuner, but I use it using short cables on the insert jacks on the amp, and the pedal, (along with a couple of others on a very small pedalboard), stay on top of the amp. The tuner is always on and I can tune the 3 different instruments i play through it.

Personally, I think the look of a headstock tuner on stage is a bit unprofessional. I use them when playing acoustically, but remove them once tuning is complete. I get the instrument in tune once after getting out of the case, and use my ears and the others I am playing with to keep tune with each other.

[dang]

I love my peterson pedal, I cannot compare it to the clip on version, but my bass player and I both have the same pedal and say, "there is in tune and then there is Peterson in tune"

[sgosnell]

The Peterson phone app works great if you have the Pitch Grabber. It clips on the headstock, wired to the phone's USB or headphone jack, and eliminates the noise problem. The downside is the wire, so mine doesn't get used much. It's much quicker, and just as accurate, to use the StroboClip.

Some people claim having a tuner clipped on while playing looks unprofessional, but most of the top professional guitarists I see have one stuck on the headstock. I don't watch rock or bluegrass players much though, so maybe it's just jazz guitarists. I don't judge either way.

[mandroid]

'Alligator' clip pickups can clamp on to the bridge and send a signal to a pedal tuner if that is what you want..
Such a scheme is common for banjos,, rather than muddying the signal thru head overtones.. transmitted to the headstock.

If you have a pickup, the pedal tuner is in the signal chain ... on or bypass...

[sgosnell]

The pitch grabber can clamp to whatever is available. I've used it on bridge and pickguard. The latter isn't so sensitive nor accurate, so it's not great, but it works. Connecting it to a pedal tuner would obviously require an adapter, but they're readily available.

[almeriastrings]

Still using my original TC Electronic Polytune clip here. Way better than my ageing ears!

[CES]

The Peterson phone app works great if you have the Pitch Grabber. It clips on the headstock, wired to the phone's USB or headphone jack, and eliminates the noise problem. The downside is the wire, so mine doesn't get used much. It's much quicker, and just as accurate, to use the StroboClip.

I was unaware of this device. While I’ll probably just stick with what I’m using for now, I may look into this if I ever start playing out again. Thanks!

[dylandekk]

I find that whatever has the least interference from outside noise works best. If I'm sitting in a quiet room and don't have any background noise, I'll use a phone app like gStrings in a pinch and if I'm not planning on recording anything. Stuff like that works about as well as clip-on tuners, and I haven't owned one for many years.

If I'm hooked up to a pedalboard, a pedal tuner will offer a lot more accuracy. And if I'm hooked into a DAW, I really like the free gTune VST by Graham Yeadon. It's honestly my favorite tuning thingy of all time.

[mandroid]

@ home I have an A=440htz tuning fork.