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Thread: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

  1. #1

    Default Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Does anybody have an opinion on rechargeable tuners? I have been using a snark for ages. But between constantly replacing the batteries and the pads falling off and getting lost I am interested in trying something new. I do see they have a rechargeable version now, so could be worth a try for familiarities sake, but if anyone has a strong opinion I am curious

  2. #2
    Registered User mbruno's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    I've been using the Cherub WST 670. It's a good clip on tuner on par with Snark IMO - but being able to charge it via USB is sooooo much nicer than having to get those weird batteries.

    They're pretty cheap on Amazon too
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    The Unitune is a very accurate tuner, and the battery lasts me more than a year using it multiple times daily.
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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by mbruno View Post
    I've been using the Cherub WST 670. It's a good clip on tuner on par with Snark IMO - but being able to charge it via USB is sooooo much nicer than having to get those weird batteries.

    They're pretty cheap on Amazon too
    Thanks for the heads up! I did not know they existed. It always sucks when I go to play with someone and the battery is dead in my tuner.
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    bon vivant jaycat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Another vote for the Unitune. It has auto shutoff which saves a lot of battery life.

    I do have a Snark rechargeable tuner. It's somewhat more reliable than their battery one, but not on a par with the Unitune.
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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Here is a review of the rechargeable tuner from D'Addario...

    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...tail&FORM=VIRE
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Just a thought, what happens when you are out someplace, forgot to charge the tuner and the rechargable goes dead. At least with the battery one you can pop in a new battery

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  12. #8

    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Mead View Post
    Just a thought, what happens when you are out someplace, forgot to charge the tuner and the rechargable goes dead. At least with the battery one you can pop in a new battery
    I do the same thing I do when my tuner is working - play out of tune.

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  14. #9

    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Wait so looks ilke Unitune is not rechargeable? The thread is about rechargeable tuners, not your favorite tuner, unless I am wrong and it is in fact rechargeable.

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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    I think it's a bleed over from another clip on tuner thread.
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Rechargeable batteries don’t matter if I can’t read the display in sunlight. I’m also a big fan of the Unitune. Which of the rechargeable units have very bright displays that are visible outdoors on sunny days?

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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    When I got back to playing several months ago, I remembered that I'd always had trouble keeping things in tune. So, I went with a Roadie which doesn't just give you a reading of pitch but actually rotates the peg heads for you. When it works, which is most of the time, it's been amazing. It recharges well and, with the software updates from the company, it lets you work with all sorts of alternate tunings.

    On the downside, I have had a couple instances -- especially on the A string of my tenor guitar -- where it whirred too quickly and snapped the string. (It seems to work best with settled strings rather than new ones.)

    It's probably not something that would interest more experienced players. A quarter-note past knowing nothing myself, I find myself using an app on my phone more often than the Roadie now. Still, it's an interesting device, and it helped give me the confidence to get back into trying to play. Very expensive, though.

    Here's the company's site. Most of the on-line reviews I've found are pretty good. https://www.roadiemusic.com/roadie3

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    Registered User JiminRussia's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    I do not understand what the problem is. I have two and both are battery powered. The one on my mandolin is only a couple of months old the one that I use for my guitars is about two years old and and gets daily use. I just replaced the original battery and it wasn’t all that difficult.
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    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Question Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    There are phone apps, & phones are rechargeable ...

    you just play the pitch of the string for the phone mic.
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Levine View Post
    Wait so looks ilke Unitune is not rechargeable? The thread is about rechargeable tuners, not your favorite tuner, unless I am wrong and it is in fact rechargeable.
    I suggested the Unitune because your complaint was changing the battery often. The Unitune is not rechargeable, but you rarely change the battery so I suggested it. It is also easy to change.
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  22. #16

    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    A rechargeable Snark is still a Snark, durability is not their forté. What happens when the rechargeable internal battery stops holding a charge? The whole thing goes in the landfill. Cheap in the short term is not cheap in the long run. Another happy Unitune user here.

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    Registered User Ky Slim's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    I have a rechargeable Lekato brand tuner. It was inexpensive on amazon and works pretty well. Rechargeable is a great feature. It has a Violin mode which I suppose is helpful for mandolin. It also has quite a few modes for guitar tunings Drop D (not sure why), Open G, Open D, Open E. It has Uke and chromatic.

    My only real issue with it is the buttons. The power button is the same as the mode button and it's quite small. More than a few times I have ended up changing the tuner mode and then wondering why the thing isn't hearing/feeling me correctly. Honesty, the single large sized power button on the front of the snarks works bests IMO. Also, I don't see the value of a bunch of built-in modes when the chromatic mode works great for everything.

  24. #18

    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Gobs of tuner apps for rechargeable smart phones. Now, is there a clamp to stick a phone to a headstock?

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    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by farmerjones View Post
    Gobs of tuner apps for rechargeable smart phones. Now, is there a clamp to stick a phone to a headstock?
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    I have used a Snark for years. One of the earlier models would drain its battery because if left on in vibration mode it would be constantly reporting the tuning of random noise. If I turned it to microphone and or turned it off it was fine.

    In my kit bag I carry a bunch of the batteries needed for my tuner and metronome and other junk I carry. its all good.

    I don't have as much problem with my Snarks as has been reported by others. But I don't keep it on the headstock, I put it away (in the aforementioned kit bag) after I am tuned up.
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Finally circling back to this thread and will answer a few things.

    Yes, I realize a rechargeable tuner will still produce e-waste, but would rather not keep throwing away those little batteries if avoidable. Rechargeable devices have come a long way recent years so wanted opinions on people's experience. No I don't have any problem changing the batteries it is not "hard" I just would rather waste less if possible.

    Yes, I have a good tuner on my phone, but that really doesn't work in a jam or gig setting. "OK everyone stop playing while I take my phone out and try to tune every other song".

    Regarding the Unitune, I appreciate the suggestion and very well may buy one, but the question was "What is your experience with rechargeable tuners" and it is not, period. I almost bought one for $50 thinking it was rechargeable because that was the question. A totally reasonable response would have been. "I don't have any experience with a rechargeable tuner but I love the Unitune and the batteries last a real long time so it may work for you" or something to that effect. Then atleast I would have known what I was about to buy.

    Anywho end rant. I ended up getting a Cherub and it was delivered today, so I will give it a whirl and see how it holds up.

  28. #22
    Registered User EvanElk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    The rechargeable tone guards are amazing!
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  29. #23
    Oval holes are cool David Lewis's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    I bought a Snark ST-2 today.

    It's accurate - provided one thing...

    You need to give it about 30 seconds for the software to 'warm up'. I don't know how long a 'charge' lasts yet. But they claimed it comes with 80% and it seems to have dropped to about 60 with tuning three or four instruments. (I tried it on mandolin, guitar, solid body guitar, bass and 5-string bass. Some tuners work better with different instruments. This one handled the low B on a 5 string bass pretty well. Also did mandolin pretty well. So I'm pretty happy with it.
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    Registered User Ky Slim's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    Quote Originally Posted by Ky Slim View Post
    I have a rechargeable Lekato brand tuner. It was inexpensive on amazon and works pretty well. Rechargeable is a great feature. It has a Violin mode which I suppose is helpful for mandolin. It also has quite a few modes for guitar tunings Drop D (not sure why), Open G, Open D, Open E. It has Uke and chromatic.

    My only real issue with it is the buttons. The power button is the same as the mode button and it's quite small. More than a few times I have ended up changing the tuner mode and then wondering why the thing isn't hearing/feeling me correctly. Honesty, the single large sized power button on the front of the snarks works bests IMO. Also, I don't see the value of a bunch of built-in modes when the chromatic mode works great for everything.
    On further research, this one I have is the same as a cherub just different brand

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    Default Re: Tell me your experiences with rechargeable tuners

    I looked up the Cherub. Accuracy is +-1 cent. Unitune is .02 in strobe and .5 in chromatic. Since you only change the battery once a year or even two. I think I'd rather have the accuracy. You must have looked at the Polytune as the Unitune is only $35.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

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