I started out using a tuning fork, piano, or dial tone of a telephone (yes, I'm that old, and yes, an old school landline telephone dial tone is a low E). So, anyone of these will work just fine, whatever is closest at hand.
Out of all guitar gear vids over all the years I cant believe the stars have finally aligned and the one thing we all own that costs the least but may actually effect our tone the most finally gets a worthwhile shoot out.. haha props
I have had a Snark for a few years now. Have taken it everywhere from BBQs to camping and it still functions flawlessly. I have a Boss Chromatic tuner, but the snark is so easy to just grab.
I have one clip on and it's a korg. I have one on my board. Predominantly have used a piano over the years. When I was younger dad had an old analog tuner
Good info... thanks. I've been using that D'Addario Micro for years now and it's excellent. I got 5 clipped on the headstocks in cases. Good in noisy environment too; but a little hard to see in bright daylight for old farts like me. Also, this is a much improved to their older model that used up a battery every month or so! For your nitro finish, after 7+ years it does not appear to affect the nitrocellulous lacquer. The only minor problem I had at first was the ratchet did not hold firmly in place and it would unknowingly just fall off. I just used a heat gun and tweaked the ratchet to hold better.
After buying and returning 3 D’ADDERIO micro turners because they didn’t work and when they did totally inaccurate. Broke down, spent the extra money and bought a Peterson strobe. It’s awesome and extremely accurate.
I've been using a Joyo brand clip on for about a year now. I ran across them on Amazon and bought a 6 pack of them for $18! They seem quite accurate to me, they track right on with the 2 different pedal tuners on my boards. The 6 pack deal price has gone up a little. they're now $22.99, a single tuner is $6.99.
I brought a joyo a couple of months back $10-00 and it works well but one of the legs broke off the clamp. I have since brought a rechargable one, Aroma, and I can't come to grips with it so i don;t like it. I play the mandolin I play the 5 stringer also and it works well and it workd well on that
I have used the Snark and although the display is big and bright I have had the tuner break off the pivot ball so I agree the durability is not as good as others. The Korg I have is not a clip on and was the most accurate but it was an older model without an auto shut off and I killed more batteries than I could count. I love the D' Addario micro tuner and it has the features that flip the display 180 degrees, a metronome, etc. The display changes colors between red, green and yellow to let you know if you are flat , sharp or right on. There are also bars on each side of the pitch letter to help you dial it in to dead center. I leave it clipped on and never take it off. It fits in the case and I never lose it. It's like having a built in tuner. I have found the secret to using it is to clip it between the nut and low E string tuner so it is on the back side of the headstock. It is the most visible there to the user and also the least visible to others. Most people don't know you even have it. I was at a performance and a person in the audience asked "what are y'all looking at on your guitars?" One of the band members quickly responded "we're watching TV."
I use a Snark Super Tight and a Boss TU-2 and have no issues with either on. I've dropped them both several times and they still function with acceptable accuracy. The Snark is more adjustable but the Boss is more sensitive and compact.
Thanks, Dylan...this was interesting.My son restrung my other son's guitar for me and gave me a clip on tuner. I haven't played at all since i was very young and am looking forward to relearning how to play. I really enjoyed your discussion and how you tested them against each other and the rationale for choosing one over the other.
After 40 odd years I've still found my ears to be the best option. I use a set of tuning forks that belonged to my great grandfather and my ears and find that most people agree my guitar sounds great. Ps anything that sounds like soddomy will never get my money, ever!
I have a Snark. One tab of one of the sockets broke after a few years. I fixed it with a little hose clamp. A few years later a second tab of the same socket broke. I haven't tried to fix it because I have other tuners. I play bass, and it picks up the E string better than the other clip-ons I have. I also have a mini-Snark, which I think they only made for a short time. It doesn't have the house neck. One bad thing about it is that the on button is out in the open on the side of it, so if you put it in the pocket of a gig bag, the in button will get pressed and run down the battery. So you have to leave it on the headstock on the guitar (bass) in the case going to and from playing. And it didn't pick up the E string as well. I have another one. I don't remember the brand. It's black and rectangular. I bought it once when I figure to bring a tuner once when I was playing. Usually when I'm at a gig or rehearsal, I prefer to use a pedal tuner.
You can flip the display of the little d‘addario to every 90 degree positions. There is a key on it for that. As this is your favorite you should know that to get the best out of it. Enjoy
All the Snarks.I have had broke at the barrel connection on top of the clip. And some times the tuner needle is all over the place. Heard great things about the D'Addario micro but I don't leave tuner on all the time and like a.larger tuner......easier to see. Still on the hunt.
I have broken at least 2 Snark's. The 3 fins on the back of the tuner that capture the ball suck. The nice think about the D'addario is that you can leave it on the headstock when you put your guitar in a soft gig bag. A hard case usually has a compartment to store a tuner, but a soft case is problematic and tuners can get broken no matter where you stick them.
I use the DiAddario cause it's small. However, one issue I've found; on some of my electrics that don't "resonate" a hole bunch, it does not sense the lower frequencies. So, on some of my guitars, I can't use it to tune the my Low E string.
I had a snark. I had it for maybe two years but then the outter part of it started to what I describe as disintegrating. The plastic got all sticky and then it just fell apart. I’m not an avid guitar player. More casual. So when I noticed that the tuner started to fall apart, I was surprised because it was in a drawer usually and barely used it.
This is such a great topic, and I really appreciate all the effort you put into this! ill throw my 2 cents in- the only tuner ive ever had issues with would be the snark. The “high accuracy” gold one only worked about half the time. It would turn on but not register a note. I noticed it being a little glitchy and should have sent it back right away but didnt. Eventually the ball and socket joint broke off so thats that. I have the daddario micro tuner and that is nice but I kind of prefer to leave that on a guitar for good. They arent as easy to put off and on, and you have to be pretty careful with how u position it to have the correct viewing angle.
I have a deltalab clip on tuner I bought for $13 like 6 years ago and it is very easy to use and easy to see and I have dropped it a few times and it is still intact
And just so everybody is aware, I bought it because I dropped my snark and it broke at the three prong shoulder like joint roughly a couple weeks after I bought it and I threw it in the trash, it was at least twice the price of the Delta lab
Using a snark for 18 months. I'd agree it's got wide tolerance (low accuracy) for "in tune". I can turn the peg and audibly hear the pitch change and the green light dial doesn't always move. Its accurate enough for what I need, it's easy to use, and despite all the reports I've spectacularly failed to break it, but I'd probably look at something at a similar price with a published accuracy next time round. Rechargeable batteries would be a bonus.
KORG Rimpitch is legit for acoustic guitars, I got one recently, about $25 iirc. Fender Bullet is also really good, recommended by my luthier, performs better on low frequencies than most other brands too, can be used for bass guitar.
The dadario is great for size and keeping on the guitar in the case. I put it down by the 6th string tuning peg. I use it but my martins don’t sound in tune with it. I have to adjust the tuning. My favorite is the tc electronics poly tune. To my ears my guitar sounds much more in tune with it.
I agree I use a daddario as my leave on which ever guitar is the one I'm playing most and then use a snark as the tuner I have clipped by my music stand for quick tuning when I'm like switching guitars just to be an idiot or most likely when I'm jamming amd just like trying every pick up combo for no good reason if I'm digging the groove and I feel like instinctually that's why I choose the snark for the tuner that gets bounced to multiple instruments In quick succession... not becuz it accurate lol but since it's so forgiving it makes me feeling like I'm the heavy weight quick tune champ operating at nascar pit stop like presison... but as u pointed out... all those guitars are prolly no where near actually right on just on enough that with fuzz... verb...slap delay... amd a few beers totally unnoticeable hahahahhe
Both of my Snarks have trouble reading low notes. Both have needed repairs. Shrink tubing to the rescue. The protective pads have been reglued. Finaly the clip gave up. I cut back the pivit point, drilled a hole, and used an existing screw to fasten it to an amp. Now it reads bass notes! I have been clipping it to amps for some time. I think these units eat batteries. My cat absounded with my little DD'ario. The clip is still on the guitar.
I’m enjoying this series a lot! The only clip-on tuner I’ve used is the Polytune, which is more expensive. I’m not crazy about the form factor. (It has a clip similar to the Mooer.) But I love being able to strum all the strings and see which ones need tuning. I might try that little D’Addario one, though, because it would be nice to sometimes leave it on. I never feel like the Polytune is secure enough.
I have a couple of variants of that D'Addario tuner. They come with multiple clip styles - clip-on like the Korg, screw-on (you screw it to a tuner), that little clip, acoustic guitar soundhole ...
I usually use my daw or Bias to tune my guitars, but I have a bunch of clip-ons as well. To my experience the quality on the clip-ons vary a lot, but they are seldom great. If I compare my clip-ons to my Boss TU-3, most of them are far from accurate ,and many difficult to read if not angled correctly. You should make a comparison between a known good tuner and the clip-ons instead of comparing them to each other
So glad the Daddario won Because I have it and have been wondering about buying a Peterson tuner... Not gonna bother. Because my Daddario tunes my guitars very well already. :)
Out of the 5 or 6 tuners I have, I love my Snark. I am intrigued to see what you say about accuracy (still watching the video). Only complaint I have about my Snark, which is about 8 years old (don't remember model #), is that the rubber has become tacky. That is the reason I am watching your video. I am on the search for the best clip-on tuner out there 😀. Hopefully you can shead some light on that.
My experience with Snarks is mixed. On one hand, I seem to find them everywhere... I've only paid for one (at discount at that!). On the other hand, I've broken more than one ball socket (the little clip part that goes around the ball), and lost all but one rubber pad on the clip. And yeah, the accuracy is less than desirable.
Dylan what do your ears tell you after you tune? Every tuner will be a few cents off, and you might have to adjust slightly. If I’m using a carbon fibre acoustic, like you said probably not a very useful thing. Let’s also figure out a way to check out battery life Cheers Rik
Reverb sells their own branded tuner for $5 shipped! The display is not flexible, like that first one you tested. It doesn’t determine the pitch as fast as my Snark tuner so I don’t really use it except in a pinch.
I was looking at those lately. How good are they compared to a regular basic tuner? My regular tuner doesn't work really well, so I was wondering if one of these fancy clip-on tuners would be better. Plus getting one would be a great excuse to go try some guitars I can't afford at my local Long&McQuade. I now really want to try a SG after seeing yours.
@@EarthSouthside I tried a Gibson SG Tribute. Loved the sound, absolutely loved the satin finish, but I'm not sure about the neck profile, it's a bit too chunky for my small hands. I tried some Epiphone with a Slim Taper neck, felt way better but I didn't like the glossy poly finish.
@@EarthSouthside Yeah that Epiphone looked perfect, but they didn't have it at my local store. I've seen that the guitar is routed for humbuckers under the pickguard, so I could even swap the P90s for some Gibson humbuckers if I wanted to! I might order one soon, hoping the setup will be decent, all the Epi SG I tried at the store were terrible, with really scratchy frets.
@@EarthSouthside I tried the SG Muse and SG Standard, they both felt pretty bad. Probably nothing that a good setup wouldn't fix, but that did put me off a bit for a first impression.
@@EarthSouthside Maybe! I think it was mostly the frets that needed some polishing. Or maybe it's the fingerboard wood? I was hearing a scratchy, rough sound when moving the strings up and down. The only Epiphone I tried that felt better was a Modern Les Paul, with an ebony fretboard, instead of the Indian Laurel on the other ones.
@@EarthSouthsideGood to hear that your Epiphone felt great! I still have a guitar or two to sell before buying a new one anyway. This was a fun conversation, have a great day!
instead of describing the accuracy of tuners.as to which is most accurate... your point would have been better made by just stating that the Snark is the least sensitive to the pitch signal...
I have both new and older Snarcs. The newer are sturdier, I like them, if you loose one it's not a disaster. A tuner is only half the work, it's an indicator, you always have to temper by ear anyway.
Snark. I’ve been through two of em in a year. The first one just stopped coming on, changed battery and still nothing. The second one snapped and I don’t even know how. So I stopped buying em.
my only complaint with the D'Addario is the on off button., it too soft and rubbery ,very frustrating to have to push more than once or twice to get it going. I think the earlier version had a better button , you could actually feel a click to the button.
I have tried quite a few and the most accurate I have found is the Boss Tuner App that looks like the Boss pedal. However, with all phone tuner apps, accuracy is determined by the sensitivity of the mic on your phone and the amount of background noise.
and what is the purpose of having a micro tuner if you are going to put it on and take it off all the time..?.. you may as well use a plug in strobe tuner... a buddy of mine kept his strobe korg.. connected in series the whole time while we were gigging.. and it was pretty much out of sight.. as for me I have a few dozen of those ns tuners.. one for each of my guitars.. and they are on continually...I also have a bunch of your second choice tuner and they stay clipped on the other guitars as well.. even when they are stored for long periods in the case..the tuners stay on the guitars.. I also have about a 200 battery supply... if there is ever a shortage of tuners or batteries.. I m good...!
My favorite is the daddario microtuner but the battery USAGE IS BAD!! The other thing about the micro is the clamps wear out and then they fall off. I wish they had the same type of clamp with the real strong spring you just press straight up and down. You would think with this technology they would have that. And then the ultimate would be the diadario MICRO TUNER AS A RECHARGEABLE USC PORT! WITH A SPRING CLAMP!!
Recently I started using the daddario mini. I love it. It seems very accurate. Only problem is it kinda hides behind tuning machines. I'm going to get more of them for each guitar I own. I love the idea of leaving it on at all times.. Thanks for the review. 👍
As for using an acoustic instead of electric I disagree. Electric guitar doesn't have nearly as much vibration as an acoustic for obvious reasons. To find out the ones that are more accurate you should be using an electric guitar playing very loudly lot of noise to see how it works in a live situation.
I haven't tested Snark for accuracy but as to durability it's a piece of crap. I've had 2 of them, both of which fell apart without hard usage (home use only and I'm gentle with equipment). After the 2nd one broke (and yes it was the ball joint part both times!), I wrote the company and no one wrote back. Wrote again: same. I'm done with them. I am very happy with TC Electronics which I don't see listed here. The TC has an accelerometer so it knows which way is up and it's very accurate. It also can test the frequency of all the strings simultaneously which I have sometimes found isn't perfect. But I've never had a TC tuner break on me andI like the display.
Very interesting. Great test design too - and the tuning of the tuners to each other was a very smart move that threw up some interesting results. I have an ancient Boss TU-12 and one of the new Snarks - going to have to test them to each other now. I only got the Snark as it's a bit faster to set up than the Boss and the little cell battery lasts longer than the 9V in the Boss. Plus I expect my ears are not good enough to tell if the Snark is being a bit "relaxed" about the note.
I got a Fender FT-1 in a Squier starter kit and it works ok, nothing I don't like, works well. But then a couple of D'Addario Equinox tuners were included with string sets (basically free) and like them the best. Easy to see big displays, easy to get perfect tuning (checked with a strobe) and the head swivels all over. When I needed a pedal tuner I like the Equinox so much I bought the D'Addorio PW-CT-20 because it has the same great display in a bigger version. Big D'Addario fan, love their strings and I collect the points for free stuff.
used to loved my Snark Tuner But its not Durable At All Especially for Touring/ Traveling cheap plastic ball joint broke off plus its 2022 usb charging should be a standard by now. My #D'Addario still holding strong never breaks & always works as intended
the ns tuner... though I love it.. is far worse than any of the other tuners as far as noise sensitivity.. someone talking to close to you or crowd noise throws it off...
why didn't you take 4 or 5 tuners and attach them on your guitar at the same time to compare them.. ?. this would have saved you a lot of time.. and the tuners being activated at the same time...do not screw up any of the others tuning signals....
I started out using a tuning fork, piano, or dial tone of a telephone (yes, I'm that old, and yes, an old school landline telephone dial tone is a low E). So, anyone of these will work just fine, whatever is closest at hand.
I have six other clip-on tuners Snark, Korg, Boss, Fender, and the Unitune Clip, $29, **in strobe mode** has changed the game and is all I use now.
Out of all guitar gear vids over all the years I cant believe the stars have finally aligned and the one thing we all own that costs the least but may actually effect our tone the most finally gets a worthwhile shoot out.. haha props
Off topic how you digging that black acoustic? Been looking at a few like that but haven't had much hands on with any
I have had a Snark for a few years now. Have taken it everywhere from BBQs to camping and it still functions flawlessly. I have a Boss Chromatic tuner, but the snark is so easy to just grab.
I agree m and there are durable
I have one clip on and it's a korg. I have one on my board. Predominantly have used a piano over the years. When I was younger dad had an old analog tuner
Good info... thanks.
I've been using that D'Addario Micro for years now and it's excellent. I got 5 clipped on the headstocks in cases. Good in noisy environment too; but a little hard to see in bright daylight for old farts like me. Also, this is a much improved to their older model that used up a battery every month or so!
For your nitro finish, after 7+ years it does not appear to affect the nitrocellulous lacquer. The only minor problem I had at first was the ratchet did not hold firmly in place and it would unknowingly just fall off. I just used a heat gun and tweaked the ratchet to hold better.
After buying and returning 3 D’ADDERIO micro turners because they didn’t work and when they did totally inaccurate. Broke down, spent the extra money and bought a Peterson strobe. It’s awesome and extremely accurate.
Had the same experience. Yet D'Adderios are still rated high on Amazon.
I've been using a Joyo brand clip on for about a year now. I ran across them on Amazon and bought a 6 pack of them for $18! They seem quite accurate to me, they track right on with the 2 different pedal tuners on my boards. The 6 pack deal price has gone up a little. they're now $22.99, a single tuner is $6.99.
I brought a joyo a couple of months back $10-00 and it works well but one of the legs broke off the clamp. I have since brought a rechargable one, Aroma, and I can't come to grips with it so i don;t like it. I play the mandolin I play the 5 stringer also and it works well and it workd well on that
Great job. Great testing approach. Best eval I've seen. Like my Diaddario mini and Peterson stroboclip!
Thanks!!
Good review. Thanks for doing the work. Would be great to see a comparison of the Fender Bullet tuner. Looks like a well built simply option.
Great review, everybody should go in depth like this!
I have used the Snark and although the display is big and bright I have had the tuner break off the pivot ball so I agree the durability is not as good as others. The Korg I have is not a clip on and was the most accurate but it was an older model without an auto shut off and I killed more batteries than I could count. I love the D' Addario micro tuner and it has the features that flip the display 180 degrees, a metronome, etc. The display changes colors between red, green and yellow to let you know if you are flat , sharp or right on. There are also bars on each side of the pitch letter to help you dial it in to dead center. I leave it clipped on and never take it off. It fits in the case and I never lose it. It's like having a built in tuner. I have found the secret to using it is to clip it between the nut and low E string tuner so it is on the back side of the headstock. It is the most visible there to the user and also the least visible to others. Most people don't know you even have it. I was at a performance and a person in the audience asked "what are y'all looking at on your guitars?" One of the band members quickly responded "we're watching TV."
I use a Snark Super Tight and a Boss TU-2 and have no issues with either on. I've dropped them both several times and they still function with acceptable accuracy. The Snark is more adjustable but the Boss is more sensitive and compact.
Thanks, Dylan...this was interesting.My son restrung my other son's guitar for me and gave me a clip on tuner. I haven't played at all since i was very young and am looking forward to relearning how to play. I really enjoyed your discussion and how you tested them against each other and the rationale for choosing one over the other.
After 40 odd years I've still found my ears to be the best option. I use a set of tuning forks that belonged to my great grandfather and my ears and find that most people agree my guitar sounds great. Ps anything that sounds like soddomy will never get my money, ever!
Good for you 😅
I have a Snark. One tab of one of the sockets broke after a few years. I fixed it with a little hose clamp. A few years later a second tab of the same socket broke. I haven't tried to fix it because I have other tuners.
I play bass, and it picks up the E string better than the other clip-ons I have.
I also have a mini-Snark, which I think they only made for a short time. It doesn't have the house neck. One bad thing about it is that the on button is out in the open on the side of it, so if you put it in the pocket of a gig bag, the in button will get pressed and run down the battery. So you have to leave it on the headstock on the guitar (bass) in the case going to and from playing. And it didn't pick up the E string as well.
I have another one. I don't remember the brand. It's black and rectangular. I bought it once when I figure to bring a tuner once when I was playing.
Usually when I'm at a gig or rehearsal, I prefer to use a pedal tuner.
Been using the Korg pitch clips since the Gen 1. Love them!!
You can flip the display of the little d‘addario to every 90 degree positions. There is a key on it for that. As this is your favorite you should know that to get the best out of it. Enjoy
D’Addario says not to leave the Micro on during storage. It might damage the finish.
All the Snarks.I have had broke at the barrel connection on top of the clip. And some times the tuner needle is all over the place. Heard great things about the D'Addario micro but I don't leave tuner on all the time and like a.larger tuner......easier to see. Still on the hunt.
I have broken at least 2 Snark's. The 3 fins on the back of the tuner that capture the ball suck. The nice think about the D'addario is that you can leave it on the headstock when you put your guitar in a soft gig bag. A hard case usually has a compartment to store a tuner, but a soft case is problematic and tuners can get broken no matter where you stick them.
I can attest to that. The snark sucks big time
Thanks for the honest and accurate review, I've been searching for best tuner, you helped me to decide what to buy.
I use the DiAddario cause it's small. However, one issue I've found; on some of my electrics that don't "resonate" a hole bunch, it does not sense the lower frequencies. So, on some of my guitars, I can't use it to tune the my Low E string.
You have to place it near the bass E to really work, and on a strat clip it on the headstock directly opposite the bass E tuning peg.
Use your finger instead of the pick and it will work!
Excellent review. Getting your #2, which is really your #1, today. Thanks.
Great thorough video .. very useful analysis
I had a snark. I had it for maybe two years but then the outter part of it started to what I describe as disintegrating. The plastic got all sticky and then it just fell apart. I’m not an avid guitar player. More casual. So when I noticed that the tuner started to fall apart, I was surprised because it was in a drawer usually and barely used it.
This is such a great topic, and I really appreciate all the effort you put into this! ill throw my 2 cents in- the only tuner ive ever had issues with would be the snark. The “high accuracy” gold one only worked about half the time. It would turn on but not register a note. I noticed it being a little glitchy and should have sent it back right away but didnt. Eventually the ball and socket joint broke off so thats that. I have the daddario micro tuner and that is nice but I kind of prefer to leave that on a guitar for good. They arent as easy to put off and on, and you have to be pretty careful with how u position it to have the correct viewing angle.
I have a deltalab clip on tuner I bought for $13 like 6 years ago and it is very easy to use and easy to see and I have dropped it a few times and it is still intact
And just so everybody is aware, I bought it because I dropped my snark and it broke at the three prong shoulder like joint roughly a couple weeks after I bought it and I threw it in the trash, it was at least twice the price of the Delta lab
Using a snark for 18 months.
I'd agree it's got wide tolerance (low accuracy) for "in tune". I can turn the peg and audibly hear the pitch change and the green light dial doesn't always move.
Its accurate enough for what I need, it's easy to use, and despite all the reports I've spectacularly failed to break it, but I'd probably look at something at a similar price with a published accuracy next time round. Rechargeable batteries would be a bonus.
KORG Rimpitch is legit for acoustic guitars, I got one recently, about $25 iirc. Fender Bullet is also really good, recommended by my luthier, performs better on low frequencies than most other brands too, can be used for bass guitar.
The dadario is great for size and keeping on the guitar in the case. I put it down by the 6th string tuning peg. I use it but my martins don’t sound in tune with it. I have to adjust the tuning. My favorite is the tc electronics poly tune. To my ears my guitar sounds much more in tune with it.
I agree I use a daddario as my leave on which ever guitar is the one I'm playing most and then use a snark as the tuner I have clipped by my music stand for quick tuning when I'm like switching guitars just to be an idiot or most likely when I'm jamming amd just like trying every pick up combo for no good reason if I'm digging the groove and I feel like instinctually that's why I choose the snark for the tuner that gets bounced to multiple instruments In quick succession... not becuz it accurate lol but since it's so forgiving it makes me feeling like I'm the heavy weight quick tune champ operating at nascar pit stop like presison... but as u pointed out... all those guitars are prolly no where near actually right on just on enough that with fuzz... verb...slap delay... amd a few beers totally unnoticeable hahahahhe
Both of my Snarks have trouble reading low notes. Both have needed repairs. Shrink tubing to the rescue. The protective pads have been reglued. Finaly the clip gave up. I cut back the pivit point, drilled a hole, and used an existing screw to fasten it to an amp. Now it reads bass notes!
I have been clipping it to amps for some time.
I think these units eat batteries.
My cat absounded with my little DD'ario. The clip is still on the guitar.
Cool, I was just shopping for one of these.
The D’addario clip on is the one for my money. I bought a Snark, the gooseneck broke, I never replaced it. I also love the D’addario sound hole tuner.
Same thing happened to my snark. It broke at the goose neck pretty quick. 🙋♂️
I’m enjoying this series a lot! The only clip-on tuner I’ve used is the Polytune, which is more expensive. I’m not crazy about the form factor. (It has a clip similar to the Mooer.) But I love being able to strum all the strings and see which ones need tuning. I might try that little D’Addario one, though, because it would be nice to sometimes leave it on. I never feel like the Polytune is secure enough.
Love the tone wood on that acoustic. Also would be nice to see some smartphone apps compared to clip on accuracy
I have a couple of variants of that D'Addario tuner. They come with multiple clip styles - clip-on like the Korg, screw-on (you screw it to a tuner), that little clip, acoustic guitar soundhole ...
One of my Snarks broke last night, can't find the other, will be ordering something more durable.
I usually use my daw or Bias to tune my guitars, but I have a bunch of clip-ons as well. To my experience the quality on the clip-ons vary a lot, but they are seldom great. If I compare my clip-ons to my Boss TU-3, most of them are far from accurate ,and many difficult to read if not angled correctly. You should make a comparison between a known good tuner and the clip-ons instead of comparing them to each other
Thanks have you thought about comparing the tuner apps?
I like the Snark-they are often on sale.
whats that guitar you're using ?
I have the red Snark tuner. I should test it against my Peterson StroboStomp HD for the fun of it.
@@EarthSouthside Snark fits in the acoustic case and Peterson doesn't?
So glad the Daddario won
Because I have it and have been wondering about buying a Peterson tuner...
Not gonna bother. Because my Daddario tunes my guitars very well already. :)
Timely. I just broke the clip that holds the ball joint on my Snark.
I've had a Snark for many years, the only tuner I have owned. I don't know about accuracy, but it is durable, no trouble with ball ends.
Thank you.
Out of the 5 or 6 tuners I have, I love my Snark. I am intrigued to see what you say about accuracy (still watching the video). Only complaint I have about my Snark, which is about 8 years old (don't remember model #), is that the rubber has become tacky. That is the reason I am watching your video. I am on the search for the best clip-on tuner out there 😀. Hopefully you can shead some light on that.
Solid collection of strap ons you got there
My snark broke at the ball end. So I got a second one. They are both super tight so they tune pretty good. With that said I mostly use a tuning pedal
A hair more expensive, but amazingly accurate (including a strobe mode with 0.02ct accuracy) is the tc electronic UniTune Clip.
Nice I didn't know they made one.
Edit: well shit for that price I'd probably get a Peterson StroboClip.
@@juffurey The Peterson one is more than twice the price?
Maybe you looked at the Polytune clip instead?
Best clip on tuner.
Snark / Had three of them, all of them broke at the ball end. I am surprised they have not addressed this major shortcoming,
My experience with Snarks is mixed. On one hand, I seem to find them everywhere... I've only paid for one (at discount at that!). On the other hand, I've broken more than one ball socket (the little clip part that goes around the ball), and lost all but one rubber pad on the clip. And yeah, the accuracy is less than desirable.
Does the korg pitch clip 2 do bass guitars also ?
I prefer the Snark because I already have one and it was free. If I buy another one it will probably be the D’Addario.
Amazing video. Every string player in the world can relate to these questions. Dylan is hands down the best guitar RUclipsr.
Hes alright. cringey sometimes though
@@francissalva9307 His best videos are when he’s opinionated or argumentative about an issue.
Dylan what do your ears tell you after you tune? Every tuner will be a few cents off, and you might have to adjust slightly. If I’m using a carbon fibre acoustic, like you said probably not a very useful thing. Let’s also figure out a way to check out battery life
Cheers
Rik
What guitar is that? Thanks
Can you please also add Korg Griptune and D’addario clip free tuner?
the ns tuner display can be flipped as well
where can i buy that guitar?
Reverb sells their own branded tuner for $5 shipped! The display is not flexible, like that first one you tested. It doesn’t determine the pitch as fast as my Snark tuner so I don’t really use it except in a pinch.
I was looking at those lately. How good are they compared to a regular basic tuner? My regular tuner doesn't work really well, so I was wondering if one of these fancy clip-on tuners would be better. Plus getting one would be a great excuse to go try some guitars I can't afford at my local Long&McQuade. I now really want to try a SG after seeing yours.
@@EarthSouthside I tried a Gibson SG Tribute. Loved the sound, absolutely loved the satin finish, but I'm not sure about the neck profile, it's a bit too chunky for my small hands. I tried some Epiphone with a Slim Taper neck, felt way better but I didn't like the glossy poly finish.
@@EarthSouthside Yeah that Epiphone looked perfect, but they didn't have it at my local store. I've seen that the guitar is routed for humbuckers under the pickguard, so I could even swap the P90s for some Gibson humbuckers if I wanted to! I might order one soon, hoping the setup will be decent, all the Epi SG I tried at the store were terrible, with really scratchy frets.
@@EarthSouthside I tried the SG Muse and SG Standard, they both felt pretty bad. Probably nothing that a good setup wouldn't fix, but that did put me off a bit for a first impression.
@@EarthSouthside Maybe! I think it was mostly the frets that needed some polishing. Or maybe it's the fingerboard wood? I was hearing a scratchy, rough sound when moving the strings up and down. The only Epiphone I tried that felt better was a Modern Les Paul, with an ebony fretboard, instead of the Indian Laurel on the other ones.
@@EarthSouthsideGood to hear that your Epiphone felt great! I still have a guitar or two to sell before buying a new one anyway. This was a fun conversation, have a great day!
I think it's funny how often, "Let's get into it!" means, "Let's not get into it and watch an intro montage instead!"
instead of describing the accuracy of tuners.as to which is most accurate... your point would have been better made by just stating that the Snark is the least sensitive to the pitch signal...
What about the TC Unitune?
I have both new and older Snarcs. The newer are sturdier, I like them, if you loose one it's not a disaster. A tuner is only half the work, it's an indicator, you always have to temper by ear anyway.
Snark. I’ve been through two of em in a year. The first one just stopped coming on, changed battery and still nothing. The second one snapped and I don’t even know how. So I stopped buying em.
my only complaint with the D'Addario is the on off button., it too soft and rubbery ,very frustrating to have to push more than once or twice to get it going. I think the earlier version had a better button , you could actually feel a click to the button.
Thumbs-up for the hat.
Hey Dylan…how about testing and comparing phone tuner apps vs clipon tuners
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I have tried quite a few and the most accurate I have found is the Boss Tuner App that looks like the Boss pedal. However, with all phone tuner apps, accuracy is determined by the sensitivity of the mic on your phone and the amount of background noise.
and what is the purpose of having a micro tuner if you are going to put it on and take it off all the time..?.. you may as well use a plug in strobe tuner... a buddy of mine kept his strobe korg.. connected in series the whole time while we were gigging.. and it was pretty much out of sight.. as for me I have a few dozen of those ns tuners.. one for each of my guitars.. and they are on continually...I also have a bunch of your second choice tuner and they stay clipped on the other guitars as well.. even when they are stored for long periods in the case..the tuners stay on the guitars.. I also have about a 200 battery supply... if there is ever a shortage of tuners or batteries.. I m good...!
The Mooer is a direct copy of the TC electronic poly but its display isn't as good
I liked Snark but I had a few of them break in a short period of time
My favorite is the daddario microtuner but the battery USAGE IS BAD!!
The other thing about the micro is the clamps wear out and then they fall off. I wish they had the same type of clamp with the real strong spring you just press straight up and down. You would think with this technology they would have that.
And then the ultimate would be the diadario MICRO TUNER AS A RECHARGEABLE USC PORT! WITH A SPRING CLAMP!!
Recently I started using the daddario mini. I love it. It seems very accurate.
Only problem is it kinda hides behind tuning machines. I'm going to get more of them for each guitar I own. I love the idea of leaving it on at all times.. Thanks for the review. 👍
Why is there no Peterson tuner?
The answer is in the video title
@@DylanTalksTone Well, ok - this is over $20 ....
I love leaving the D'Addario on my guitar. Again the clamp problem.
Were they able to tune all of those cicadas in the background? 😂
As for using an acoustic instead of electric I disagree. Electric guitar doesn't have nearly as much vibration as an acoustic for obvious reasons.
To find out the ones that are more accurate you should be using an electric guitar playing very loudly lot of noise to see how it works in a live situation.
I thought the Snark was less visible than the ns tuner
Yeah, the Korg has been consistently good for a couple years of heavy gigging. (On bass)
I haven't tested Snark for accuracy but as to durability it's a piece of crap. I've had 2 of them, both of which fell apart without hard usage (home use only and I'm gentle with equipment). After the 2nd one broke (and yes it was the ball joint part both times!), I wrote the company and no one wrote back. Wrote again: same. I'm done with them. I am very happy with TC Electronics which I don't see listed here. The TC has an accelerometer so it knows which way is up and it's very accurate. It also can test the frequency of all the strings simultaneously which I have sometimes found isn't perfect. But I've never had a TC tuner break on me andI like the display.
my snark got so sticky after awhile, anytime you touch it you have to wash your fingers and eventually the clip bottom just fell apart
Nice guitar, left because of the shades, cheers tho.
You must be fun at parties
Very interesting.
Great test design too - and the tuning of the tuners to each other was a very smart move that threw up some interesting results.
I have an ancient Boss TU-12 and one of the new Snarks - going to have to test them to each other now.
I only got the Snark as it's a bit faster to set up than the Boss and the little cell battery lasts longer than the 9V in the Boss.
Plus I expect my ears are not good enough to tell if the Snark is being a bit "relaxed" about the note.
I got a Fender FT-1 in a Squier starter kit and it works ok, nothing I don't like, works well. But then a couple of D'Addario Equinox tuners were included with string sets (basically free) and like them the best. Easy to see big displays, easy to get perfect tuning (checked with a strobe) and the head swivels all over. When I needed a pedal tuner I like the Equinox so much I bought the D'Addorio PW-CT-20 because it has the same great display in a bigger version. Big D'Addario fan, love their strings and I collect the points for free stuff.
Never had a problem with Snark. Maybe you just got a bad one.
Or half a dozen
My Korg went wiggling and vibration with certain notes vert quickly... No way to tighten it back... I won't recommand it...
used to loved my Snark Tuner But its not Durable At All Especially for Touring/ Traveling cheap plastic ball joint broke off plus its 2022 usb charging should be a standard by now. My #D'Addario still holding strong never breaks & always works as intended
Di’addario eclipse vs micro 🤔
the ns tuner... though I love it.. is far worse than any of the other tuners as far as noise sensitivity.. someone talking to close to you or crowd noise throws it off...
why didn't you take 4 or 5 tuners and attach them on your guitar at the same time to compare them..
?. this would have saved you a lot of time.. and the tuners being activated at the same time...do not screw up any of the others tuning signals....
Korg Pitchclip 25/8
the only clip on fr me is the Musedo T 23
had 2 of the snarks both shit themselves at the ball end ,before they did i found them ok
I would never be using a clip on tuner in a live performance environment. That's why we have petal tuners.
Where the hell is part 1?
The Korg doesn't go down to 432Hz.
That’s because it’s a guitar tuner. Not a tuner for conspiracy theorists 😂
@@DylanTalksTone sure "tone Guy".
do you play at 432? I don't know many people that do