The Steel Guitar Forum

Allen which Korg tuner are you talking about ? All of them or just one ? My guitars sound real good using the TU-12 which i use after i '' ear tune '' --then maybe it's my ear and not the TU-12 HUH ?

Allen Kentfield wrote:But a Korg CA-30 can be had for $20-$30. And from what I've seen of Petersons, Korg is simpler to use. Of course you've got to know what you're doing.

The Petersen Strobo flip does a lot more.
All joking aside, All you really need is a tuning fork, or less than that--a reference note from a band member. There is no right way or no wrong way, as long as your guitar is in tune to your ear, and you enjoy your playing. It's all good.

Still using the TU-12 I've had since 1988.

Seems that this topic is a goldmine of info for beginners. My mentor and friend Frank Crawley, used a 440hz E tuning fork and tuned the rest by ear.

Here is a funny story. I was in the band with Frank for several years (20 or so) and if we got set up 2 hours early, it took him 2 hours to tune up. If he ran in under the wire, he could tune in less than the time from the intro to his ride. lol Never understood that even after playing steel myself for over 15 years. Bless his heart, I think he just liked to tune up.........

Chuck

Sonic Research st-200. It's a new company. Strobe tuner, made of metal, true bypass, easy to read, fully programmable, battery lasts forever, small footprint... I've got nothing bad to say about this tuner. And it's $129.

I picked up a Peterson strobe flip tuner at the Dallas show and I love it. I can tune pretty well by ear if I'm in a situation where I can hear my steel without other sounds going on. With the Peterson I can tune quietly with confidence in any situation.

I use an Intellitouch tuner, $49 at any big box music store. It is similar to the Korg AW1 mentioned earlier. Clip it on and tune away. It can be used to tune virtually any stringed instrument. It is real popular with the bluegrass set. I like it because it has a large LED read out that is back lit. No matter how dark or light the setting, you can see it. I use it as a reference and then tune finish up by ear.

I ask the guitar player for an "E".

Dave O'Brien wrote:I ask the guitar player for an "E".

That's the cheapest yet.

Peterson Strobo-Rack !

I have a fliptop Peterson and a rack mount Korg And i always go back to the WT10 Korg it about 30 years old. I have two of them and wouldnt take anything for them. Very easy to use and tunes very well.

Boss TU-12H. Had it for many, many years. I don't keep it in line, as I play a Kline, and only need to tune once a month. For my other instruments, I use this:

Now thats funny, I don't care who you are......

My lead player is always saying, is that string flat? I tell him I don't know but if it is, I fix it next week.

A few years back Jerry Brughtman was kind enough to join Russ Hicks in doing a seminar one saturday for the NTSGA. I left there in information overload like I thought I would, thank you gentlemen!

Sooner or later the talk got around to tuners. Someone asked Jerry what his preference was, his answer floored me.

He said that he did not own a tuner, has never owned a tuner, and has never really thought about getting one.

He didn't say it in a condescending, or smart ass way or anything like that, I think it was more of an honest answer from a guy that had developed an ear way before tuners as we know them came along. When pedals were added he must have realized right away that cabinets did have drop, heat and cold, etc., did have an effect on them. He compensated for it and moved on. BTW this is one cat that plays in tune!

I use the same tuner I bought from Bobbe years ago when I got my first steel. I used it a lot at first, the E9 tuning was pretty strange sounding to me then. More often than not though I grab an E off whatever is in twnging distance and do the rest from there. Still use it when stringing up my resos.

Gary Preston wrote:Allen which Korg tuner are you talking about ? All of them or just one ? My guitars sound real good using the TU-12 which i use after i '' ear tune '' --then maybe it's my ear and not the TU-12 HUH ?

I have posted this before and will again for the ones who may have missed it.When the Korg tuners first came out they had an article which in part said was, an electronic tuner is to quikly re tune to a tuning you decided on your own was an intune sound.
It went on to say tune by ear then see what you came up with on the tuner and make a note of it until you get it memorized.
I could not agree more.For fifty years i used my two ears and an A 440 tuning fork.
I tuned by ear at the house and then checked to see what reading i came up with on the tuner.Then in a noisy place or tryng to re tune with the drummer practicing i could then go back to the tuner.
Of course if the guitar gets out of tune it has been my experience he will run the first string up then tune with it leaving you flat.
Think this will drive you crazy,thats one reason i quit playing fiddle after the tuners came out and every one started using them that had no ear for music or would not tune with the band.A free for all.
Every one for them selves.
I did quit a band i was playing fiddle with because the guitar player kept tuning sharp,then told me i was playing flat.
I almost asked him an old Curly Chalker saying,how the @#$%& would you know.

Korg CA-30. The only fault I find with it, is the lack of backlighting. Luckily, my shining personality is usually enough to illuminate the face of the tuner.

I lost my real expensive tuner, the one that I spent $15 on, so I found this one for $6 in a music store !

I tune coarse at 441 ( E's) and then by ear.




t

James Morehead wrote:

That's what I do with the Strobo Flip, except instead of having to write it all down (and lose the paper) I enter it all into the tuner as my own personal preset. Voilla!! When I have the Stroboflip, I don't care if the band is noisey at tune up time, I don't care if it's dark. I can quick check my tuning in the middle of a song and be back in time for my ride. I also have it set up now as a true bypass(thanx to Sue at Petersen) Works for me--best money I ever spent for a tuner.[/quote]

I am just curious, how can I get true bypass out of mine?

i have to admit that i never gave tuning much thought. at least as much as this post represents in the thinking of others. so be it. i used a needle korg then after it pooped the bed, i got one with the red led read outs. thought it was great in those dimly lit clubs.

i left the batteries in it when i stopped playing for a few years and killed it.

when i saw one of those boss tu 2's that the guitar player had, i had to get me one. i tune up. if somp'n dont sound right, i go in and fix it by ear if i feel so inclined.

maybe i'll try tuning by ear after reading this thread...thanks for making me think aabout it.

Korg DTR2 does it for me. Tube your E's to 442 and the rest by ear !!!

Jerry Bull wrote:James Morehead wrote:

That's what I do with the Strobo Flip, except instead of having to write it all down (and lose the paper) I enter it all into the tuner as my own personal preset. Voilla!! When I have the Stroboflip, I don't care if the band is noisey at tune up time, I don't care if it's dark. I can quick check my tuning in the middle of a song and be back in time for my ride. I also have it set up now as a true bypass(thanx to Sue at Petersen) Works for me--best money I ever spent for a tuner.

I am just curious, how can I get true bypass out of mine?[/quote]

Jerry, You can send it back to Petersen, and Sue will remove a certain diode, then you will have true bypass. I understand that the new ones now come with out that diode now.

Took the plunge and bought a Korg CA40 for home use so I wouldn't have to take my TU-12 back and forth to the club.

My take on this tuner so far is:

The Korg.com site sux. There is no info on the tuner other than the owners manual which is skimpy. The forum button evidently does NOT take you to any kind of forum. FAQ's are non existant.

Where I was seeing 441hz now I see +2Cents what ever that means.

Is there anywhere an explanation of how the cents thing works?

In the vicinity of 440 Hz, 1 Hz is about 4 cents. So, straight up 440 Hz = 0 cents, 441 = +4 cents, 439 = - 4 cents, etc.

Tony Prior wrote:I lost my real expensive tuner, the one that I spent $15 on, so I found this one for $6 in a music store !

I tune coarse at 441 ( E's) and then by ear.




t

Tony ;
I am a newbie and I bought this one from the Internet Music Store and it has a plug in on the side and it has a mike on the front for non electric so it works for everything . They retail for $6.49.
It works for me
Thanks
Tuck

Thanks Dave that helps a lot...
Chuck