The Steel Guitar Forum

I was wondering how many steel players use a electronic tuner and are they worth the time and money ? Thanks Ron Patrick

Definitely worth the time and money. I own 4 Petersons. Particularly great for steel guitar players with custom sweetened tunings for various steel setups. Nothing sounds quite like playing in tune!!!!

Peterson Stroboflip. Small, very accurate, and I wouldn't use anything else, not even my ears these days!

David Hartley

A chromatic electronic tuner is very useful for tuning when you can't hear yourself well, like when you are setting up and the house sound system is playing, or the bass and guitar player are tuning or practicing rifs.

Ron Patrick wrote:I was wondering how many steel players use a electronic tuner and are they worth the time and money ? Thanks Ron Patrick

Hi Ron,

I only used a tuner when I was in a noisy environment and couldn't hear my instrument well.

I started with a tuning fork ,back in the days before electronic tuners. (Still use it when I don't trust my ear). Of course, if there was a keyboard player everyone tuned to them.

Sometimes I tune to the bass player if there is one.

Johnne Lee

I would HATE to do without my tuner,the greatest thing that has come along since the P bass.The first PAYING job I had was around 56 or 57 in a seven piece country and western swing band ,played a large dance hall,everyone would tell the piano player[hey man give me an E]Doubt if that old upright had been tuned in years,The bass was a doghouse bass,The steel player had a triple neck Fender,He would get there at least an hour early trying to get that damn thing in tune,We got by,but doubt if all of us were ever really in tune,Today that same band could all tune in just a few minutes.[this is just my opinion ONLY]I know a lot swear on these high dollar tuners,I've used the Boss TU-12 for over twenty years,It's EASY to use,FAST to use,not EXPENSIVE,[around 70 bucks]lasts a LONG time.change the 9 volt battery about two or three times a year.I would not trade mine for anything else out there.as I said this is just my opinion,to each his own.DYKBC.

The electronic tuner not only gets YOU in tune, it gets the whole band in tune also. The Stroboflip is the best tuner i've found for accuracy on the lower strings of the pedal steel and the 5 string bass. You'll get a more accurate tune up if you pick the strings VERY softly. It's also faster and allows for more frequent and quieter tuneups.

Greg

In the 60s I tuned to pianos or organs if present in the band - if not, I used a pitch pipe or harmonica. In the 70s, I saw steel players in L.A. using E and C tuning forks and holding them over the pickups on the respective necks and tuning the root notes in unison, then tuning the rest of the neck and the pedals against the E and C roots so I started doing that. In the 80s when Korg and Roland digital tuners got consistant and cheaper, I started using those but I still only used them to tune the root notes. Then when the Peterson tuners came out and I realized that you could program your offsets into it, I jumped on that and never looked back. Life got real easy after that. I always thought most steel players pretty much followed that same arc of experience. But yeah I can now tune the whole 12 string neck silently and completely accurately in about 20 seconds.

Ron,
We will talk about this further on Thursday. .

Bob

Charles,

How do you know the Boss tuner "last a long time"? You've only used it for twenty years!

You're the man!!!

The sound of me tuning by ear was a major annoyance to my ex-wife. After the divorce, we had occasion to split a tax refund check. With my share, I bought a Korg electronic tuner. The current Mrs. Lee has no complaint!

http://www.endino.com/archive/tuningnightmares.html

interesting (but long) article

I'm using a Korg LCA-120 flip top tuner. $60. It has a nice sized back lit LCD screen. Works great, and it's compact. I still long for my old Korg WT-12 too. I also have a Boss TU-15, and updated version of the tried and true Boss TU-12. I think they are well worth it, for every reason already mentioned, including keeping peace at home.

Except for getting my Basic-Pitch (E & C) for each neck, I find an Electronic~Tuner worthless! I always tune up at home and take a headset along and use the rear-jack on one of my N–112's if/when I need a touch-up on stage. This very seldom happens either, with my D-10 Derby! (or any other guitar I've owned)

No tuner ? What if the reference ROOT note is off ? I use a cheap tuner to get me in the game, from there I tweak by ear.

STORY.. (as always)

I went up to Ct a week or so back and visited a few friends, all former band mates. In particular I was with my friend Rick , we played in very early bands together. Rick and I set up and jammed on a few tunes that we played together back in the mid 60's. As we were tuning, we both laughed and said at the exact same time.. "back then we didn't even have a tuner " I commented that the first actual tuner I bought was around 1980, before then it was the 440 fork, of which, I still have it !

My band uses mini-disc backing tracks. When I tune up with my Stroboflip which of course is extremely accurate I find that I'm not in tune or in pitch with the tracks, seems I've wasted my money. Any suggestions?

James Martin wrote:My band uses mini-disc backing tracks. When I tune up with my Stroboflip which of course is extremely accurate I find that I'm not in tune or in pitch with the tracks, seems I've wasted my money. Any suggestions?

Is it possible to write a tuner profile for the tracks with your tuner ? Meaning you can tune to the profile but maybe be up down a tad in relationship to 440 but be in tune with the tacks. The bigger problem is..

are all the tracks on the same pitch reference ?

probably not.

My suggestion , switch to Bag Pipes..they sound like they are out of tune all the time and we expect them to be !

tp

I tuned for years using a reference note from the piano. Then I bought one of the first Korg tuners ($275) and accepting the conventional wisdom that an "electronic" device had to be correct, I had tuning problems for a long time.

When I finally learned from experience that a tuner only gets you in the ballpark, but your ear does the "fine tuning", then I was able to tune acceptably again.

If the ear doesn't recognize the difference, the most expensive electronic tuner will not resolve the difference.

Ron,
I think Tony Prior, James Martin, and Gene Jones gave you the most logical answer available to your question.

Bob

I use a Peterson Stroboflip - wouldn't use anything else these days. I've had several Boss TU 12's but they all ended up dying on me. The input jack is connected to the circuit board (not a great idea) and would always end up breaking with repeated use.

I agree with Mr. Walker - Stroboflip all the way!

When I finally learned from experience that a tuner only gets you in the ballpark, but your ear does the "fine tuning", then I was able to tune acceptably again.

True enough - but after your ear does the fine tuning you can use a Peterson to recreate that fine tuning. When I first got the Peterson, I spent the better part of a day tuning my steel and all the changes till I thought I couldn't get it any better. Then I programmed all those offsets into my Peterson and went out and played about 10 gigs tuning to it. Then I decided I needed to tweak things a little further so I did and updated some of the offsets. I did that a couple more times over the next few weeks and finally ended up with a set of offsets that I've been using for the last 3 or 4 years. It's not like any other tuner because of that capability. Now when I get to a gig and - assuming the guitar's had time to stabilize temperature-wise - I just run the palms of my hands up and down the strings a few times to warm them up to the temperature they'd be when playing and then just tune up to the Peterson presets and that guitar is as in-tune as it'll ever be.

I still go along with the article Korg put out when tuners were first coming on the market.
A tuner is to quickely re tune to a tuning you decided on your own was an in tune sound.
IMHO bands were much more in tune before tuners came out.You tuned your steel at home or where ever first to an intune sound (to the player) then you could quickly retune in a noisy club.
On the road i played in many a club wher they furnished the piano (not a key board) amd most were very flat or sharp to 440.So you either tuned to the piano or the band hired musicans who could and would tune together.
I realize it is a different ball game now.So no offence meant to any one.Tracy

If you play in clubs or in noisy bars, that electronic tuner will became part of your tuning criteria.

As well, with the modern electronic tuners, there is no way in he*l that your ears will ever get you as close as the new tuners will.

What irks me are those who claim they can tune by ear so they don't a tuner but, have tuned out of tune far enough that even in a noisy atmostphere you can hear their bad tuning.

don't forget to carry batteries !

Last weekend, I pulled out the little tuner before the set, every note was the same !

After a minute or two I realized

"This can't be right "