Best tuner for setting intonation?

[Censport]

I haven't bought a tuner in at least 20 years. Figured technology may have improved since then. What's the best tuner on the market these days for setting intonation? Bench or portable, price not an issue.

 

[RogerC]

I've had this one for about 5 years now and absolutely love it. Not terribly expensive either.

 

[Freeman Keller]

My choice is a good chromatic tuner with an analog meter that indicates in cents. Calibrate it against a known source like a tuning fork. I have a strobe tuner on my work bench but I use a simple little Korg CA-2 most of the time.

Audiologists tell us that most people can just tell the difference between two notes that are five cents apart, I try to adjust to +/- 3 cents.

 

[Killing Floor]

Best? Peterson strobe.

 

[Ronkirn]

Best? Peterson strobe.

By far ....

r

 

[Freeman Keller]

Best? Peterson strobe.

I do have a Peterson strobe (simulated) but I mostly use the little Korg

 

[Edgar Allan Presley]

I use an old Boss TU-12h.

 

[Censport]

I use an old Boss TU-12h.

I still have one of those somewhere in my basement. Don't think it works any more though. Used a similar one from Seiko well into the 90s, but sadly it passed on.

 

[guitfiddles]

I haven't bought a tuner in at least 20 years. Figured technology may have improved since then. What's the best tuner on the market these days for setting intonation? Bench or portable, price not an issue.

I got this Korg CA-20 for my 27th birthday and I’ll be 48 next month. I’ve had several different tuners over the years but this one is the best I’ve ever had and gives a really accurate reading for dialing in the intonation. Looks like I just got it yesterday too!

 

[jackal]

If price is really no object get the Peterson.

 

[loopfinding]

Audiologists tell us that most people can just tell the difference between two notes that are five cents apart, I try to adjust to +/- 3 cents.

not knocking your method but just as a side note, for musicians it can be up to around 20 cents still registering in tune in context. for the general population that figure is closer to 50 cents - really out.

 

[telemnemonics]

My antique Conn finally refused to spin up last month after almost 20 years on my bench and many more before that.
I don’t know where to turn next?

 

[northernguitar]

My Polytune works just fine for this.

 

[Ed Driscoll]

I still have my Peterson VS-1, which I purchased around 2003 or '4 shortly after I joined the Les Paul Forum, and everyone there was raving about it. As someone in the forum said back then, "once you go strobe, you never go back." And they we're right.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

It's free and you install it on your computer: https://www.sonicvisualiser.org/


Always more accurate than strobe/wavetable tuners, you record the note and it calculates the perceived pitch.

Peterson tuners and the like are a waste of money, 30 years ago they were the best out there but times change.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I use a Korg DT-7. Had it for yrs & still going strong. Replaced my old Seiko tuner which I still have & it works fine.

 

[Matthias]

My Korg Pitch Black Poly is amazing but for some reason they discontinued it.

 

[Ronkirn]

My Korg Pitch Black Poly is amazing but for some reason they discontinued it.

some company bought Korg then changes the Pitch Black... because it was amazing... can't have that ya know..

r

 

[Chuckster]

Peterson, but I can't afford one.

I use my Korg DT-10 Pitch Black and an old Boss like the one someone posted earlier.

I like to test on 2 different tuners because I don't trust first opinions.

 

[old wrench]

Modern tuning technology gives us tuners that are far more accurate than our ears .

I go back far enough to where if you had a key board player in your band - that's what every one else tuned to - if not, you used a tuning fork or a pitch pipe.

Now, I've got two tuners, one is a Sonic Research T-300 - same as the one Roger posted up - it's more accurate than my ears or anyone else's ears.

The T-300 is the one I use for dialing-in and setting intonation - because it's easy to use and easy to read.

My other tuner is a Poly tune clip-on which really surprised me with it's accuracy - it's great because you don't need to be plugged in to use it, and it too is more accurate than anyone's ear.


I'm certain that either tuner is accurate enough to set intonation for the most discerning and sensitive ear.


Any problems I encounter with intonation accuracy is not the fault of the tuner - if there is a problem, it's with the person plucking and fretting the note and operating the the screwdriver and hex wrench .

We can introduce more in-accuracy through our method and technique of setting intonation than modern tuners can.



It's easy to get carried away with the idea of theoretical perfection - but all that really matters is whether or not the guitar plays in tune - intonation is just one part of an accurate set-up .


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