The ever important task of keeping your guitar in tune can be a mission and a half, however, with the right equipment and remembering to tune up regularly you can ensure that your guitar will always be in tune. With a plethora of guitar tuners out there it can be difficult to know just which one you really need. It really depends on what you need from a tuner which will help determine which style of tuner to go for. Here are just 3 options to consider:
Tuning Forks
Lear to play guitar with Jam Play
Perhaps considered a bit old fashioned, these tuners are extremely accurate and provide the pitch it was created to produce consistently. Special care does need to be taken, depending on the material that has been used as changes in temperature can alter the performance of some tuning forks. A common tuning fork used by musicians sounds the note A (440 Hz, concert pitch – the pitch internationally used by (Western) concert musicians). When struck the tuning fork will sound a barely audible pitch, but when placed on a hard surface, the pitch becomes louder as it resounds against the hard surface and this pitch is used to tune the strings.
This option is extremely portable, relatively reliable and can really enhance your pitch recognition. Best used in a quieter environment.
Electronic Tuners
By far the most common way of tuning guitars, an electronic tuner is a device that recognizes a note played by the guitarist, and display’s how close the strings pitch is to the desired pitch using either a needle, an LCD simulated needle, or LED lights. Like tuning forks, concert pitch (440 Hz) is the default setting, although some electronic tuners have the ability to alter this reference pitch. Some electronic tuners will recognize the note that is being tuned, while others have to be manually set to each string that is being tuned. Most will have a Mic to pick up the sound of each string when you play it while others, in addition will also have the ability to plug your guitar in with a standard guitar cable/lead.
This option is again very portable, very reliable – given that it is digital and not so sensitive to temperature changes. Some are more versatile giving you the option to tune while in a crowded room.
Foot Pedal Tuners
Foot pedal tuners (E.g. Boss TU2, Korg DT10, and Behringer TU300)
Foot pedal tuners are a variation and robust form of the electronic tuner and generally have LED lights and a LCD display to show which string is being tuned and when it reaches pitch. Again you can vary the reference pitch from the standard 440 Hz. For most foot pedal tuners you will have the ability to choose between instruments to choose, i.e. bass or guitar and whether the display shows the string name, or number. The beauty of these types of tuners is that you have the option to mute your guitar (so that others can’t hear when you are tuning) or always have your guitar sounding. This is advantageous when playing a gig in a noisy room.
This option is also very portable, very reliable and robust (as can handle being stomped on regularly). It offers the same options as a standard electronic tuner and has two options for your output (mute or always on). Great for live performances.
I hope this has shed some light on the type of tuners out there for private and public use. Armed with this knowledge think about what you need your tuner for (the environment you are playing in) and as always what budget you are on. Second hand is always a viable option.
