Good Bass Tuner?

[danjones1807]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could recommend me an accurate and reliable bass tuner? I'm currently using a clip on one that struggles to pick up the E string when I'm not in a quiet area.

Thanks
Dan

[discreet]

I'm using a Planet Waves Micro-Headstock tuner. Picks up vibrations through the headstock. You don't have to have the bass turned up and it doesn't matter how loud the environment is. Very accurate.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Waves-PW-CT-12-Micro-Headstock/dp/B005FKF1PY"]http://www.amazon.co...k/dp/B005FKF1PY[/url]

I've never been a big fan of having a whole floor pedal just to tune the bass up with!!

Edited November 6, 2014 by discreet

[Si-Fi]

I got a TC Poly tune 2......I had some money at the time! I cant fault it, top tuner.....mind you, if the Planet Waves micro does the job at that price I could have saved myself sixty quid!!

[StringPing.com]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1415299649' post='2599026']
I'm using a Planet Waves Micro-Headstock tuner. Picks up vibrations through the headstock. You don't have to have the bass turned up and it doesn't matter how loud the environment is. Very accurate.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Waves-PW-CT-12-Micro-Headstock/dp/B005FKF1PY"]http://www.amazon.co...k/dp/B005FKF1PY[/url]

I've never been a big fan of having a whole floor pedal just to tune the bass up with!!
[/quote]

Exactly what I was going to recommend They're awesome! And if you're a guitar player, the Planet Waves Artist Capo comes with a little clasp that goes onto the micro tuner so you can fit it onto your capo too, so if you keep your capo on the guitar, then you always have your tuner on the guitar too - makes things a bit handier!

[mcnach]

Korg Pitchblack. I like it so much... I've got two!

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1415299649' post='2599026']
I'm using a Planet Waves Micro-Headstock tuner. Picks up vibrations through the headstock. You don't have to have the bass turned up and it doesn't matter how loud the environment is. Very accurate.
[/quote]

I have one of these on my guitar and I heartily dislike it. It seems really touchy and is slow and unreliable at tracking the notes. Half of the time I've used it I end up giving up and tuning by ear, even on stage. By comparison, my older Snark tuner is much easier, quicker and more accurate. I wonder if I got a duff one? I suppose it could be the battery, but it was like this straight out of the packet.

Edited November 12, 2014 by Beer of the Bass

[discreet]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1415787835' post='2603686']
I have one of these on my guitar and I heartily dislike it. It seems really touchy and is slow and unreliable at tracking the notes. Half of the time I've used it I end up giving up and tuning by ear, even on stage. By comparison, my older Snark tunes is much easier, quicker and more accurate. I wonder if I got a duff one? I suppose it could be the battery, but it was like this straight out of the packet.
[/quote]

Sorry to hear it! I have four of them and they all work really well... but you do have to ensure you find the best place on the headstock for it and make sure it's firmly fixed or it won't pick up the vibrations well enough to work properly... this can take a little time but is well worth it.

[Beer of the Bass]

Yeah, it's weird. I really wanted to like it and it's a neat looking design, but I can't get mine to work satisfactorily even after experimenting with the position. Looking at the reviews online I seem to be alone in this, so I probably should have kept the receipt! It's even worse on bass, but I use a cheap Harley Benton pedal tuner there.

[StringPing.com]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1415788668' post='2603708']
Yeah, it's weird. I really wanted to like it and it's a neat looking design, but I can't get mine to work satisfactorily even after experimenting with the position. Looking at the reviews online I seem to be alone in this, so I probably should have kept the receipt! It's even worse on bass, but I use a cheap Harley Benton pedal tuner there.
[/quote]

When did you buy it? You can probably still return it. Explain that it's always been a bit of a dud.

[DrBike]

I'm not a big fan of the clip-on tuners. I also had a Korg Pitch black but it died. So I got a [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/MOOER-MTU1-BABY-TUNER-PEDAL/dp/B00HQKA4XK/ref=sr_1_1"]Mooer Baby Tuner[/url] after watching some vids on Youtube. The great thing about it is that's it responds really, really quickly (which I felt that the Pitch Black didn't). The downside (for some maybe) is that there's no space for a battery so you have to use a 9v power supply.

[Lw.]

I've recently bought a TC Polytune2 & am very happy with it - it's fast enough to keep up with my playing if I wanted it to, nice & clear too. Though I agree that you probably don't need a whole pedal just to tune a bass.

[StringPing.com]

[quote name='DrBike' timestamp='1415808774' post='2603987']
I'm not a big fan of the clip-on tuners. I also had a Korg Pitch black but it died. So I got a [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/MOOER-MTU1-BABY-TUNER-PEDAL/dp/B00HQKA4XK/ref=sr_1_1"]Mooer Baby Tuner[/url] after watching some vids on Youtube. The great thing about it is that's it responds really, really quickly (which I felt that the Pitch Black didn't). The downside (for some maybe) is that there's no space for a battery so you have to use a 9v power supply.


[/quote]

Most pedal setups that I have seen usually have a 9v supply in them. If you don't use pedals, the handiest solution is definitely a clip on tuner. People give them a hard time, but I honestly use them every day for tuning guitars, basses, violins, and ukuleles, and never have any bother. And I'm not talking solely about the Planet Waves tuner - we have a range, and we use them all frequently. The absolute best for the money is the TGI81 - small, easy to read, easy to use, long battery life, and incredibly cheap!

[uncle psychosis]

The main issue I have with clip-on tuners is that it makes silent tuning a bit of a faff. Yes you can turn down your bass but personally speaking I always find that doing that is a recipe for disaster!

I wrote this in another thread recently:

Want indestructable? Buy a TU-3
Want accurate enough to set intonation? Buy a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner
Want cheap? Buy a snark pedal tuner or a korg pitchblack
Want really cheap? Buy a clip on.
Want to tune lots of strings at once? Buy a polytune

They'll all tune your bass great. Just choose what secondary feature interests you the most.
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[StringPing.com]

I can't say I share your experiences with silent tuning with a clip-on, Uncle Psychosis. Most of the instruments I tune with a clip on are unplugged. I've even set the intonation on a few electric guitars using them. The intonation won't be perfect, but it's hard to tell the difference between it and a perfectly intonated guitar.

But YMMV, I guess. Maybe they've gotten better recently?

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='StringPing.com' timestamp='1415877959' post='2604714']
I can't say I share your experiences with silent tuning with a clip-on, Uncle Psychosis. Most of the instruments I tune with a clip on are unplugged. [/quote]

I quite often like to tune whilst a chord is ringing at the end of a song or during a guitar intro. There's absolutely no way I'm unplugging my bass to do so!

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='StringPing.com' timestamp='1415877959' post='2604714']
I can't say I share your experiences with silent tuning with a clip-on, Uncle Psychosis. Most of the instruments I tune with a clip on are unplugged. I've even set the intonation on a few electric guitars using them. The intonation won't be perfect, but it's hard to tell the difference between it and a perfectly intonated guitar.

But YMMV, I guess. Maybe they've gotten better recently?
[/quote]

I too use one of those mico tuners and have never had any issues with it, not even on the B string of my TRBX. I do clip them as close to the nut as possible, and this seems to work fine on all my basses.

For setting up my basses i use a Peterson Stroboclip. Much easier to see and a lot more accurate (apparently). Ideal for setting intonation.

Edited November 28, 2014 by dave_bass5

[Jonnyboy Rotten]

FWIW: I ordered a Korg Pitchblack about 7 or 9 months ago and the unit made a loud and unpleasant popping noise through the amp everytime you pressed the pedal switch. Sent it back and had it replaced. However, the replacement unit now does the same thing and as I can't remember where I bought it from (and can't find my reciept etc) Korg won't do anything to help me.

Won't be buying one of them again.

[AndyTravis]

I use the Ashdown Dr.Green pedal tuner. It's ace.

[planer]

Another vote for the Polytune.

The 'poly' bit could seem like a bit of a gimmick, but makes a quick check really really quick.

The only slight issue I have with mine is the footswitch; it's never really felt very positive.

Before the TC, I had an Ashdown tuner, one of the enormous orange ones - it struggled with the E on my RBX374, and dropping to a D was really hit & miss.

Edited November 27, 2014 by planer

[StringPing.com]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1415977553' post='2605800']
I too use one of those mico tuners and have never had any issues with it, not even on the B sting of my TRBX. I do clip them as close to the nut as possible, and this seems to work fine on all my basses.
[/quote]

We use them for guitars, basses, ukuleles, violins, mandolins. They never give any bother. They're probably the best all-round clip on tuner, IMO. And D'Addario recently released them with a universal clip-on part, because the one for guitar was a bit too small for things like violin or bass. So they'll go onto nearly any instrument now.