Author Topic: Tuner Advice (Read 159 times)

fmm · « **on:** January 29, 2007, 11:24:19 AM »

I've got a Conn Strobe tuner, but it has recently died. I'm hoping it's just a tube, but if not I need a replacement. I need one capable of doing intonation setups. Rack mount would be nice but not critical.

I'd love a Peterson R490, but they are pricey.

Does anyone have experience with the Peterson VS-1? What other manufacturers should I be researching?

Thanks!

kmh364 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2007, 11:43:18 AM »

Try to save the Conn if at all possible.

Peterson is the next best thing. A bunch of us have either the VS-1 or the V-SAM (which I have). Do a search and you'll find the skinny.

FWIW, despite the high price, the Petersons are not made in the USA. There is also a reason for the blue Fluke DMM-style rubber protective sleeve: the unit itself is cheap plastic and pretty flimsy. My cheapo plastic PC Board-mount speaker died early on (required for the tone generator and metronome functions)...Peterson replaced it FOC under warrantee, but you have to pay to ship it back to them for all warantee repairs.

lidon2001 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 29, 2007, 11:56:04 AM »

I just got my Peterson VSII back from having the board replaced. Out of warranty, yet they charged me nothing. Thumbs up to Peterson!

T

Paid for shipping to Peterson.

(Message edited by lidon2001 on January 29, 2007)

lbpesq · « **Reply #3 on:** January 29, 2007, 01:46:48 PM »

I love my VS-II. The new strobo-flip looks pretty cool too, especially with the mike stand mount. And I believe they just came out with a new rack mount unit.

Bill, tgo

edwin · « **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2007, 10:08:24 PM »

I have a strobostomp and it works quite well. I also got the virtual Strobe tuner (it runs on my mac) and it's very cool. You can hook it up to various inputs if you are doing recording with a multitrack interface and get everyone tuned up to the same standard.

Edwin

edwin · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2007, 10:08:50 PM »

I have a strobostomp and it works quite well. I also got the Strobosoft (it runs on my mac) and it's very cool. You can hook it up to various inputs if you are doing recording with a multitrack interface and get everyone tuned up to the same standard.

Edwin

bigredbass · « **Reply #6 on:** February 01, 2007, 09:08:31 AM »

I'm partial to Korgs for serious intonation work. Every time I start to think about Petersons, I read ANOTHER post about their iffy build quality and decide to wait till I steal one in a pawn shop.

I just love the little BOSS TU-80 tuner/metronome as the tuner to throw in the case and take along to the gig: Cheap, about the size of a cassette, automatic. I do wish it had a back-lit display.

I really do prefer a tuner with built-in tones, as I change all my strings at once. I used to occasionally break strings trying to guess 'G' or 'A' when tuning the new set up. I could turn on the 'Sound' function and match pitch. Never was any good with a pitch pipe or fork. One more way to 'idiot-proof' myself, surely a full-time job.

J o e y

lbpesq · « **Reply #7 on:** February 03, 2007, 10:52:43 AM »

Joey:

My Peterson shows not only the note it hears, but also it's relation to middle C with a little number next to the letter of the note. Thus, if I see an E with a little 2 next to it, I know it is the second E above middle C. Alleviates the problem you reference. I've had the same problem with other tuners. In fact that is what led me to change from your methed - taking all the strings off at once - to my current change-one-at-a-time methodology. I've also read some who believe the advantage of changing one at a time is that it keeps the tension on the neck more consistent than cutting them all off and relieving the tension.

Bob: ready to jump in on the science of this one?

Bill, tgo

bob · « **Reply #8 on:** February 03, 2007, 04:04:46 PM »

No science this time :-) From what I've seen, most people who get paid to change strings just take them all off, then put on the new ones. As long as the strings won't be off for a long time (i.e. days), I just don't believe it really matters.

Unless you have something really fussy perhaps, like Roger's dragon wing...
-Bob

Bradley Young · « **Reply #9 on:** February 03, 2007, 09:35:13 PM »

...and there don't seem to be any tuner/hygrometer combos out there.

**rimshot**

Bradley

David Houck · « **Reply #10 on:** February 13, 2007, 09:04:23 PM »

Nicely played Bradley!

bigredbass · « **Reply #11 on:** February 17, 2007, 08:07:55 PM »

I always change my strings all at once, so I can wipe the fingerboard, dust off the pickups, etc.
I'm funny about action, and I've never noticed any big change after the 10 or 15 minutes they're off.

J o e y

kmh364 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 20, 2007, 06:53:58 AM »

I've always been the same way...take 'em all off at once. I like to meticulously clean and oil the fingerboard, as well as polish the body/pickguard where the strings were (as well as the rest of the thing). On my twelve-string acoustic (guitar) and bolt-on necks (especially the Fender Strats) the neck and/or action/intonation don't always stay static. The type of hardware that Fender and Gibson use for action and/or intonation relies on the tension of the strings to hold the settings...even tape hasn't help to ensure the settings hold when the strings are removed. Yes, I've tried marking the set-screws first in one fashion or another, usually with unsatifactory results.

My arch-top jazz box has forced the change to one-at-a-time, though. Besides the stresses on the top and neck, the ebony bridge is 'floating' (i.e., not pinned or attached to the top in any way) and the only way to adjust intonation is to physically move the bridge to/fro/aft. To remove all the strings would be maddening with regards to an action/intonation reset. Yes, I could mark the bridge position, but am reticent to do so as it is a delicate lacquer natural finish, and I just paid a bunch of $$$ to have chips/scratches filled in. There is a mark left in the lacquer on the top where the factory did their set-up and was revealed when my guy did his set (he re-levels the frets, polishes them and the fingerboard and mods the nut and bridge saddles until the action and intonation are perfect via Conn strobe). I leave the total all-at-once string removal to my yearly re-set by my Luthier.

Having said all that, I'd imagine a set-neck or neck-through Alembic, with that locking hardware, would be much less impervious to an action/intonation/neck height change than other brands, unless you have a particularly active/sensitive neck (sorry, dwmark) or play with extremely low action (a la Alembic's factory set-up). Joey, being the self set-up zen master that he is, should be the de-facto std. on this, so I trust his word when he says no problem.

FWIW, assuming the neck and action have remained static, my advice is to ALWAYS spot-ck your intonation when changing strings. Even identical strings from the same manufacturer can vary, nevermind identical guages from other manufacturers.

0vid · « **Reply #13 on:** February 21, 2007, 03:16:05 PM »

http://www.katsurashareware.com/store.html