

These can also mute the sound coming through them as well, so the crowd doesn’t have to listen to you tune up.Įxtras: Additional features like a built-in metronome are a nice bonus, especially for beginners. Pedal-based tuners fit right onto your board and into your setup.

If you’ve got an array of pedals and would rather tune up by feet than hand, there are options for that as well. A noisy environment can range from a nuisance, to impossible to operate a mic-based tuner in, but vibrations bypass all of that and let you tune up no matter the decibel level around you. But a clip-on is an excellent option, sensing notes entirely on vibrations alone. In a quiet practice space, a unit with an external mic will get the job done. Plus, many of the smaller ones take oddly-sized batteries that might be tougher to find when you’re on the road.Ĭonnection: There are a few different options here, and they all work notably well for different settings. Battery-powered tuners are frequently left on for long stretches of time (either intentionally or by accident) and won’t tell you when it’s running low. Same goes for on stage too – if this is going onto your pedalboard, make sure it’s not only lit up, but also clearly visible from your head to your feet.īattery: For the clip-ons and other tuners without an AC plug, battery life is important for long tours, to avoid getting caught with a dead charger right before you’re ready to go on. Venues are often dark, and a tuner without lighting is going to be hard to see. We’ve rounded up a few key things to keep in mind.ĭisplay: A display that’s easy to read is great no matter what, but for live shows and tuning up before hitting the stage, backlighting is a must-have. There are a number of things to look for when shopping for the best guitar tuner for you. Fortunately, there are a ton of tuners available to make sure you’re always on-point, no matter if you’re sticking with the standard EADGBE or inventing your own. Even a slight deviation from the intended tuning can make the best player sound wonky and risk losing listeners, both for live shows and on recorded tracks. Whether you’re a master songwriter or a real-life guitar hero, none of that matters if you’re out of tune.

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