Are you looking for the best guitar tuner to help you keep your guitar in tune? Look no further. We’ve reviewed the latest guitar tuners so you don’t have to.
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Realizing your instrument is out of tune, without having a quick, easy method of tuning it, is one of the worst feelings a musician can experience. Having your instrument in tune benefits not only you but also your audience.
Although almost everyone agrees that people should not play instruments that are out of tune, people have differing opinions when it comes to what tuner to use. With all the different options out there, trying to determine what guitar tuner is right for you can become overwhelming very, very quickly.
The goal of this article is to give you the information you need in order to make a good decision, as well as our top picks varying for your budget and preferences.
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IN A HURRY? HERE’S OUR TOP GUITAR TUNER PICKS!
- TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Polyphonic LED Guitar Tuner Pedal w/Buffer
- Ultra-compact polyphonic tuner gives you fast, accurate tuning and a high-quality tone tool in a single unit Quickly get in tune with polyphonic, chromatic and strobe tuning modes Built-in all-analog Bonafide Buffer circuitry preserves your tone through long cable runs and convoluted pedal boards Polyphonic tuning lets you tune all your strings at once Lightning-fast chromatic tuner offers 0.5 cent accuracy Ultra-precise strobe tuner gives you +/-0.02 cent accuracy for ultimate tun
- When it was introduced in 2010, the original Polytune forever revolutionized the way musicians tune their instruments
- Praised by professional and amateur players, guitar tuning instantly became as simple as strum, tune, rock! So how do you make the best-selling polyphonic tuner even better? You take it to the next level byproviding multiple tuning modes, including polyphonic, chromatic, strobe and a variety of altered tunings; adding an onboard Bonafide Buffer to preserve your tone over long cable runs and p
- TC Electronic Guitar Tools (966111001)
- Poly tune technology - tune all 6 strings simultaneously
- Chromatic ( +/- 0.5 Cent) and extra accurate strobe ( +/- 0.02 Cent) modes
- Ultra-bright and easy to read adaptive display - ensures a perfect readout No matter what orientation clip is attached
- Flat tuning and capo modes
- Elegant yet durable design, with high-quality stainless steel c
- Guitar Tuner - Guitar Tuna – The Ultimate Free Tuner for Guitar, Bass and Ukulele with Chord tab game and Metronome
- Easy, fast and accurate tuner
- For guitar, ukulele, bass, violin and many other instruments
- Mini games to learn chords
- Metronome included
- Snark ST-2 Multi-Instrument Chromatic Tuner
- Tunes Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Basses and All Instruments
- Pitch Calibration
- Tune with Vibration Sensor or Microphone
- Tap Tempo Metronome
- Sturdy Stay Put Clamp
1. TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Guitar Tuner
- Ultra-compact polyphonic tuner gives you fast, accurate tuning and a high-quality tone tool in a single unit Quickly get in tune with polyphonic, chromatic and strobe tuning modes Built-in all-analog Bonafide Buffer circuitry preserves your tone through long cable runs and convoluted pedal boards Polyphonic tuning lets you tune all your strings at once Lightning-fast chromatic tuner offers 0.5 cent accuracy Ultra-precise strobe tuner gives you +/-0.02 cent accuracy for ultimate tun
- When it was introduced in 2010, the original Polytune forever revolutionized the way musicians tune their instruments
- Praised by professional and amateur players, guitar tuning instantly became as simple as strum, tune, rock! So how do you make the best-selling polyphonic tuner even better? You take it to the next level byproviding multiple tuning modes, including polyphonic, chromatic, strobe and a variety of altered tunings; adding an onboard Bonafide Buffer to preserve your tone over long cable runs and p
This is our pick for best guitar tuner (for the money).
It doesn’t matter if you have the highest quality equipment or the most skill, if your guitar is out of tune, it can, and quite possibly will, ruin your music. The importance of a tuned guitar is largely undisputed, although, what method and equipment you should use to tune it, is.
Of all tuner pedals, clip-on tuners, and tuner apps, the TC Electronic PolyTune 3 is the overall best guitar tuner for the money. The TC Electronic PolyTune 3 is one of the most versatile tuners ever, it has several tuning modes including polyphonic, chromatic, strobe, and multiple altered tunings.
It has an onboard Bonafide Buffer to maintain the same tone over very long cable runs and signal paths. In addition to all this, it is, of course, very accurate and very compact.
This guitar tuner is for you if you don’t want to spend a fortune but want great quality and accuracy.
TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Video Review:
2. Peterson StroboStomp HD Guitar Tuner
- Full color display
This is our pick for best guitar tuner (regardless of cost).
The Peterson StroboStomp HD is by far the best guitar tuner on the market, today. It’s very hard to beat the PolyTune 3 when it comes to accuracy and ease of use, which is why a tuner like the Peterson StroboStomp HD is such a rare find.
It has all the features of the PolyTune 3, including multiple tuning modes, except for almost all of them are improved, and the display is larger, brighter, and easier to use in general.
This guitar tuner is for you if you want the best of the best and are not very concerned about cost.
Peterson StroboStomp HD Guitar Tuner Video Review:
3. TC Electronic PolyTune Clip Guitar Tuner
- Poly tune technology - tune all 6 strings simultaneously
- Chromatic ( +/- 0.5 Cent) and extra accurate strobe ( +/- 0.02 Cent) modes
- Ultra-bright and easy to read adaptive display - ensures a perfect readout No matter what orientation clip is attached
- Flat tuning and capo modes
- Elegant yet durable design, with high-quality stainless steel c
This is our pick for best clip-on guitar tuner.
Many musicians think that clip-on tuners are far less accurate and harder to use compared to pedal tuners. While it is true that clip-on tuners are typically less accurate and a bit less user-friendly, with modern technology, clip-on tuners have, in many cases, become so accurate and easy to use that they are definitely now a viable option over pedal tuners.
The TC Electronic PolyTune Clip is the best clip-on tuner because it maintains a simple design while also being astonishingly accurate and easy to use. It features poly-tune technology which allows you to tune all strings at once.
This guitar tuner is for you if you want something smaller, more affordable, and more versatile than a pedal tuner.
TC Electronic PolyTune Clip Video Review:
4. Guitar Tuna
- Easy, fast and accurate tuner
- For guitar, ukulele, bass, violin and many other instruments
- Mini games to learn chords
- Metronome included
This is our pick for best guitar tuner app.
When it comes to guitar tuning apps, you have many options which can easily become confusing and overwhelming. There is only so much accuracy you can expect from an app on your phone, but guitar tuner apps are surprisingly accurate and can be very useful in a pinch.
Of all the guitar tuner apps, Guitar Tuna by Ovelin is the best. It is accurate, reliable, and very easy to use.
This guitar tuner is for you if you are on a tight budget or just want a backup tuner.
Guitar Tuna Video Review:
5. Snark ST-2 Multi-Instrument Chromatic Tuner
- Tunes Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Basses and All Instruments
- Pitch Calibration
- Tune with Vibration Sensor or Microphone
- Tap Tempo Metronome
- Sturdy Stay Put Clamp
This is our pick for best cheap guitar tuner.
If you want a tuner that is more accurate than your phone, the Snark ST-2 is a great choice. At less than $15, it is incredibly affordable and nearly as accurate as many of the more expensive tuners.
This guitar tuner is for you if you are on a tight budget, but want something better than a tuner app.
Questions and Answers
How do guitar tuners work?
A guitar tuner measures the frequencies produced by vibrating strings on an electric or acoustic guitar. It then compares those frequency measurements with notes on a scale. If the frequencies match a particular note, the tuner will show the name of that note on a display.
How do you use a guitar tuner?
Step #1: Get each string to the proper note name, so if you were tuning your high E string, get the note to an E first. After that, you’ll fine-tune the E note so that it is perfect.
Step #2: Once the tuner is showing the correct note name for the string you are playing, you can fine-tune the note by slowly turning the tuning key until the tuner shows that it is spot-on.
How do you use a guitar tuner app?
Open the application on your phone, choose what string you are going to tune first, and pluck the string. Once you’ve plucked the string, turn the tuning key on the head of the guitar until the app displays the correct note name for the string that you are plucking.
Once the app shows the correct note name, carefully finish turning the tuning key until the needle is directly in the middle.
