Thanks Ivan, I interepted that fom the Korg site. My bad.

Actually, Skip, the Seiko tuners give the octave number before the note and both the SAT 501 and SAT 800 are definitely chromatic tuners. I'm aware that the 'dedicated' tuners for guitar, bass, etc., give the string number before the note but note first then octave number is definitely not universal on chromatics.

Skip said:

I went to the Korg site and didn't see any other than the 120. I may have missed it or maybe it was an older model.

The number was after as in D3, D4.

Skip said:

Tuning forks are less than ideal. I have never seen a set of them, but who could afford them if there were several octaves? And the weight would make me leave them home! There are online tuners you can use free of charge, if you don't have one. Great at home, but not so good if you don't carry a computer every where you go. A lot of guitar amps are now coming with built in tuners, but your best bet is still a clip on vibration sensing tuner. Tuning by ear in a group, or a noisy saloon or jam session is rough for experienced players. For a beginner, it has to be painful. The one I reach for most is a Crafters TG200H. It's small, clips on the headstock of most of my instruments, and ignores the noodling going on all around me. I also have a Korg CA 30,and a Boss TU 15. They are good tuners, but don't clip on, and rely on built in mics to hear the instrument. They work well at home where I'm in a quiet environment, or with a clip mic, or plugged into an electric instrument. They aren't as convenient with instruments that need a new tuning every several songs. The clip on stays on the instrument, ready for me to change tunings. Except on one dulcimer, with a carved head that the tuner doesn't fit! Chromatic is the only kind I want, as I use multiple tunings, so a "one tuning " model isn't practical.

Paul

ff;

did the readout have the number before or after the note? If the number was before it is a dedicated tuner, like a guitar orukulele tuner. The number then represents a string.

Thanks, Ivan. That eliminates the Korg CA-1 as a possible suspect (or purchase).

Ivan Bradley said:

Never had a tuning fork, but still have the pitch pipe that I had to have for my college music theory class. Never could get it to register correctly as I tend to be a blow hard type. The tin or penny whistle was an instrument I tried to play once upon a time and had trouble getting the right notes on it too. And there is the added disadvantage in that I couldn't sing while playing it. So I could never remember the tune I wanted to play.

Robin Clark said:

BTW - whatever happened to tuning forks

In reply to folkfan, I have a Korg CA-1 and, no, it doesn't show the octave reference for the note.

Looks like folks could have a whale of a time with this and be doing it on porpoise, including bass and drum players.

I have a Peterson Flip[per], it's nice but pretty sensitive. Also, it's better for the shop because it'skind of big.

Ken has been a victim of body snatching. The soul of Shecky Green now inhabits his corpse.

Just remember, you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish.

Oh look at me; I'm fishin' for a joke and I'm flounderin'.

But every sole in heaven believes in cod.

Don't blame me; Ken started it.

Those are Tuna Forks, Robin, used when one eats Tuna, not Tuning. With Tuning you use chopsticks, of course.

Electronic tuners are a great help. Particularly those that work on vibration as they are a Godsend on stage or in pub sessions. But most of them are not key accurate (some of the Paterson tuners have settings for various keys) and therefore on many key tuned instruments the tuners are off-pitch beyond the root note. I would suggest tuning the fretted root note on the melody string with your tuner and then tuning the other strings by ear from that note. You can use a tuner to get close but the final tweek really needs to be by ear.

I had a fun tuning 'moment' at a gig yesterday. Nick asked for a C chord to tune his guitar to before kicking off on a bluegrass tune. So I played the chord on my dobro for him, which of course doesn't have any frets at all

BTW - whatever happened to tuning forks

I, too have a Seiko SAT 501. Yes, I like the "cents off" feature, too, and it does differentiate the exact pitch of notes spanning the entire 88 keys of the piano. I can't remember what I paid, but I think it was about $20.

Skip, It isn't the Korg-OT-120 or a Peterson. The name Peterson didn't ring a bell at all with my poor old wandering brain.

Ken, I like the cents off feature on the Seiko SAT501 and I'll have to see about that.

Does anyone have a Korg CA1? And if you do, does it show the number for the octave. All the pictures I've seen of the screen on the CA-1 simply shows an A, but not it's position as A1, A2, etc. The Korg GA1 for guitars seems to be pictured showing the octave number.

FF I bought one recently, a Seiko SAT501. I think I paid $16 for mine before shipping, although you'll see them listed for over $25. Check Ebay and Amazon. I like this one because it not only shows you which octave, but has an audio signal as well.

This it? Peterson makes one also.

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-OT-120-Octave-Chromatic-Orchestral/dp/B0...

Recently at a festival, I was helping a young boy tune his new instrument. He'd had a really nice tuner, but I didn't write the company's name down. I think it was Korg, but can't remember. What I liked about this tuner is that it gave a pitch reference. Instead of just listing D, it gave D3, D4, A3, A4, etc and it was chromatic. Does anyone have a similar tuner??? All of mine, new and old, including the Korg CA-30 just say A,B,C,D,E, etc.

So I've go a tuner that knows is ABC's, now I want one that counts, too.