Snark and slotted headstock

[Walkerman]

My snark tuner seems to flake out with slotted headstock.  Anyone else have this problem?

[ducktrapper]

The only time I used a Snark it broke. Cheap piece of ****. 

[eded]

The only time I used a Snark it broke. Cheap piece of ****. 

And mine has been used daily for a few years now and is working fine.  I've hardly baby'd it.

I gave one to a beginning player, and he broke it.

Ed

[tuffythepug]

My snark tuner seems to flake out with slotted headstock.  Anyone else have this problem?

Didn't work very well on my 000-50 slothead unless it was in the perfect spot for each string

[bobw]

My snark tuner seems to flake out with slotted headstock.  Anyone else have this problem?

Use them on all my slot headed guitars...  never had a problem...  I have 2 and use them both regularly but I no longer have any slot headed guitars....

I use both a snark and a korg when I change strings and they always concur with one another....   

[ducktrapper]

And mine has been used daily for a few years now and is working fine.  I've hardly baby'd it.

I gave one to a beginning player, and he broke it.

Ed

The design of the swivel on the Snark leaves a bit to be desired. Unless it's been redesigned, a plastic ball sits in four plastic tabs. Being used to my far superior Intellitouch, I went to swivel the Snark and one of the plastic tabs snapped off. Guitar Center replaced it but before long it had happened again. You get what you pay for.  I gorilla-glued the thing solid and it is my stand by unit. The Intellitouch has worked very well for ten years or so except when Lola chewed the clamping base. Intellitouch sent me a new base. I'm not generally rough with stuff so perhaps being a perpetual beginner had something to do with it, after all.  

[ST]

I splurged a little while back. Long & McQuade had the TC Electronic Polytune Clip on sale.  It was $59 CDN (= approx $45 USD).


-- Please click the picture for more details --

I had resisted getting one because I got a bunch of Snarks back when the Canadian Dollar was at par for about $15 / each. Paying nearly 5 times as much for another  (geeked out) clip on tuner seemed outrageous. (The regular price of the Polytune Clip is $69 CDN, and we don't see the much competitive pricing up here).

Every one of those Snarks, including several that I gave away as gifts, are broken.

These days I play amplified most of the time. That's electric guitars and acoustic. I've always got a tuner in the signal path. I have very little use for a clip-on tuner anymore.

I also think that clip on tuners are a blot on the visual landscape making a mockery of the thoughtful design that guitar manufacturers put into the iconic headstocks that signal to the obsessed, "I'm a _________________".  But I digress.

The TC Electronic Polytune Clip works really well on both of my slot-head guitars.

It's accurate and very easy to read. So much so that I used it last weekend when I was doing neck/intonation setups on several guitars.

Despite all the kvetching about the price, I think this one was decent value.

[George]

I have two of the TC Polytune floor models and they are incredibly accurate.  I also have several Snarks and they are fairly accurate as well, when I hook up the Polytune always shows some minor differences.  Thanks ST for your review of the clip-on Polytune, I have been comtemplating one for a while.

[George]

The design of the swivel on the Snark leaves a bit to be desired. Unless it's been redesigned, a plastic ball sits in four plastic tabs. Being used to my far superior Intellitouch, I went to swivel the Snark and one of the plastic tabs snapped off. Guitar Center replaced it but before long it had happened again. You get what you pay for.  I gorilla-glued the thing solid and it is my stand by unit. The Intellitouch has worked very well for ten years or so except when Lola chewed the clamping base. Intellitouch sent me a new base. I'm not generally rough with stuff so perhaps being a perpetual beginner had something to do with it, after all.  

Which tuning style gives you the most consistent results with the Intellitouch?

[eded]

The design of the swivel on the Snark leaves a bit to be desired. Unless it's been redesigned, a plastic ball sits in four plastic tabs. Being used to my far superior Intellitouch, I went to swivel the Snark and one of the plastic tabs snapped off. Guitar Center replaced it but before long it had happened again. You get what you pay for.  I gorilla-glued the thing solid and it is my stand by unit. The Intellitouch has worked very well for ten years or so except when Lola chewed the clamping base. Intellitouch sent me a new base. I'm not generally rough with stuff so perhaps being a perpetual beginner had something to do with it, after all.  

I liked my Intellitouch (and the Intelli I had (have? it might still be around), but the Snark is more reliable on that low E, and the batteries last a lot longer.  I have 2 Snarks that have lasted for several years.  I guess I just got lucky.

Ed

[ducktrapper]

Which tuning style gives you the most consistent results with the Intellitouch?

I'm not sure what you mean but I attach the IT to my headstock and pluck a string just once with a bare finger as the mfger suggests.  I once lent a friend my tuner and explained how to use it. Not a great listener, he immediately started striking a string repeatedly with a flatpick, after a minute announced it didn't work and handed it back.    

[ducktrapper]

I liked my Intellitouch (and the Intelli I had (have? it might still be around), but the Snark is more reliable on that low E, and the batteries last a lot longer.  I have 2 Snarks that have lasted for several years.  I guess I just got lucky.

Ed

I've had the Intellitouch for about ten years and have changed batteries twice. I find it works very well. Of course, I sprung for the deluxe model even though I never use the other modes. I think the cheaper one is wonkier. Both times I changed batteries, however, I had to contact the company to figure out how to get it to return to tuning mode. Changing batteries seems to confuse the unit. I've since forgotten and will probably have to phone them again the next time. 

[George]

I was only referring to the deluxe models that offer a variety of sweetened tuning modes.  I find most of the other modes difficult to use, unless used for standard tuning.  I like to hear the opinions of others about it.  I think the one feature that gives me the most value from any quality tuner is the smallest units of cents on the display, it just lets me get the tuning closer.  I may be old but my ears still work pretty good!

[rockstar_not]

The snark I bought does not give fair warning when the battery is going south. It just stops working well. With so many great tuners for my phone, I don't really use a clamp on tuner unless performing and then I've gone back to my 15 year old intellitouch. Like the other poster I've changed the batteries only one time in all of that time; granted I don't use it much but it has never frustrated me like the snark. L-03 regular headstock.

Pitchlab's tuner app works great. Found out about it here.

[ducktrapper]

I was only referring to the deluxe models that offer a variety of sweetened tuning modes.  I find most of the other modes difficult to use, unless used for standard tuning.  I like to hear the opinions of others about it.  I think the one feature that gives me the most value from any quality tuner is the smallest units of cents on the display, it just lets me get the tuning closer.  I may be old but my ears still work pretty good!

Heh. I have a literal turn of mind.

[Zohn]

I splurged a little while back. Long & McQuade had the TC Electronic Polytune Clip on sale.  It was $59 CDN (= approx $45 USD).


-- Please click the picture for more details --


The TC Electronic Polytune Clip works really well on both of my slot-head guitars.

It's accurate and very easy to read. So much so that I used it last weekend when I was doing neck/intonation setups on several guitars.

I have one of these - it is simply the best clip-on I've used to date. It is also robust and sturdy with the all-metal clamp and body.

[Mr_LV19E]

One of the Snarks I have has a switch on the side to switch from mic to vibrate, I have accidentally moved this switch to the mic setting before and had trouble getting it to work but when I noticed and set it back to vibrate it worked fine. Maybe you just bumped the switch.
Mine works on my Slot head but it's not a Larrivee

A small zip tie will fix the broken tab at the ball.

[ducktrapper]

A small zip tie will fix the broken tab at the ball.

Should have tried that. The Gorilla glue made a mess.   

[L07 Shooting Star]

Never had a problem with a snark tuner.  Works well with guitar, bass guitar, and violin.

[Walkerman]

Well, I got a polytune clip on, and I am impressed.