Tuners & Metronomes • Shoreline Music

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Muriel Anderson
Pierre Bensusan
Howard Emerson
Jaquie Gipson
Dougie MacLean
Franco Morone
The Waybacks

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Guitar tuners come in just about every shape and size. While you can pay hundreds of dollars for a top-of-the-line strobe tuner, you can get a world-class tuner for under $50 that will suit almost any stage or practice application—I've tried pretty much every tuner under the sun, and I have found that he performance of the good inexpensive tuners is every bit as good as the expensive ones (strobe tuners excepted). So those are the ones we sell. Our tuners come from Onboard Research, makers of Intellitouch tuners, as well as Korg, one of the most trusted names in guitar tuning, plus Intelli (and its new name TuneTech), and Planet Waves.

Intelli and TuneTech Tuners:

Intelli IMT-500 - The Intelli is being heralded by many guitar players as the new king of the hill among clip-on instrument tuners. While the Intellitouch PT-1 and similar tuners are undoubtedly excellent tuners, the Intelli IMT-500 boasts virtually all of the same features (no carrying case, though) at about half the cost. All clip-on tuners work by sensing the vibration of your instrument, which means that you can tune on loud stages without any worries. You also don't need to figure out how to stick one in your signal chain, or find an amp with a tuner out—you just clip it on and tune, and it even grabs your low E with no problems (the Intelli's note-grabbing ability is what sets it apart from other clip-ons). If you're looking for an inexpensive alternative to some of the more popular clip-on tuners, the IMT500 is pretty hard to beat.

TuneTech TT-1000 - The Intelli folks recently updated their name to "TuneTech". Given how much this new product resembles the Intellitouch PT-1, I suspect there may have been some trademark concerns about the similarity of the names "Intelli" and "Intellitouch". It features the same quick note-grabbing and easy low-E response as the IMT500, but with a more rectangular profile that I find easier to read. It also hides better behind your guitar's headstock. And, my eyes may be deceiving me, but I find the display even brighter than the one on the IMT500, which was already brighter than the Intellitouch and Korg LCD screens. If you've ever tried to read an LCD in the wrong lighting, you know how valuable this can be. So if you're looking for a great clip-on tuner for your guitar, I highly recommend the TT-1000. Available in black or silver.

Planet Waves is the gear and accessories arm of D'Addario. Their current crop of tuners covers the gamut of tuning possibilities, but the one that really stands out is their Chromatic Pedal Tuner. The first thing you notice about this tuner is that it's built to last. It has that heavy, rugged feel you get when picking up a Dunlop Crybaby, but that is absent in pretty much every other pedal tuner. You know that this is going to survive being stomped on and kicked around the stage. Second, the hard bypass is worthy of note. Most other pedal tuners merely turn off the tuning function in bypass mode. The bypass on the Planet Waves actually bypasses the tuner, meaning that no extra circuitry is introduced into your signal chain, preserving as much tone as possible. You can also mute to tune if you want (many tuners have this feature), and the LEDs on these are brighter than any pedal tuner I've run across onstage. I've always been a fan of the Boss TU-2, but this Planet Waves tuner has won me over.

Korg has for years set the standard against which all other inexpensive tuners are judged, and their current crop of tuners and metronomes is as good as they've ever been. Every model is full of useful features in spite of its compact size (small enough to fit easily in a pocket or gigbag), and their price tags are even lower than they were when I first started buying Korg electronics.

Korg Tuners:

GA-30 -

GA-40 - The GA-40 is the newest update to the GA lineup, and it's a step up from the GA-30 (it also is an EADGBE tuner). It features improved note-grabbing and a far more stable LCD indicator needle. If you play guitar or bass and rarely venture into alternate tunings, this improved model is the tuner for you.

CA-30 - The Korg CA-30 is another perennial bestseller, and for obvious reasons—for under $20, you get a fully chromatic tuner that even features a pitch pipe and adjustable reference pitches from 420-480. I remember paying $150 for a Boss chromatic tuner in 1985. We've obviously come a long way both in terms of cost and performance, which is why I keep one of these in every guitar case, and occasionally in the glove compartment of each of our family cars. (details and high-res pic)

CA-40 - Korg's most recent upgrade to the CA-30. It features the same improved note-grabbing as the GA-40, but in a chromatic tuner.

Korg Metronomes:

MA-30 -

TM-40 - This is Korg's latest addition to its metronome lineup, and it's our best-selling tuner by far. It features the tuning capabilites of the CA-40 combined with the metronome features of the MA-30. If you need both a tuner and a metronome, this is a great way to save a little cash.

Planet Waves Tuning Forks:

Maybe you haven't yet become a slave to electronic tuners. Maybe you can still tune your guitar by ear. If so, then you're definitely in the minority—if you've ever been to an open mic, you know how few players can tune their instrument by ear anymore. But for all you ear-tuning traditionalists, we have the full line of Planet Waves tuning forks.

Intellitouch Tuners:

PT-1 -

details and high-res pics

PT-2 - The PT-2 is identical to the Intellitouch PT-1, but minus the backlight, learn function, and carrying case. (details and high-res pics)

CP-2 - The Center Pitch uses the exactly same tuning technology as the PT-1 and PT-2, but is designed specifically for wind instruments.

Intelli / TuneTech Tuners	Description	Price*
IMT-500	Clip-on chromatic tuner	$25.00
TT-1000-B	Clip-on chromatic tuner	$25.00
Planet Waves Tuners	Description	Price*
PW-CT-04	Rugged chromatic pedal tuner	$75.00
Korg Tuners	Description	Price*
CA-30	Chromatic tuner, includes jack and pitch pipe	$18.95
GA-30	Guitar and bass tuner, includes jack and pitch pipe	$14.00
GA-40	New, improved guitar and bass tuner	$19.00
CA-40	New, improved version of the chromatic CA-30	$22.00
Korg Metronomes	Description	Price*
MA-30	Full-featured portable metronome.	$20.00
TM-40	Metronome / Tuner combo	$28.00
Korg Tuner Accessories	Description	Price*
CM-100	Clip-on tuning mic.	$15.00
Planet Waves Tuning Forks	Description	Price*
	Available in A, C or E.	$10.00
Intellitouch Tuners	Description	Price*
PT-1	Onboard chromatic tuner w/backlight, carrying case	$44.00
PT-2	Same as PT1, minus extras	$27.00
Center Pitch	Similar to PT1 and PT2, but for wind instruments	$23.00

*All Intelli, TuneTech, Planet Waves, Korg, and Intellitouch tuner prices include free shipping anywhere in the US. CO residents add 2.9% sales tax (7.4% in La Plata county). Please see our Shipping page for additional shipping information.

Korg Tuners