Music Gear Reviews, Raves and Rantings Page

AW-1 Micro Tuner

The AW-1 Micro Tuner – an ultra-compact, ultra-lightweight chromatic tuner you can attach to your wind or string instrument for easy and accurate tuning.

This is a really nice tuner that comes in it's own little, I call it a "spy" case. The actual tuner comes in two parts. The clip on part of which ther are two different size for different insruments. The larger clip-on will fit on you rnose if so inclined. And, the actual tuners.

The tuner looks very space age, like a Jetsons contraption.

This tuner is very senstive and I use it a lot on my ukuleles. If the headstock on your ukulele is a little, no standard like an Applause it takes more careful placement.

There on only two drawbacks with this tuner as I see it. It is not backlite for stage use on in dim light. And the battery doesn't last too long and is hard to find. I haven't found a replacement at the local drug store and will have to get it online.

(Update July, 2008: This tuner is a little too delicate for daily use. If the viewing screen is rotated too often it will weaken and not stay on.

The Intellitouch Tuner

This tuner was one of the first clip-on tuners. As I'm a sucker for tuners I bought one. Like the Korg AW-1 it has trouble clipping on Ovation guitar and ukulele style headstocks. It is however backlit, which is great for stage and dimly light settings.

The battery case is typical of a lot of these type of electronic devices and tends to not want to stay on after it has been removed a few times for battery replacement. I resorted to rubber-band to hold it on - very high-tech. This battery cover issue also happen with my Sabine tuner-metronome (review). For that I use tape, still low tech.

This tuner is now relegated to that deep dark drawer of discarded or not often used musical devices I've collected over the years.

Like most tuners and the ones I've reviewed on this page there is the ability to set A=440 and to calibrate the tuner to other instrument like a piano which can not retune.

This is the tuner that I would have if I worked retail in a music store. It has a clip on case with belt loop. This would go a long way to curing that guitar store tuning that most guitar seem to get in after fledging guitarists "attempt" tuning.

Meisel’s MCT-7L Tuner

This tuner has the best backlit screen of the tuner that I have. With the battery search still on for the Korg I have started using this tuner again. Not as sensitive as the higher priced Korg, but it does a good job. It is one piece, has no case and the screen swivels to allow for viewing after clipping on the instrument. I use it mainly for my ukuleles. Again, the Applause headstock is not the most receptive to clip-on tuners.

The swivelness of my Meisel tuner is no longer functioning. After a drop and separation of the screen from the clip I resorted to super gluing it to the clip or it would be useless and tuner company with the Intellitouch in the discarded musical device drawer, the DMDD. I would however buy another one some day. The backlit can almost double as a small light.

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