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| Anybody remember these? lol
I used to have one of these when I was a kid, but lost it in the (many) years since. I recalled it being quite a bit more usable than my friend's early digital tuner (angled metal blue box with a LED frequency number and a chart on the side that told you the proper hertz for the pitch - kinda flaky and drove us nuts lol). The seller had no idea how it worked, but all you do it choose the pitch and sit it under the strings and the strobe backlights the string. When the string stops oscillating, you're in tune. Strobe-tuned my Adamas with my "old-faithful" Conn, and checked against the Ovation and it was dead-on. Darned cool little device! Not sure what year these were from, but it's a cool bookmark from an age gone by lol - even then Ovation was thinking ahead just a bit.
now I has to ask; what other cool (and overlooked) accessory items have you seen "most likely to be found in the what-is-it bin at the local shop"? bonus points for Ovation products lol... |
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Location: NJ | I remember SEEING those things in stores, but never used/owned one. Being a lad of rather "meager coinage" back then, I relied on my humble tuning fork or my (egad!)humbler yet "pitch pipe"!
Either that or wait for one of the more "well heeled" in the room to get in tune, get an "A" from them and take it from there. |
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Location: Scotland | I bought one of these on ebay a while ago for less than $10. It works really well & makes a great bench tuner. The original 70's price ticket was still on it $62.50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul |
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Location: NJ | stonge very cool
back in the day I did not have a tuner but I had a teacher that was hell bent on teaching me to tune with a tuning fork and by ear. |
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Location: NJ | must be a "Jersey Thing". |
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Location: Back in the Valley of the Sun Mesa Az. | Personally, I step on my dogs tail. He howls a perfect E everytime! This has worked so well over the years, all I have to do is make the motion of stepping on his tail, and he gives me a pitch on cue.
Now for tuning my 12 string, it's a little more involved. I've found (through trial and error, and several dead cats), that 6 oz. of catnip, mixed with 4 0z. of tuna in an average sized adult tabby (siamese no good, pitch too high), produces a mellow, drawn out D#.
Either way both go arunnin whenever I break out an instrument. Difference is the dog runs under the table, the cat runs to the 12 string!
Norse(now, tuning my dulcimer involves my wife, a turkey feather, and a Viking helmet, and probably not appropriate for this message board!)man1
[ June 13, 2002: Message edited by: Norseman1 ] |
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Location: SoCal | Love Norsey's methods.
I used a tuning fork until 6 years ago when I bought my 12 string. then I bought an electronic tuner and now can't go back to just a tuning fork for any of my guitars.
Bought an Intellitouch tuner a year ago. It's highly advertised and well reviewed, but I can't get it to work consistantly. |
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Location: NJ | Paul;
Is that the one that clips onto your headstock?
I've seen those advertised as well, and have seen numerous people using them, but I'm a little "leery" about using them under noisy conditions. |
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Location: SoCal | That's the one. Supposedly they work best in noisy conditions because they work off the vibration in the guitar. The problem with Ovations is that you can't clip it to the top of the headstock and instead have to clip it right next to either E string. I just don't care for it. You have to work too hard to get it to work correctly. |
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Location: Back in the Valley of the Sun Mesa Az. | Do you have a dog Paul?
Norse(he he he)man1 |
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Location: NJ | I would just think that in "noisy conditions" (ie: with other istruments) something loud (like my &%#*%^&# bass player) would inflict "sympathetic vibration" through the guitar and inhibit accuracy.
...but then again...what'do I know?.... |
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Location: Bham,AL | Hey Norseman1,
I like your tuning methods, what kind of dog was it for the E? My mini dachsund is alternately tuned and is no help.
bukwheat |
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Location: east coast | I still use a tuning fork, although I have two out of tune dogs. they also tend to oscilate when they howl together. |
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Location: Pensacola,FL | Forks are for eating these days, not tuning.
I prefer something with an analog meter, a REAL needle that you can see as opposed to the flashing led lcd displays. |
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Location: SoCal | Norsey, I've got a golden deceiver (won't bring back anything), but he doesn't have perfect pitch and is real inconsistant in his howling when you step on his tail. However, when he then turns and bites me, I nail a pretty good E flat. |
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Location: Back in the Valley of the Sun Mesa Az. | To be totally honest, my Jack Russell Terrier was working fine, until he was nuetured (the horrible things we do to the ones we love!). Now, I shoot the neighbors black lab in the butt with a B.B. gun. A little less convienient, but a more rewarding method!
Norse(My dog hates Bob Barker)man1 |
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Location: NJ | neutered the dog should work great on the octave strings of a 12 |
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Location: Back in the Valley of the Sun Mesa Az. | lol Al!
Norse(and it would save on catnip!)man1 |
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"The Tuner" by Ovation
