Chris Quinn - Posted - 03/19/2008:  21:19:27

Does anyone have any experience using the Peterson Strobo-Flip Tuner? http://www.petersontuners.com/index...ry=37&sub=21

Is it user friendly? How well does it work on banjos, mandolins, guitars, acoustic basses? Can you read the LED in daylight and in darkness? Does the clip isolate the instrument well from other sounds or instruments? How portable; what are the dimensions? Will it fit easily into a Calton case's string or pick compartment? Any other thoughts?

I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Chris Quinn

www.foggyhogtownboys.com

Edited by - Chris Quinn on 03/19/2008 21:21:42

RONLD - Posted - 03/19/2008:  21:29:59

Ask Huntndux, i think he has one.

Keep your friends close,and God even closer...

Huntndux - Posted - 03/19/2008:  21:36:12

Ronld

Mine isnt a Strobo flip....its a VSII

Sorry I cant help....Im looking at an old Conn right now, just to use at the house

Bobby

beegee - Posted - 03/19/2008:  21:37:04

I'm planning on buying one. It was highly rated by Strings magazine. I have several electronic tuners and an old tube-type Conn Strobe-O-Tuner. I'd like a state-of-the-art strobe tuner.

______________________________
turtle on a fencepost....

banjoken - Posted - 03/19/2008:  23:14:34

There is a forum on the manufacturer's site:

http://www.petersontuners.com/forum...?FORUM_ID=42

Here are the specs from Peterson:

http://www.petersontuners.com/index...ry=37&sub=21

I do not have the flip, but I have the VSam. It took a little while to get used to, but it really works well. It is more accurate than my Korg AW1. It has a backlight that is very bright and easy to see. It also has a dimmer setting for battery conservation. The clip totally isolates the instrument and it works very well, better than the microphone actually. For me it works best right on the bridge, not very convenient if you want to leave it on. Others have had a lot of luck clipping it to the peghead. The Vsam is fairly big, the flip is just as wide, but it folds in half. Not sure about the Calton cases.

As I said, the unit works well on the banjo once you get used to it. It will work better on the guitar and I am not so sure about the mandolin. The flip comes with the tuning clip and also a mounting clip that will attach the unit to a mic stand.

mefloyd - Posted - 03/19/2008:  23:26:01

Chris,

I got a Peterson Strobo-Flip in December 2007. I like it, but it does take some getting used to.

Of all the built in tunings for different instruments, it doesn't have one for banjo, so I visited the Peterson Tuners Tuning Forum and asked "Are there settings on the StroboFlip suitable for use with 5-string banjo in various tunings such as open G-tuning, drop-C tuning, D-tuning etc.?"

The response was:

"Hi Michael,
Use the Dobro Sweetener in the StroboFlip for banjo, of the two Dobro Sweeteners, the 1/2 tempered version works well for 5 string banjo.

John N."

User Friendly?
You can use it right out of the box on the guitar setting, but you will have to read the manual to learn how to make a different instrument become the default so you don't have to fool around with a lot of buttons every time you use the unit.

How well does it work on banjos, mandolins, guitars, acoustic basses?
It seems to work well on all of these instruments.

Can you read the LED in daylight and in darkness?
There is no problem reading the display at night; it is well lit. I've never had it out in the sunlight but I have had it under the lamp shade of a table lamp with a 40 watt bulb and I could see the display just fine. I can check the unit out on a sunny day for you as well.

Does the clip isolate the instrument well from other sounds or instruments?
The Strobo-Flip appears to use the same probe clip that is used on the Intellitouch tuners (and several others as well.) In my opinion, the isolation is not so much a function of the clip as it is on the noise levels in the room and the type of instrument you are trying to tune.

For example, if you are in a room with volume levels loud enough to make your banjo head vibrate excessively (as in, you can actually feel the head vibrating if you touch it), then yes, this tuner, like all tuners I know of, will have trouble differentiating the "good" signals from the bad ones. It seems to me, Peterson claim do a good job at rejecting unwanted signals, within reason. There are some good tuning tips on thier Tuning Tips FAQ.

How portable; what are the dimensions?
The unit is very portable, but it doesn't fit in your shirt pocket. It's actually larger than I imagined it would be, but I don't mind the size of it at all. The dimensions are about 9.5 cm x 9.5 cm x 4.5 cm high. (3.75 in x 3.75 in x 1.75 in).

Will it fit easily into a Calton case's string or pick compartment?
I don't know about a Calton case because I've never seen one, but the unit fits easily into my Huber case compartment with lots of room left over.

Any other thoughts?
Yes, I'll add these three comments:

1. It has a high quality look and feel to it; the unit is very well constructed. Even the packaging makes you think "quality."

2. It really looks cool mounted on a mic stand. Here are a couple links to pictures of it on a mic stand from a photo I took a couple weeks ago. My friend and I were testing some recording software.

I. http://bp0.blogger.com/_LwNciALv-Bo...3_P_1024.jpg
II. http://bp0.blogger.com/_LwNciALv-Bo...4_P_1024.jpg

3. Ron Block and Dan Tyminski use Peterson tuners, but I'm not sure which models they have.

Michael Floyd
http://BluegrassFriends.com
http://BluegrassFriends.blogspot.com
http://BluegrassWidow.blogspot.com

Edited by - mefloyd on 03/20/2008 10:54:21

fitch5string - Posted - 03/20/2008:  00:17:33

Great tuners , unless you are trying to tune a banjo. I had one. It was too big to fit in the case compartment too. Waste of money. The VS-2 is no better either. In a studio, the old Conn Strobo tuners or Petersons work well.

FITCH BANJOS
www.FitchBanjos.com
Recording King Dealer
and U.S. Custom Shop

Huntndux - Posted - 03/20/2008:  00:42:44

I have a VS-II and it works great with electric guitars and such, but terrible with the banjo. Im buying an old Conn

Bobby

GerhardP - Posted - 03/20/2008:  02:46:36

I tried our guitar player's StroboFlip and had little luck getting it to reliably register notes on my banjo with the tuner clip. On the other hand the StroboSoft software tuner works perfectly for my banjo with a clip attached to the headstock. Best and most precise tuning i ever had. The software does have a banjo sweetener, but making your own is also very simple. The StroboFlip also seems to be very thick and wouldn't fit into my case compartment (Calton). So I use the software at home, where the computer is always running, and a normal tuner at gigs and jams.

Gerhard

vfont - Posted - 03/20/2008:  05:29:48

I have a Strobo-flip and it works well as long as you run it on battery. If you plug it into the AC outlet, there's some kind of interference. The same thing happened with a VS-II I had for a little while. I never could the the VS-II to work right. The flip works fine. I clip it to the bridge when I tune.

Victor

Stelling Master's Cross Standard
Nechville Classic Deluxe (Mahogany)
Ovation LX Legend Contour Model 2077 LX
My Web Site: http://www.fontlife.com

Herr_grepper - Posted - 03/20/2008:  10:12:06

Hi Chris,

I've been using the Strobo-Flip for about a year now and like it a lot. It took a couple of minutes to get used to how it works. I.E. when tuning don't continually strike the string and expect the strobes to lock on to the frequency. Strike one and let it decay and the strobes will react to it. Our guitarist and our bassist each have one and they swear by them.

The clip does isolate the instrument from other sounds, including Harley Davidsons....(we were playing in an outside restaurant when a cadre of bikers made their appearance. Tuner worked just fine.

I've got a Calton and it fits well between the banjo heel and storage compartment. I wrap mine in a bandana scarf.

Lights up quiet nicely and runs on 3 AAA batteries for a long time.

Best tuner I've ever owned. Those little gizmo tuners pale by comparison.

Tom

--"Who knows...the way things are going all our banjos may soon be pre-war"--

http://www.simonpurebluegrass.com/

Chris Quinn - Posted - 03/20/2008:  11:19:06

Thanks to all the folks who have taken such great efforts to answer my questions. I really appreciate your input. I have been using Intellis for a couple of years now, but I find they are inconsistent from one banjo to another; as well as to my mandolin and guitar. On one banjo, the tuner picks up all the strings but the B note on the second string. On another banjo, it barely works at all. I think it has to do with each string giving off different frequency vibrations through the neck and peghead wood.

I have heard mixed reviews on the Petersons, but I may borrow one from my friendly music store in order to learn for myself.

Thanks again!

Chris Quinn

www.foggyhogtownboys.com