Possom - Posted - 04/17/2012:  23:16:25

Id like to hear yours thoughts and pros and cons for either. My Intellitouch 1000 has served me well but I've been wanting one of these tuners for a while now. I like to keep one with every instrument I own and right now im one down. 5yr anniversary at my job got me another week of vacation as well as a 25 gift card to a wide variety of stores of my choosing. Guitar Center was one of those stores. So which one to choose?

I know the Strobo clip is a little different but highly accurate....I usually end up fine tuning to what sounds right so I can't see the benefit. I also heard its tricky getting used to at first as its a different style of readout? Never used a strobe tuner so I haven't a clue. Y'all help me.

I've read nothing but good reviews on the Snark. Im looking at the Red one. Small accurate multicolor display. And can be mounted on the pot with a little ingenuity. Has a built in "tap metronome"??? A lot packed into a small package and about $40 cheaper than the Peterson.

joemac - Posted - 04/18/2012:  00:58:48

I have both and i have to say while i love the stroboclip the snark is just brilliant. Its as accurate as the clip but much easier to work with both on and off stage, its response is very fast and the read-out is bright and easy to see...........hope this helps, if i had to choose one, it would be the Snark.

tbfnyc - Posted - 04/18/2012:  02:39:38

I have a red Snark and a Peterson Stroboclip and at least 4 other tuners too. But the newest Snark is hands down my favorite. It is called the Snark "Super Tight" SN-8. It is brigther, easier to read, and faster than the other models. It's also matte black and not as noticeable as the red or blue ones. It doesn't have the acoustic input like the other Snarks but that is of limited use anyway.

You can find it a very low prices. I've seen them as low as $12.

You can mount a Snark on the pot of the banjo and it looks better there than sticking up from your peghead. There is even a fellow who makes a clever mounting bracket to do just that. I bought one and the bracket works perfectly. It mounts the Snark just fine on the pot of the banjo and looks good. The trouble is, the Snark doesn't tune as well when it's mounted there as it does when it's way up there on the peghead. I guess the vibrations just aren't strong enough when coming through the pot so the Snark doesn't respond very well when it's mounted there.

Anyway, I highly recommend the Snark SN-8. It's the best tuner I've found so far.

Docmhc - Posted - 04/18/2012:  04:02:20

Now that I have one, Snark is the ONLY tuner I'll use.

onlinemike - Posted - 04/18/2012:  04:46:02

As I lovingly place my Snark into its case. I can say go with Snark! The new black is awesome. I have a red too though.

Possom - Posted - 04/18/2012:  04:50:50

Yea tbfnyc i make a bracket like that for one of my other tuners and it didnt read as well either. Absolutely would not pick up the 3rd string g note. But picked up the normally pesky B note on the 2nd great.


So do you guys say pick the Super Tight over the Red one then. Seems the only difference is the microphone fuction. There site says its faster, brighter and more accurate. I like the fact its black as well

John Allison - Posted - 04/18/2012:  05:33:43

Of the two, I personally like the Snark.

un5trung - Posted - 04/18/2012:  05:58:51

They're both good tuners, and while the Strobo is likely more accurate for most of us that level of accuracy is irrelevant. A few hertz one way or the other doesn't matter if we're playing by ourselves, and if we're playing with others all that matters is that everyone is in tune with each other.

Snark is commonly considered the best inexpensive tuner on the market, Stroboclip is commonly considered the best moderately-priced tuner on the market.  The main question is what you want to pay, between $10-15 or $75-85?  A secondary consideration might be the circumstances under which you use it.  In a house full of children I'd go Snark, while on a stage of competent musicians I'd use the Roboclip.

As far as I know the main attraction of the red Snark is the external mic, but I've never found it to be useful; ambient noises always muck it up.  I also have the blue, a little cheaper and just as good.  I've heard the same about the black, but I don't have personal experience with that one.

To sum up -- they're both good tuners, and while the Strobo is likely more accurate for most of us that level of accuracy is irrelevant. Snark is the choice for people who don't want to spend a lot or who are playing in a gregarious environment, Strobo is the choice for people who don't mind paying more for a few hertz worth of accuracy and are playing in more staid circumstances. Best of luck.

jetfromtn - Posted - 04/18/2012:  06:09:50

I just bought a Snark SN-8 through Amazon for $11.49, no tax and no shipping and I really like it.

Possom - Posted - 04/18/2012:  07:13:47

Sounds like Im going to be going with Snark. I use my tuner a lot as i pick right regular at home alone, at jams, band practice and gigs but i dont see myself benefiting from that level of accuracy in the Strobo. Besides id end up fine tuning by ear anyways and in between capo changes and tuning down to D for Rueben onstage. I quickly reference the tuner if it dont sound close otherwise its a tweak here or there by ear. For the price and what Ive read in this post as well as older ones the Snark is the best bang for the buck. I wish i had of got a AMazon gift card now lol! Just seen ther prices and theyre a lot cheaper through online stores than dedicated music shops such as Guitar Center! O well.... Such is life. Cant win for losing! Thanks for the info!

lespik - Posted - 04/18/2012:  07:57:17

I also have the Gill Snark mounting bracket. I have no trouble tuning the banjo. ( as far as one can be , of course )

Jim Yates - Posted - 04/18/2012:  08:02:14

The owner of the store where I teach says that he sells a lot of Snarks and the only complaints he gets are about the clamp breaking.  I haven't tried one, but a few customers have had the clamp break on them.

gospelman97 - Posted - 04/18/2012:  08:10:20

I would get the SN-8.  It supposedly has a brighter display which will be especially useful when playing outside in the sunlight.

Cornflake - Posted - 04/18/2012:  09:03:25

I gave up on my Snarks because they lost their brightness quickly and sometimes just didn't work. I've been really happy with my Tiki (on Amazon) because it's so easy to read, it always gives me a reading, and it works on my standup bass. I haven't tried the new Snark.

juddtaylor - Posted - 04/18/2012:  09:06:17

I don't think the strobo is going to be much more accurate than usual tuners. I noticed yesterday that Snark doesn't state any specs on accuracy, which usually isn't a good thing. The strobo should quote numbers, at least. I looked at the stompbox model recently but ended up going with a turbo tuner.

If you want accurate, then you need a sonic research strobe tuner (aka turbo tuner). I have an ST-200 on my electric guitar pedalboard, but I'm thinking about getting the acoustic model as my IMT tuner seems to just suck. The IMT is slow, and not very accurate at all. The turbo tuner's strobe interface is the best I've ever seen, and since I've been using it on my electrics on stage, I find myself complaining every time I use something else.

Another good thing about this tuner is that it's excellent for doing setup work. Things like carving compensation into a bridge, adjusting string lengths, etc. Extreme accuracy pays of big time in those areas. I never "adjust" the tuning to my ears anymore, and now I can't believe how much of a pain in the butt it is to do that, especially on an instrument where the compensation isn't correct. It's so much easier to just tune for 20 seconds and then start playing and not have to worry about anything.

turbo-tuner.com/

(I'm not affiliated at all, just a very happy customer)

juddtaylor - Posted - 04/18/2012:  09:18:41

I just check the stroboclip's website. It's not a real strobe tuner (no frequency reference operation), and mentions an accuracy of just .1 cent. The stroboclip is no different than other clip-ons, other than it has a display that looks like a strobe tuner (but doesn't use that method of detection). Having temperaments and stuff is nice, though.

The turbo tuner is an "actual aka in real life" strobe tuner, with instant response and an accuracy of .0017 cent (~60 times more accurate). It also has all of the temperaments, etc that the stroboclip does, and far more. The only downside is that the turbo tuner is larger, and more expensive. However, they're only $130 now, and I remember quite distinctly paying $200 for mine, so the price has dropped 35% recently. It was worth it for me at $200.

As far as brightness, you could land a plane by the lights on the stomp model. I'm guessing the same will be true of the strobe display on the acoustic model. I don't know about the lower LCD readout, however.

juddtaylor - Posted - 04/18/2012:  10:02:34

Last thing. I found out the ST-122 is now discontinued, but they have the ST-122a, which is not on the site yet (due to a waitlist for the ST-122 they are fulfilling first). The ST-122a is the same but with an aluminum case, and a $170 pricetag. If you google, you can find the order link... apparently they ship right away using that link.

Still, it's not a clip on.

NCjones - Posted - 04/18/2012:  11:13:13

I have two snarks.  I gave away my intellitouch and still have a couple of other brands around somewhere in my stuff.  I only use the snark now.  Like someone posted, I got my snark, put it on the banjo, and the clamp broke.  The only real complaint I have it that the hinge pin for the clamp foot is a plastic pin.  It should be a metal pin.  A little rough use and it will break.  I emailed them and they sent a replacement right away.    For probably 1/100th of a penny per item increase in manufacturing cost they could have had a bulletproof tuner if they had used metal instead of plastic on that pin.

hum - Posted - 04/18/2012:  13:19:23

I used to use the intellitouch but I find the new Snark SN8 with it's brighter display and the Gill mounting bracket is great - no tuning problems at all - picks up each string just fine - you can buy the 2032 batteries pretty cheap in bulk too .

Snark SN8 and Pick Pouch

grm405 - Posted - 04/18/2012:  13:56:15

I mount my red Snark on the pot with the magnetic mount discussed here a few months ago.  It is just a 1/4" dia by 1/2" long Neodium magnet pressed into the ball socket on the back of the readout stuck to a piece of steel (strip of a 2x4 galvanized tie plate) which is held under 2 hooks by a couple of thin 1/2" magnets (purchased from Harbor Freight for $1.29 for a card of 6).  It picks up every string every time.  The only problem is that the readout is only visible from a low angle, which limits where you can mount it and still see it.  If you turn it sideways it works fine; up and down it is quite dark.

I like it because the magnet just presses into the socket and I can return to the original mount at any time, no glue or modification necessary.  I didn't like that the local hobby store charged me $5 for the single magnet, but I didn't want a bunch of them from Amazon.  These magnets are very, very strong.  It will even attach itself to the head hoop, but is kinda wobbly up there.

Gerry

MTDutch101 - Posted - 04/18/2012:  14:21:52

I just bought the Snark SN-8 for about $12 on Amazon, and am quite pleased with it. Bright, extremely easy to use, accurate enough for anyone but the chronic obsessive. No complaints at all so far, and extremely good value.

Dieselten - Posted - 04/18/2012:  20:53:31

Red Snark "all-instrument" tuners, one for each banjo. Put 'em on, tune, take 'em off and put 'em back in the case. Leaving anything rubber (or plastic) on a nitro-finished peghead for any length of time can cause deterioration of the finish. (Not a problem with polyurethane finishes.) If properly strung and fitted with decent tuners, your banjo should not need re-tuning when playing.

These little Snark tuners are as cheap as chips!

Edited by - Dieselten on 04/18/2012 20:54:48

arnie fleischer - Posted - 04/19/2012:  06:43:21

I've been using the Strobo-Clip tuner for over a year, either clipped to my headstock or, on banjos that can accommodate the clip, through a flange hole.  I also have the Snark Super Tight tuner, which I've been using for several months with the Gill mounting clip.  Here are my thoughts.   

Contrary to what someone posted above, the Strobo-Clip is in fact more accurate than other clip-on tuners.  Its specs are .1 cent accuracy, which is ten times the 1 cent accuracy that virtually every other clip-on tuner claims in its specs.  It's a virtual strobe tuner, it does take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, and your ears get acclimated to the difference, it's hard to go back to anything else . . . .

Except for the Snark Super Tight tuner.  I've compared its performance with the Strobo-Clip using the same banjo, and the results are so close as to be practically indistinguishable -- which is not at all the case with any of the other conventional clip-on tuners I've compared with the Strobo-Clip (these include the Intellitouch, the Intelli-500, the Korg AW-2 and the Gold Tone).  The display on the Snark Super Tight shows different colored gradations in accuracy that are comparable to the motion of the bars on the Strobo-Clip.  It's easy to use, the display is exceptionally clear, the response is immediate.  When using it with the Gill mounting clip, I've experienced no problems whatsoever.  

Bottom line: In my experience, both are exceptionally accurate with a quick response time, way better, in each respect, than any other clip-on tuners I've tried.  But the Snark Super Tight is much, much cheaper and easier to use than the Strobo-Clip, with results that are virtually identical.

juddtaylor - Posted - 04/19/2012:  08:12:50

For $12, I guess I'll have to give the snark a whirl, then (esp since I have amazon prime...)

mikey5string - Posted - 04/19/2012:  19:39:31

I brought an internet ad for $9.99 to guitar center and they matched the price. They had it at like $20 or something. So much for "Gaurenteed Lowest Price"

They price match ANY ad though, so just print it, bring it in and youll get that price.

Possom - Posted - 04/20/2012:  00:44:42

Mikey5string ~ awesome thanks for the info on price matching I will definitely do that! Not sure what they have in stock at the raliegh store but I will be sure to ask and pull up an ad of whatever they do have on the phone while im there and ask for the matching price....maybe I can score a few packs of strings or something too!

destring - Posted - 04/21/2012:  20:32:28

stroboclip!