How accurate is your tuner for set up and intonation, what model do you recommend?

[laurens]

For the regular set up of my Jackson Soloist I use a tuner that is accurate to 1 cent (it's a Behringer rack tuner, please don't start on the brand...). I recently purchased an intonation tool for my floyd rose ("the key") and I wanna do the intonation on my own. Would my tuner be accurate enough or would you recommend tuners with more accuracy (to 1/10 cent) like strobe tuners? Please share your experience and what model works best for you.

[MetalMedal II]

That should be fine. The trick to intonating is to pick the note every few seconds cos the not will go flat with time. Also, how hard you fret the note played a big role in making the note go sharp. So fret as you normally would. Even picking hard will make the note sound sharp. Intonate in playing position, not with guitar lying flat. I don't go nuts with the tuner, but use it as a useful guide to make sure my ears are on track.

[Twitch]

+1 Thats what I do. I intonate by ear then check it with a tuner. The tuner has never disagreed with my ears but I still double check with it anyhow. However, Ill say not everyone can do this. 1 cent. 1/10 of a cent, no diff really to the human ear, plus youll NEVER perfectly intonate a guitar to its self or another guitar. Get it as close as you can by whatever means you choose to do so and let it be.

[Grim]

I have a Korg and it hardly gets used.

I usually use my ear.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I use a Peterson virtual strobe tuner, the Stroboflip. It's fairly expensive, but extremely accurate. I've used a Korg, too. I like my Peterson because I can check the intonation in various places, just tune the open string, check 5/7/12/19th frets for sharp or flat, adjust as necessary.

Accurate to 1 cent is not very accurate. You would likely end up fudging a bit and relying on your ears. If you get one of the more accurate tuners, there is no need for that, but, you also have to pay for it, so unless you'll use it a lot it might be a waste.

[Jack Napalm]

Accurate to 1 cent is not very accurate. You would likely end up fudging a bit and relying on your ears.

+1
For doing intonation setups get a good strobe tuner.

[Grim]

Just get LSRs and put a locking nut on and you wont even have to tune.

Honestly, When A friend dropped his Mustaine KV1 off for a week while he moved (Apprently he didn't trust the movers or some shit, IDK, but I had it for a week. he was moving closer to me, so I guess it makes sense...), that thing never went out of tune.. And it didn't have a locking nut!

[laurens]

I use a Peterson virtual strobe tuner, the Stroboflip. It's fairly expensive, but extremely accurate. I've used a Korg, too. I like my Peterson because I can check the intonation in various places, just tune the open string, check 5/7/12/19th frets for sharp or flat, adjust as necessary.

Accurate to 1 cent is not very accurate. You would likely end up fudging a bit and relying on your ears. If you get one of the more accurate tuners, there is no need for that, but, you also have to pay for it, so unless you'll use it a lot it might be a waste.

I am not familiar with this method, but I read this in the manual of Peterson strobetuners:

One popular alternative is to adjust each string so that it is in tune at two points an octave apart from each other on the fret board using a strobe tuner. Using the 5th and 17th fret as an example:
• Tune a string at the 5th fret.
• Check the string at the 17th. If sharp, move the saddle back, thus lengthening the string. If flat, shorten the string by moving the saddle forward. Remember to fret the string using the pressure
• that you would normally apply while playing.
• Keep repeating this process until each string is in tune as much as possible at both the 5th and 17th frets.
This method takes time, and has to be repeated if you change string gauges, but if properly executed, yields very satisfactory results.

Would you tune it at the 5th, or still open string tuning and then normally fret at 5th and 17th and adjust?

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Yeah, it's basically the same thing, a combination of the two methods. Tune the open string still, to start.

[laurens]

Thx, man. After reading this I purchased Strobosoft from Peterson. I use it on my desktop now and plug the guitar in via usb device.