| Author |
Topic: Intellitouch tuner - Spring durability on Rick? |
Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
|
Posted 24 May 2004 5:23 am |
|
I am considering buying one these tuners. I want to use it on my Bakelite Rick. It clamps on to the headstock and senses the vibrations of the strings. No fumbling for a cable to connect your guitar to a tuner. No relying on the integrated microphone.
Yesterday I tried this tuner and it worked great. My main concern is the clamp/spring mechanism. Because the headstock is so thick, the spring is at it's maximum compression. I am concerned that that this will fail very quickly.
Here's the mfg website. http://www.tuners.com/pt1.asp
Can you replace the spring easily?
Anyone have similar problems?
------------------
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
|
|
|
 |
Craig Prior
From:
National City, California, USA
|
Posted 24 May 2004 9:12 am
|
|
Interesting, Gerald. I've had the opposite problem. I tried using it for tuning a ukulele and the headstock is so thin that the clamp won't compress enough.
I've also used it for a Dobro that uses the max compression. I've had mine for a couple years now and thus far I've noticed no problems with the spring wearing out.
Sometimes, though, it will drive me crazy when it simply refuses to register one string. I think the guitar has to be absolutely quiet, no vibrations, for it to have a basis of comparison. If anything is ringing through the guitar, that little meter refuses to wake up.
One nice thing: plucking the string harder won't make any difference. When it does register a vibration, the slightest pluck of a string is all that is needed.
I never used to use electronic tuners but my wife got me this for my 50th birthday. I love my wife dearly but, as you can tell, I've had a love/hate relationship with that little tuner.
Craig. |
|
|
|
Gary Anwyl
From:
Palo Alto, CA
|
Posted 24 May 2004 9:59 am
|
|
Craig, you might be doing this already, but if you're having trouble getting the Intellitouch tuner to track a note try plucking with the flesh of your finger (rather than a finger pick), pluck at the 12th fret and damp the other strings. That is what the instructions recommend.
I find that it helps, especially on a resonator instrument. These things help emphasize the fundamental and cut down on the harmonics so the tuner has an easier time. |
|
|
|
Russ Young
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
|
Posted 24 May 2004 1:17 pm
|
|
Gerald:
I've been using my Intellitouch on my B-6 for about 18 months -- it's holding up nicely. I do find it has a hard time picking up the low "D" in Open G and Open D (on my tricone). |
|
|
|
Craig Prior
From:
National City, California, USA
|
Posted 24 May 2004 1:25 pm
|
|
| Gary, thanks, I'll have to try that. I'm so used to picking up overtones that if I'm tuning up (let's say) the B string and it says F#, I'll go with that!! |
|
|
|
