See the "Five Clip-On Tuners" video review

An electronic tuner is one of the first accessories a guitarist should acquire—regardless of a player's skill, setting, or style of music. These days, three main categories make up the tuner market: the still-popular handheld or tabletop designs found in first-generation tuners, pedal tuners for stage use, and miniature tuners that clip directly to the instrument. Pioneered by OnBoard Research with its Intellitouch tuner, the portable and compact clip-on tuner has experienced a surge in popularity over the past few years.

Clip-on tuners, which use piezo technology to sense vibrations, offer several advantages—they're small enough to fit into the accessory compartment of a guitar case, they're easily accessible when clipped to the headstock while playing, and—because they sense the guitar's vibration with a sensor built into their clips—they work well in loud environments. In addition, most clip-on tuners are priced at the affordable end of the electronic tuner spectrum (list prices indicated below). In other words, there's a lot to like about these tuners.

For this review, we gathered five clip-on tuners made by Crafter, Planet Waves, Sabine, Seiko, and TuneTech (Intellitouch and Korg—both leaders in the clip-on tuner field—will replace their own popular models with new tuners in the months to come). All of our featured models are chromatic tuners, which means that they can recognize any note (many guitar-specific tuners are often limited to the E A D G B E notes that make up standard tuning). They can also be calibrated to notes other than the A=440 pitch standard, a feature that is handy if you're playing along with instruments (like piano) that may be slightly sharp or flat but aren't easily retuned. Some of the units also have built-in mics, which enables them to double as tabletop tuners.

To put these tuners through their paces, I used a Martin OM, a Juan Huipe flamenco, and a Taylor 355 12-string tuned low (B F# B E F# B). In addition, I kept a Planet Waves Tru-Strobe tuner on hand to use as a reference to test accuracy.

CRAFTER TG-200H $24.95, crafterusa.com

Crafter's TG-200H is the smallest of the tuners we checked out (without the clip, it measures about 2 × 1¹/₈ × ½ inches). The unit can toggle between three modes; "chromatic," "guitar," and "bass." And while the two latter functions, which identify notes in standard tuning, may be helpful to beginning players, many guitarists will probably stick to the default chromatic mode. Crafter also equipped the TG-200H with a dedicated slider on top of the unit's black plastic casing to choose between vibration-sensitive or microphone mode, rather than a multifunction button, as on some of the other tuners.

Arrows on the Crafter's backlit display point right or left from a center position, depending on whether a note is sharp or flat. Once in tune, the display's backlight color changes from orange to green and a small green LED above the arrow lights up. In practice, I found the TG-200H worked like a charm, since it responded quickly and held notes long enough that I could avoid constant string plucking. It worked equally well with each of the instruments I tried it with.

PLANET WAVES HEADSTOCK TUNER $49.99, planetwaves.com

While most of the tuners I checked out swivel on a universal joint, Planet Waves' brand new Headstock Tuner features an integrated tuner/clip design. The design enables Planet Waves to make the tuner much less bulky than the others, because the clip takes up almost no additional space (overall dimensions, including the clip, are about 2¹/₂ × 1¹/₂ × 1 inches), and eliminates a potential spot for breakage, making this a tuner you can throw into your gig bag or jacket pocket without much worry. The Planet Waves display and control set are simple and uncluttered, employing a simulated needle and note indicator. Once in tune, the backlit display changes from a dark red to a bright green. There are only two buttons: a power button on the front of the unit and a "frequency" button (for calibrating the tuner to notes other than A=440) behind the display. The tuner has only chromatic mode, and there's no microphone. The clip itself is a clever design that employs the tuner body as the top half of the clip and a pivoting pad as the bottom.

In practice, the Headstock Tuner worked very well—the digital "needle" was precise and analog-like in its responsiveness, and the unit was quick to sense and hold even the low notes on my 12-string. Given its accuracy and klutz-proof, rugged design, it's a solid new entry to the clip-on tuner market.

SABINE Z-1000 $39.95, sabine.com

Sabine was a pioneer in miniature tuners when it introduced the popular AX series of tuners, which attach to the body of a guitar. Now the company has come out with a line of clip-on tuners dubbed Zoid, which includes the Z-1000.

Without its clip, the Z-1000 measures about 2³/₈ × 1³/₈ × ½ inches. The tuner attaches to its clip by way of a post that stands slightly more than half an inch tall. This raises the tuner above the tuning machines' string posts, and it also makes the unit a bit larger than most clip-ons when folded up.

The Z-1000's display mimics the look of an analog sweep needle, and the note indicator is situated just below the apex of the needle's arc. When a note is tuned to pitch, the digital "needle" stops and stays centered, while the display's backlighting changes from orange to green for clearer visual reference. Overall, the Z-1000's combination of precision and excellent readability speaks volumes about Sabine's extensive experience in the clip-on tuner field, and is ample reason to recommend this tuner.

SEIKO STX1 $65.95, kamanmusic.com

Seiko chose a different approach to visually representing the notes the STX1 "hears." Rather than relying on a relatively large backlit display for all functions, the STX1 uses a small red display for indicating the note and an array of nine LEDs embedded along the left side of its plastic case to show whether a note is sharp, flat, or in tune. The unit is also the only one of the bunch that can generate tones (chromatically from a low C to a high B) to assist tuning by ear.

The Seiko is considerably larger and heavier than the other tuners I checked out. The tuner itself is only about 2¹/₈ inches in width, but at almost three inches long, the clip is about twice the size of the others (it also opens wider than the others, making it a good choice for instruments with very thick headstocks); a 2¹/₄-inch-long swiveling section connects the tuner and the clip. Attached to the headstock, the tuner may make some instruments top-heavy. The unit was accurate and simple to use, and for some users the multiple LEDs may be easier to read than other multipurpose displays. Considering that the Seiko can be used as a tabletop unit and that it provides the tones to tune by ear, it may be the most versatile unit of this bunch.

TUNETECH TT-500 $34.95, shsint.net

Also available under the "IntelliTuner" and "Meisel" brands, the TuneTech TT-500 uses an easily distinguishable design akin to a 1³/₄-inch square turned 45 degrees. The unit's bright, green backlit display features a simulated analog needle, and while the other tuners in this review switch off their backlight automatically when a note ceases to register, the TT-500 stays lit for three minutes until its battery-saving function kicks in.

Among the tested tuners, the TT-500 behaves the most like an old-school analog unit. The digital needle moves in a slow and precise sweep, enabling better anticipation of where the needle will register and speeding up the tuning process. And as a user of an old analog Korg tuner, I welcomed the similarity in feel to that trusty unit. The TT-500's biggest drawback is that its three buttons (on/off, calibration, and one for accessing a mode for tuning flat) can rattle, which might discourage a user from leaving the tuner on the headstock at all times. But for a player who values a responsive tuner with a distinctly nondigital feel, the TT-500 is a unit worth considering.

WRAP

All five of these devices are worth a look from anyone shopping for a new tuner. Each tuner proved accurate when compared with the Tru-Strobe, and they all worked well regardless of guitar type. Each tuner was well made, and there isn't an enormous price discrepancy between them. So ultimately, the decision on what to buy will come down to personal preferences in look and feel.