Best Cheap Guitar Tuner (2024 Update)

I have previously used TC Electronics tuners with which I have had no complaints. I was looking for a cheap alternative to prevent me from having to carry my usual rack of pedals for my acoustic guitar when I was only going to play bass at a gig. The Behringer fits the bill admirably. I've not experienced some of the difficulties some hard-to-please people have posted on Youtube – crikey some people are petty – and would have no hesitancy in recommending the tuner to anybody else. And the price makes it a winner. N.B. I've been a pro/semi-pro musician for over 50 years.Stephen W.

This tuner pedal works almost same like Boss TU-3 tuner pedal. I bought it based on YouTube reviews, found it really good. The review says it has got very bright power indicator LED which blinds to see the tuner LED's. But the pedal I received didn't have this problem, I think Behringer guys rectified this in the new production batches. This pedal is bit slow in responding (which I can live with) but gives accurate tuning. I took this pedal to quite a few gigs, it has never failed me (I bought it in Jan-15). Now this sits on my Bass guitarist's pedal-board, and he takes it to every gig we go, has never failed him too (he has got a 4-string Ibanez SR-300 bass). Overall nice tuner pedal for the bucks I paid. Pros- Accurate tuning Bright LED for better visibility Cons- Plastic casing (if you want to use it roughly..) Works only with external power supply.Abhijit D.

I tested it against my strobe tuner and was impressed how close it was, not perfect but neither is my ear. So, I used it for the first time during a recent sound check. Unaffected by background noise it performed flawlessly. My guitar was unplugged so I was dependant upon the green light. Buying a back up! Only a couple drawbacks but overall very handy.trey452

It works great at home when getting ready to record and have the time to check it afterwards. The times I've tried to use it in a live situation, it's ended up being off and more time consuming than just using my floor tuner. I was excited about the "tune up to pitch" function, which is how you should tune your guitar to keep the tension on the string, but it turns out it doesn't work good and just kinda goes back and forth wandering looking for the right pitch. I asked to return the unit after that, and the company said they knew it was wrong and they were working on a new algorithm to fix that, so just hold tight. I decided to keep it for the heck of it, but haven't heard back.itisrocks

The title says it all. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CHARGE THE UNIT BEFORE USING. SOME POINTS TO REMEMBER. 1) Get a firm grip on this tool. The torque the Roadie 2 generates is surprising, and if the unit is not firmly grasped and/or seated on the tuners it will jerk, possibly come off and you start over again. 2) Don't be surprised if, during tuning, Roadie advances to the next string without you knowing about it. That is, if at first you are a bit slow (and one will be until one gets the hang of it) and think you are tuning for a B string and the machine thinks you are ready for the high e. If at any time one hears more winding than necessary for any given string and of course the pitch goes way beyond normal, you are probably doing something similar to the B/high e scenario. Sometimes the Roadie 2 lets one know one is tuning the wrong string when a red light flashes and a "wrong string" warning appears on the string. There is more but I'm out of……MRW

This tuner is kind of bulky and obtrusive, especially if youre considering performing with it. It frequently misidentifies pitch on strings that are in tune. It lacks features other tuners have in this category, like selective frequency tuning. While it eventually gets the job done , I think the design and programming are lacking. After much research Im buying another micro unit from a competitor because this one is too much trouble.ronnylee61

My son plays guitar and pretty much taught himself, and does pretty well. I got this tuner hoping it would work better then the one we bought for him before. It truly does. This Kliq Uber Tuner has a highly sensitive piezo tuner and algorithm so the guitar actually tunes very quickly. The display is super bright and according to my son, he loves that, he said it’s easy to see and read at any angle. He normally doesn’t get impressed with things, but he really does like this. This tuner allows for background noise to not interfere with the tuning of the guitar. This Kliq works on strings as well as brass and fluted instruments . VERY versatile instrument for a minimal price. I received this tuner at a discount. I am under no obligation to give an opinion on this product. I do so on my own accord. This is a very well built tuner and definately worth checking out.Dhomer

I was a bit skeptical but figured I would give it a try. The price was right! This tuner is 100% better than my Peterson Strobe Tuner. I was able to tune up in a matter of seconds and for the first time my tuning was perfect. I did not need to adjust and sharps and flats all were in tune. This tuner is amazing for the cost. You have nothing to lose giving this a try.kidsnapple

I run quite a few pedals and had reached the point where it was clear I needed a buffer at the front and end of my pedal board. Didn’t want to use up too much space and another slot on my powered supply by just adding a buffer so after a bit of research decided I would try a buffered tuner for the front end. Having used the same Boss TU12 tuner for the best part of 30 years I decided to change it for the TU3. Happy that it has solved the problem at the front end and combined with a buffered ABY switch at the back end before my amps, it has done as intended. Tuner functionality is pretty standard and a good replacement for my trusty TU12. Accurate and stable enough for normal use plus setting intonation precisely, tho I use multiple tuners when doing that. I’d recommend the TU3. Good solid product, effective buffer.Derek I.

These tuners used to be the best. I had one for over 10 years that was totally dependable. Unfortunately, the old one got lost and I had to buy a new one. I was surprised at how fast the new one drained the battery (the same kind of 9 volt battery I always used with the old one). I had to change the battery all the time, compared to the old one that I think I changed the battery on 3 times in the entire 10+ years I used it. One day it simply died, even with a brand new battery. I did not have the receipt so I just went and purchased a new one. THIS ONE IS BRAND NEW and it already died, even with a new battery. They are clearly making these things like junk now. I did save the receipt and purchased the guarantee from Guitar Center so I'll be returning it and never buying another one again. It sucks, this is really the tuner I like best. I just wish they hadn't started making them like garbage.Von

Here's another solid Boss product that has become an industry standard. It's sturdy, effective, and simple. It does just what it advertises, without too many bells and whistles. If you're a Boss lover, then this is your pedal. I knocked off one star, because it's not quite as accurate as my TC Electronic Polytune 3, but it's still a great product, and is used by almost every pro artist out there.CoopDbomb

I have previously used TC Electronics tuners with which I have had no complaints. I was looking for a cheap alternative to prevent me from having to carry my usual rack of pedals for my acoustic guitar when I was only going to play bass at a gig. The Behringer fits the bill admirably. I've not experienced some of the difficulties some hard-to-please people have posted on Youtube – crikey some people are petty – and would have no hesitancy in recommending the tuner to anybody else. And the price makes it a winner. N.B. I've been a pro/semi-pro musician for over 50 years.Stephen W.

This tuner pedal works almost same like Boss TU-3 tuner pedal. I bought it based on YouTube reviews, found it really good. The review says it has got very bright power indicator LED which blinds to see the tuner LED's. But the pedal I received didn't have this problem, I think Behringer guys rectified this in the new production batches. This pedal is bit slow in responding (which I can live with) but gives accurate tuning. I took this pedal to quite a few gigs, it has never failed me (I bought it in Jan-15). Now this sits on my Bass guitarist's pedal-board, and he takes it to every gig we go, has never failed him too (he has got a 4-string Ibanez SR-300 bass). Overall nice tuner pedal for the bucks I paid. Pros- Accurate tuning Bright LED for better visibility Cons- Plastic casing (if you want to use it roughly..) Works only with external power supply.Abhijit D.

The desirable features of the GT-CTN tuner are its relatively unobtrusive size, sturdy construction, a display which can be rotated 360 degrees and tilted more than 90 degrees, very legible display characters, and a great price. However, the first unit which I purchased had a nearly imperceptible white display until it detected a tone which was nearly on pitch, at which point the white lettering became visible on a green background. Though that first unit was hardly usable, the Parts Express Technical Support Team promptly sent me a replacement unit. After carefully testing the unit on multiple guitars, I note that it gives a very clear display while tuning toward the target note and then displays very clearly and accurately against a green background when proper pitch is reached. While the unit performed well on my Martin D-28, its clamp jaws did not open wide enough to make the best fit on my Godin Multiac Nylon SA. The unit was also fussy about where it was clamped on the Godin, particularly having a bit of trouble tuning the G string while the display was upright and easily viewable, until the right position was found. Since that trouble was not apparent when the display was tilted horizontal to the headstock surface, I am guessing that it results from damping caused by the generous rubber cushions on the clamp. While this tuner will not be assigned to my Godin guitar, it will find good use with one of my several steel strung guitars.Write your review here. It must be at least 50 characters long. Consider whether you would recommend this product and what you like or dislike about it.Nels

I purchased a few of these tuners (Talent GT-CTN) and a few of the other Talent tuners (GT01) and there are pretty big differences between the two. This tuner (GT-CTN) is a decent ballpark tuner worth the price if all you need to do is get your strings "near" being in tune. When compared to the other Talent tuner (GT01) this tuner is about +/- 6 cents off from the accuracy of the same pitch. In other words, if you count on this tuner to help you get your instrument in tune, you could easily be 14 cents off from another instrument tuned with the same tuner, which will sound terrible. However, if you are changing strings and you just need a tuner to get you "close" to pitch and you tune the rest of the way with another tuner or by ear, this will do the job "okay". I wish PE had kept the GT01 in stock and let this one go.Michael

Bought the Polytune 3 to replace the Polytune 2 on my board because I wanted the buffer without having to use a separate buffer pedal. First thing I noticed out of the box was that the Polytune 3's screen is only 60-70% as bright as the Polytune 2. Returned it and got a replacement; same thing. I spoke to TC Electronic and they confirmed that this is indeed a design change in the Polytune 3 because some people were complaining that the 2 was too bright (wow, I guess a lot of complaining people don't do outdoor gigs). Go figure. At all levels of the built in light sensor, the 3 is dimmer than the 2, including outside full brightness. Boo. This is a deal breaker for me as the Polytune 2's screen & brightness were perfect. The new one is too dim and hard to see from eye level, and other LED's on my board are actually brighter than the Polytune 3's display, which is distracting. So so disappointing as this could have been perfect. Such a puzzling decision on the part of TC Electronic. A much better solution would have been to make the brightness switchable between two modes if that really was an issue. I mean really: who wants a dimmer, harder to see screen? Especially outside in sunlight. They took one of the industry standard tuners and upgraded it with a switchable buffer, but downgraded it because the screen is dim. Going back to my Polytune 2 with separate buffer pedal.Tommy

Don't know how well it works yet. This is not ready to use out of the box unless you happen to already have a 9v DC power supply. Not sure if it will take a 9v battery because a specific hex wrench is necessary to open the unit. It would be helpful to have this information on a retailer's website to alert potential buyers.Steve

Does everything it says it does. I only have two complaints and two suggestion: 1) Tuning in poly mode seems to have you tune everything slightly sharp. I tuned all strings in poly first and then when switching to a single string to fine tune, ever single was string was just a hair sharp. I don't know if poly mode is accurate and single string mode is flat or vice versa, but that's a minor gripe. You can use poly mode to get close and single string mode to get every string perfect. 2) There is no way to "lock" the pedal in one mode or the other. You strum all strings for poly mode or one string for the other mode and the pedal automatically switches between modes. The problem is that you have to be sure ALL of the other strings are muted/completely silent to keep the pedal in single string mode. If you even accidentally bump another string while trying to tune a single string, the pedal will switch back to poly mode. It would be nice if there was a way to keep the pedal in one mode or the other to avoid inadvertently switching back and forth. Second suggestion, I wish there was a way to dim the display. When they say this pedal has an ultra-bright LED display, they mean it has an ULTRA-bright LED display. You could probably tune your guitar in low earth orbit with this pedal. That's fine in bright lighting or daylight, but at night or on a darkened stage, something that bright tends to affect my vision for a few minutes. Other than that, I found the pedal intuitive and easy to use. The only thing I had to refer to the manual for was to find out how to switch between alternate tunings. There is a TINY little button near the input jack and I missed it when just holding the pedal and giving it a quick once over. The pedal does not affect your tone in any noticeable way, even when you have your volume way up. The footswitch is smooth and there's no audible pop (either on the pedal or through your amp) when switching the tuner on and off.Heavyarms

Literally took this thing out of the package. Clipped it on the guitar neck and started with the 6th string. Strum the string and the Note displays. If its the wrong note, simply tighten or loosen the guitar string till the note shows and its solid blue. Color display is easy to use and shows if your going the wrong way or getting close to being on time. Buy it and stop wondering and use it.rogerpk

The tuner broke off from the clip the first time I used it. A very poor design. The tuner is extremely sensitive andcsojj my sometimes frustrating to tune with.thomas*cornelius

I tried to use this product several times for acoustic guitar tuning. It is not accurate enough for me. The display was not clear enough. I've played Fender guitars for years and have used this type of tuner for 1 year or more. I much prefer Snark tuners. The Fender tuner was not precise enough in tuning. I would have to use the Snark tuner to more finely tune my guitar. The display was also not that bright. I could not discern when proper pitch was reached.duxr9870

Good built quality and necessary functions both as Tuner or Metronome. The good thing about tuner is it shows the number next to the notes like G4 which is a great option and helps a lot. A backlit screen and better microphone for faster recognition will be amazing updates for next gen.Essi D.

I pluck hard, so it takes a second for the harmonics to settle down, but then it is fast and accurate. Sweet feeling when the two lights kiss! I have only used it a few times, so I am going to do the obvious and learn to pluck lighter when tuning. The key signature letters are bold and easy to read, but my tired old eyes have trouble with the flat & Sharp symbols. Packaging and action is standard Boss excellence. I had to laugh at the "Is it enjoyable?" question. Yes, we just live to tune up the old axe!danjammen

Great Boss quality, seems to be solid as usual, easy to use, probably has some features I won't use but glad they are there. My only complaint is that the # sharp led is TINY … actually fairly hard to see compared to all the other lights on the pedal… if that light was double the size or even triple it would be in a good proportion. Otherwise it is good and hope it lasts as long as my TU-12telecastermasters

I was adding a 2nd tuner to my gear. This is a good tuner, but it defaults back to 440 Hz with every power down. I tune to 415, half step down and leave it there. My D'Addario tuner maintains whatever Hz adjustment was made prior to power down. I made the bad assumption that others of a quality brand would support this too. Plan to return to get this feature with another productDR

I bought a Snark tuner YEARS ago. I thought this one must be better (it's been years). Frankly it isn't (it's been years). It's OK. I don't mind it. I prefer my old one. That said, I bought two of these and will use use them all the time. When you're told that a product has been improved and the supposed improvements are are not only not perceptible but the product seems to be inferior then … what? YAY gold button! The gold button makes me SOOOO happy! I lurves me some gold button! Meh. Who needs a gold button?Rory

This tuner appears to be a decent quality item. The most important thin, of course is it works! Follow the colour indicator to the correct colour and your guitar is in tune. A neat touch is because of the ball joints, the tuner can be mounted on the back side of the headstock, out of view of an audience but still fully visible to the user. The other point is. It's simple. Turn it on, tune up, turn it off. Great little unit. Slightly more expensive but in my opinion, worth it.alsanjak

It's nice to have a metronome, even if I don't use it. This is Boss so you know it's good and it does way more than I need it to, at least for now. I'll grow into it as I use it more.Terry Washburn

Not only do I love the tuner pedal, the customer service I received was far superior to anything I've experienced in years! Great store and great people.HERBERT

I had bought a GoGo clip-on tuner before and when I saw they had a pedal tuner I had to get it. The screen is so crisp and big you can see it easily, no squinting or bending down to see the note. Just what I wanted.JF3

This tuner is now a staple of my guitar pedal board. I can see the big display screen no matter where I am on stage.Best in class for sure, and I have used em all! Great Buy!!Bigg Tone

Wasn't the item ordered, ordered the older style Taylor guitar tuner that automatically switches itself off, saving button cell battery life. Received the newer model Taylor tuner that doesn't automatically switch off, so, less reliable for our live performances were stuff just needs to work without battery issues.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I was adding a 2nd tuner to my gear. This is a good tuner, but it defaults back to 440 Hz with every power down. I tune to 415, half step down and leave it there. My D'Addario tuner maintains whatever Hz adjustment was made prior to power down. I made the bad assumption that others of a quality brand would support this too. Plan to return to get this feature with another productDR

I bought a Snark tuner YEARS ago. I thought this one must be better (it's been years). Frankly it isn't (it's been years). It's OK. I don't mind it. I prefer my old one. That said, I bought two of these and will use use them all the time. When you're told that a product has been improved and the supposed improvements are are not only not perceptible but the product seems to be inferior then … what? YAY gold button! The gold button makes me SOOOO happy! I lurves me some gold button! Meh. Who needs a gold button?Rory

This tuner appears to be a decent quality item. The most important thin, of course is it works! Follow the colour indicator to the correct colour and your guitar is in tune. A neat touch is because of the ball joints, the tuner can be mounted on the back side of the headstock, out of view of an audience but still fully visible to the user. The other point is. It's simple. Turn it on, tune up, turn it off. Great little unit. Slightly more expensive but in my opinion, worth it.alsanjak

I have Grovers on another acoustic guitar that are smoother, hold tune and are a lot less money. I do not recommend these tuners just because of the cost. They look nice but a person can buy tuners that are just as good or better for less.broknspoke

I am an Acoustic Guitar Tuning Geek. As far as "Open back" Tuners for expensive Acoustics there is no better Tuner on todays market than the Schaller GrandTune Open Back Tuners. With their 18:1 Ratio, smooth! did I say smooth action, and precision tuning these are a pure joy to tune with. I like them better than the ever popular Waverly Tuners and in fact have replaced all the Waverly Tuners with Schaller GrandTune Nickel Butterbeans on all my Martin Authentic Series Guitars. Also, these are a direct drop in replacement for Waverly's, including the Tuners, bushings and screw holes. FYI-I had to use the existing Waverly screws since they were existing and are a larger diameter than the Schaller Tuner screws. I couldn't be happier with all aspects of these Schaller GrandTune Tuners! And besides, they are pure "GUITAR JEWELRY"! 🙂 Did I mention how well they hold tune…..THEY DO!dadthrash

These tuners are remarkably smooth, more so even than the Waverly version. The plating is high quality as well. My only issue is with the tiny wood screws. While they certainly don't run the risk of being too long for even the thinnest headstocks, they're very difficult to hold onto and put in place, at least for my hands.marc-1951

I really like the Snark tuner. You can turn the head where ever you need it to see the screen clearly. The tuning graph is easy to see, read and easy to get the pitch needle to the perfect pitch stop position. Very good value. Easy use, easy read. I am very satisfied.Gwindmorriso-0

I was looking for a good tuner that would be small and not too expensive. I read many reviews and came to the conclusion that this is a very good product that offers precision and comfort with a small size. It doesn't need volume for tuning, only vibration and it is very convenient to place it on the neck of your instrument. For the price i think it does the job and it is definitely not lagging behind other more pricey tuners. The tuner is more suitable for guitarist for it has some tuning options when using capo. Overall i think this is a good product for the price. The only drawback is that it consumes a lot of battery life because of the display, so if you are using a tuner frequently, take into account that you will need many replacement batteries (but the batteries are very cheap on E-bay so not a big problem)Michael

This little gadget is a definite must have for amateur and professional guitarist alike. A cousin of mine showed me his and I knew that I just had to have one. Very simple to use: Just clip it on to your guitar and tune. I especially like that it enables you to tune quickly and also that the display is large and bright, so it is easy to see. It also seems to be very accurate. Another feature of this model is enabling you to tune sharp or flat in half step increments. So, for example, if you wanted to tune to a keyboard that was tuned 1/2 step or a step sharp or flat, you could tune to the keyboard. This feature also enables you to tune with a capo on for more accurate tuning. If I lost it, I would purchase another one…….QUICKLY! Also purchased one for a friend. She is loving hers, as well.Myrna M.