Amazon.com: Customer reviews: D’Addario NS Micro Clip-On Tuner – Highly Precise, Easy to Read, Clip-On Tuner for Guitar, Mandolin, Bass and More – Wide Calibration Range

Top positive review

Replaced my snarks, and never going back.

September 13, 2017

Bought a two pack based on the reviews here, plus I know 2 'professional' musicians that use these and both recommended it.
I've been using a snark, but they stick way out from the headstock. Where I play, I'm constantly walking around and I have at least one instrument hanging on my back with another one in front of me. If I leave the snark on the headstock, it often gets knocked off, then I lose it if I don't notice immediately. Also the snark doesn't fit in my case if it's on the headstock of any of my instruments, so I'm constantly searching for it. These are so small, they easily fit in the case while attached to the headstock.
The snark also has rubber "protectors" on its clip. The rubber on the snark easily picks up dust - turning it into sandpaper that leaves a nice round ring on your headstock since the clip on the snark is made to be attached and removed over and over again, it moves around on your headstock easily.

These are made in a way that makes me believe they are intended to be attached to the instrument, then never removed (although they can easily be removed). They rotate on the clip, but so far for where I've attached these it appears that the place where this tuner actually attaches to the instrument will never move, which means no more scratching my headstock.
The display is bright, color coded, and you can flip it with a switch so no matter which way you mount it, it's readable.
I do wish I could get these in other colors, since my banjo is all natural wood you can see the black clip sticking out.
Other than that one detail, these are great.

*I've been using these for about a year now on a banjo, an f-style mandolin, two acoustic guitars, and a violin. They all still work great for me, but I've got some additional information.
1) the screen is polarized. This makes it easier to read in the sun, however if you're wearing polarized sunglasses the screen may be unreadable.
2) they work in live situations, but as with any vibration tuner, they're not infallible. If it's noisy where you're trying to tune, your instrument might pick up that noise too, making it slightly more difficult than with a direct line tuner. Not a deal killer, but keep that in mind. If you're performing in a loud environment, you might want/need a tuner that connects to your instruments pickup/microphone directly.

51 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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Duncan

Mostly cool, one drawback

September 19, 2016

I like that it's small, you can kind of hide it on the reverse of the headstock, it's clear to read, and the metronome feature is a plus. The only problem, and, since I'm using it on a ukulele and not a louder instrument it's a fairly big problem, is that it buzzes when I hit certain notes or chords fairly audibly. I tightened it as tight as I could tight, and still heard the buzz. Even asked my wife who was several feet away if she could hear it, and she confirmed she could.

If the buzz bit isn't a problem, it's a pretty cool little tuner.

Edit: Attached it to my UBass, which has a thicker headstock, and, obviously a different wavelength of vibration, and it doesn't buzz on that.

49 people found this helpful

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Tom Vader

Replaced my snarks, and never going back.

September 13, 2017

Size: Single PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

51 people found this helpful

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Duncan

Mostly cool, one drawback

September 19, 2016

Size: Single PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

49 people found this helpful

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55 comments

Sandy

Nice Stealth Tuner

May 24, 2016

Size: Two PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

I love these little tuners. I had bought one previously for my mandolin and I like it so much, I bought this pack of two more to put on additional instruments (I have a little mandolin-buying problem, lol). I find a good tuner to be really necessary. I can tell if something's out of tune, but I have a hard time telling which way it's out, and with mandolins, each pair of stings need to be right on, or things sound really wonky.

These clamp easily onto the headstock of a mandolin. I attach them upside down, so that I can see the tuner indicator from under the headstock and all that shows on the top is the little flat top of the clamp. Much nicer looking than the round tuners that stick up on a flexible neck (although I have a few of those too, and they work well - just don't look great). There's a little button on the unit that flips the digital display, so it still reads right-side-up if you install it on the under side of your instrument, like I did. I was complimented by a fellow mandolin player recently on my ability to tune by ear. He didn't see a tuner, so he thought I wasn't using one. I laughed and flipped over my mandolin to show him my "stealth" tuner.

These tuners work well. I've tested them by using them at the same time as two other types of tuners and they showed the same results. If the note is right on, the letter will display in green with one bar on either side. The letter changes color if the note is out of tune and the number of bars to the left or right of the letter increase, depending on how flat or sharp the note is.

37 people found this helpful

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Janice Hernandez

Love this tiny tuner!

May 7, 2017

Size: Two PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

I purchased two of these for my two mandolins as they are so small and inconspicuous. I was a bit skeptical at first but boy was I wrong! These things are extremely sensitive....I barely have to pluck the string and, even though the sound is barely audible, it registers just fine on the tuner! I've even been able to tune a string inconspicuously during the sermon while leading worship at church...not without getting the evil eye from my husband however...LOL! While the clips on these tiny tuners are not "spring loaded" they seem to stay put on the head stock as long as they're not bumped or put on with the clip too loose. The screen swivels so you can see it easily regardless of where you mount it. I mount mine with the screen in the back so only I can see it; only the tiny clip is visible from the front. The only caution I'd give is that, because it doesn't have a dial type indicator and offers minimal information on the screen, discerning whether the string is sharp or flat takes some getting used to. Instead the LED indicators turn red when out and green when in tune. It also shows some small bars along side the letter that lessen as the string comes into tune. Technically, the lines will appear on one side if sharp and the other side if flat, but it depends which direction you have the tuner mounted and I keep forgetting which side is sharp vs. flat. So I just depend on my ear for the most part and look for it to turn green to know when it's exactly in tune.

18 people found this helpful

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11 comment

Terrific!

June 20, 2018

Size: Single PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

I LOVE this product! In fact, I’ve now purchased four. Why? For ten years I’ve used larger headstock tuners that covered up the maker’s name and had to be folded down sometimes to fit in the case. This tuner, by contrast, nestles just above the nut, and I have the face of it under the headstock, so the only part of it seen from above is a little black clip under the strings near the nut. It’s very readable, and if a string is more than a little out of tune, the tuner flashes, which seems faster. It’s much better at reading the low E string than the Intellitouch tuner I’ve been using, as it makes better contact with the headstock. Also, I play Gypsy jazz guitars, and they, like classical guitars, have very thick headstocks. I was afraid at first glance that these wouldn’t work, but they are very adjustable, and they stay put. One note: if you are considering the similar soundhole tuner, they work great, but if you have an instrument with a smaller sound-hole, it can be difficult to slide your finger under the strings to turn it on. This one is definitely easier and faster to use, and if you are using it, it is right next to the tuners, which is where your left hand is, as well as your eyes.

7 people found this helpful

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NomDePlume

Best "low profile" tuner you'll find; a couple issues, though

March 5, 2019

Size: Single PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

This is a great little tuner -- I own three. I love that on some of my guitars, the clip-on allows me to "hide" it under the headstock. It's all but invisible. I can turn it on/off with my left thumb, and my hand doesn't have to leave the fretboard.

Here are a couple of small drawbacks, in order of importance:

1) The clip-on version depends on a ratcheting mechanism, and it's made of plastic. The ratchet stripped after a couple years of use, rendering the tuner useless. However, I called D'Addario, got a real human being on the line, and he was happy to mail me a replacement ratchet piece at no charge. If you go for the clip-on, expect the ratchet to fail, eventually.

2) This tuner absolutely will not register the low-B on my five string bass (the Kliq tuner does). It simply can't hear that note. However, there's a work-around: stand in front of your amp and play the string at volume, and the tuner will pick it up. I tune my fifth string down to A, and the tuner picks it up, as long as I'm in front of the amp.

3) Not every guitar will accommodate placing the tuner under the head stock next to the nut. You can put it on top, or you can buy the one that screws into a tuner hole.

5 people found this helpful

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TBoneProductionsVBTop Contributor: Photography

Best tuners I have used

August 24, 2018

Size: Two PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

The most accurate and detailed tuner I have seen is an android app called Da Tuner. That is what I was stuck with originally and of course its downsides were needing a quiet area and to balance my phone on my knee usually. My dad gave me a Snark tuner for Christmas, My Snark one did not function that great and was fiddly and inconvenient in form. Always had to remove it to put my instrument in a case and bend it back to good view. These micro tuners can stay put, no worries of where it is or having to set it up again. Without letting go on my mandolin neck I can just reach up to hit the power button with my thumb in a quick easy reach to use it. It makes tuning a much more fluid experience. Speaking of fluid I played in some light rain and it survived. This is the tuner all of my instruments will get now. Brilliant design. I though about getting the ones that screw in to one of your tuners but it made no sense that is was less material and yet more expensive. Anyway the clamp ones grip great, even after bumping around it stays put. When you give a confident push on the grip release tab on purpose it does pop of conveniently easy to pop it on another instrument to tune. Its great. end of story.

6 people found this helpful

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Doug W

Pretty decent and TINY tuner

February 22, 2018

Size: Single PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

I don't feel like I've found the perfect tuner yet but here's the pros and cons for this one.

Pros:
1. It's tiny, small enough you probably won't have to remove it when you put the uke away
2. It's especially not that visible from the front
3. It appears to be more robust than the Snark style where the clip breaks off after a while

Cons:
1. I find the display to be harder to read, both in terms of size and design, it's definitely not intuitive what to do compared to a Snark type. It's useable but expect to stare at it a bit and experiment and see if it gets better or worse.
2. Looking at the directions and comments it's clearly not intended to be left on.

8 people found this helpful

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Eagle

Home run!

January 3, 2016

Size: Single PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

D'Addario nailed it with this product and is excellent in every point. I've tried Snark and the Uber Tuner, and prefer this a lot more. What I like:

Small - Turned out to be smaller than I thought based on the pictures, but this is not a bad thing. It means that that is super light, and out of the way.

Discrete - One main reason I like this tuner is it can hide behind the head stock and the audience only sees a tiny clip. Very discrete and professional looking. Other tuners look like a big potato chip bag clip hanging on your head stock

Stays on always - The ratchet mechanism works and stays on firmly. I have no fears that it will fall off. Because it is small, you can leave it on 24/7, even when you put the guitar down or put it back in the case. The tuner practically just becomes an integral part of the guitar. This is a HUGE advantage that you will begin to appreciate over other tuners once you use it. You never lose the tuner, it's always on when you need it, you don't have to waste time taking it off, finding it, putting it back on, etc. Because they are affordable, you can easily buy one for every guitar you have and leave it there.

Instant on/off and accessible power button - Press the button and it turns on very fast and its ready to pick up vibrations almost immediately so you're ready to go Press the button again and it turns off right away. The power button is also very accessible and easy to press since the tuner rests firmly against the head stock. Some tuners annoyingly make you hold the power button for a few seconds to turn it on or off

Screen is small but bright - I was afraid that the display would be too small, but it is plenty bright and can be easily read. It changes color depending how in tune you are

Accurate - The in tune indication has a very tight tolerance. It jumps around a bit because of this tight tolerance, but even if you are just around ball park, your guitar will still sound in tune. Other tuners I have found has too wide of a range for the "in tune" position. My ears are particularly sensitive to my guitar even when it is slightly off.

This product exceeded my expectations and I will no longer look anywhere else.

14 people found this helpful

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11 comment

ljdbs

Great little clip on tuner

February 20, 2019

Size: Single PackStyle: Clip-OnVerified Purchase

I bought this same item a month or so ago, and liked it so I decided to buy another.

This time I got an (updated?) version with a different display (the one on the right in the pic - white led on black background, which is a bit easier to see than the green - though I never had an issue with viewing the green version.)

The only differences are: the original (green) one I bought has a metronome and this one does not; however with this one you can adjust the display up, down, left or right (the other one was adjustable up or down.)

I’ve been happy with this tuner and I think I like the most recent version I received better, but just be aware you may get either one. They are both equally accurate and easy to use, and the size makes them very convenient. Would definitely recommend.