Simple but effective

Okay, now THIS is a product every serious guitarist needs, for two reasons. First, everyone knows that we are now entering a second nuclear age, what with Iran and North Korea getting the bomb. As such, it?s important that we all take steps to prepare for the worst. To wit: in the event of a nearby nuclear explosion, all electronic tuners will likely be disabled by Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), which can disrupt and damage electrical and electronic systems. (Fortunately for us purists, vacuum tube equipment is much less vulnerable to EMP.) Many of our beloved battery-powered accessories, however, will probably succumb to its effects. Consequently, unless we want to spend the apocalypse playing out of tune, every guitarist should keep a tuning fork stashed with his or her iodine, plastic sheeting, and duct tape, just in case. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it doesn?t have a pretty blue strobe and it won?t do chromatic, which is oh so useful for those alternate tunings. In fact, it won?t even do EADGBE like my old Matrix model. You?re pretty much limited to, well, A, but it?s reliable and doesn?t require all the batteries or bulbs that might not be available after the commencement of World War III. Secondly, but perhaps no less importantly, learning to use a tuning fork instead of relying on a fancy Boss TU-2, Intellitouch, or Peterson strobe unit will definitely improve your sense of pitch, which will in turn ultimately improve your improvisation, songwriting, transcribing, and all-around skills as a player. So get one of these and keep it around. All other things being equal, you never know when your electronic tuner?s gonna crap out when you?re about to go onstage.

Reviewed by SnarkyGoat on 11/1/2006 who plays Blues, rock, jazz.