How to tune a tuba

[Mark]

I think that most would agree that the Korg CA30 tuner works very well for the tuba. Woodwind and Brasswind sells it for $19.99: http://www.wwbw.com/Korg-CA30-Chromatic ... 0341.music.

[big_blue_tubist]

the Korg CA30 tuner works very well for the tuba.

I'll second that... and add that the last time I bought something bigger/more expensive than that, I lost it...

[adam0408]

I think that most would agree that the Korg CA30 tuner works very well for the tuba. Woodwind and Brasswind sells it for $19.99: http://www.wwbw.com/Korg-CA30-Chromatic ... 0341.music.

Good advice. Many people I know use this tuner and seem happy with it.

Korg tuners work really well. So do boss tuners. I have a boss TU 12 h. 69.99 from musicians friend. I know its more than you want to spend, but it works real good and you could ask for it for christmas or something.

DO NOT BUY Seiko anything. Tuners or metronomes. They are a nightmare to use and are cheaply made and overpriced. I have had both a seiko metronome (lost it, thank goodness) and a seiko guitar tuner. Most guitar tuners are abysmal anyway, but this one was especially bad. AND both my met and tuner ran off nine volt batteries. Make sure to find something that takes triple as. (even though my boss tuner uses 9v batteries, it makes up for that deficiency with its good quality)

[ArnoldGottlieb]

I think that most would agree that the Korg CA30 tuner works very well for the tuba. Woodwind and Brasswind sells it for $19.99: http://www.wwbw.com/Korg-CA30-Chromatic ... 0341.music.

I have about 5 of these. One at work, a few in each bass gig bag, one in the practice room.
If you search online, you'll find them for about 15 bucks......
Peace.
ASG

[Dean E]

I think that most would agree that the Korg CA30 tuner works very well for the tuba. Woodwind and Brasswind sells it for $19.99: http://www.wwbw.com/Korg-CA30-Chromatic ... 0341.music.

I have about 5 of these. One at work, a few in each bass gig bag, one in the practice room.
If you search online, you'll find them for about 15 bucks......
Peace.
ASG

I use the Korg, but it works better with a pickup mic. Clipped to the bell or leadpipe, you don't get interference from other instruments in the hall.

[Charlie Goodman]

DO NOT BUY Seiko anything. Tuners or metronomes. They are a nightmare to use and are cheaply made and overpriced. I have had both a seiko metronome (lost it, thank goodness) and a seiko guitar tuner. Most guitar tuners are abysmal anyway, but this one was especially bad. AND both my met and tuner ran off nine volt batteries. Make sure to find something that takes triple as. (even though my boss tuner uses 9v batteries, it makes up for that deficiency with its good quality)

This is a little off-topic, I think mileage varies for this quite a bit. I'm almost ridiculously happy with my Seiko met. I'll admit that it doesn't do a whole lot more than the blue Korg metronome, and is more expensive, but it's really reliable and a little sturdier than the little Korg box.

That said, the Korg tuner is definitely the way to go. It's really cheap, works well and is more portable than your higher-end tuners. I accidently stole one from my high school band directors and I'm very happy with it.

[bill]

All I have is a cheap little tuner that won't even "hear" the lower notes. On ebay they keep selling these CENTER PITCH TUNERs that clip to your horn. The idea sounds good but being low priced I wonder it they work. Has anyone had any experience with them or can anyone recommend a good tuner for under $30?

Amen to that Korg. I have one and it works well. I also have the clip on ones you refer to and it is really hard to see when attached to my tubas as I am playing them. On the lead pipe,it is too close to my eyes. It does not seem to register when attached to a valve slide. On the bell, it is too high for me to see as I play. They work well for a trombone, trumpet, woodwind, string, almost anything else but my upright valve front tubas.

[Dan Schultz]

I have a Center Pitch tuner. It works OK. The only complaint I have with it is that it seems a bit too sensitive. The display shows the note being played and up to three bars on each side of the note that desiginate if you are sharp or flat. I think Iwould like it better if it actually showed the pitch in terms of cents rather than bars. It doesn't seem to take much either way for it to not register the note at all.

[Tubaryan12]

I think that most would agree that the Korg CA30 tuner works very well for the tuba. Woodwind and Brasswind sells it for $19.99: http://www.wwbw.com/Korg-CA30-Chromatic ... 0341.music.

Yeah, what he said.

[Aco]

If you're willing to go to $32 you might try the Korg TM40. It has the same great tuner as the CA30 and a neat metronome all in one small package. It has the same optional mike input too.

Another plus is the good battery life with the AAA batteries(not expensive button cells) and you can use rechargables if you want to be environmentally friendly

I second this post.

[iiipopes]

How to tune a tuba

Make it into a salad with a little mayo, a few drips of lemon juice, relish, finely chopped celery and pepper, and serve between two slices of toasted rye, with the olive and toothpick in each half and a bag of cheap chips.

[GC]

I have a Korg TM-40, and I moved it from my tuba bag to my bass case because it doesn't register low pitches as well as the 30. It does just fine with low notes on a 6-string bass, but I use the input jack instead of the onboard microphone.

I find that when using it with the built-in mike, if there's another type of instrument playing, it automatically zeros in on the higher pitch and ignores the tuba. The 30 doesn't seem to have that problem.

The buttons aren't well-protected either. There's the time that the sound turned on when the tuner was in my pocket at a concert . . .