PolyTune Clip On

[Session 5]

So after a year of using this tuner, have to say has been great. Its built well, have dropped it several times has not broke, easy to see in bright conditions. It has a strong spring which clamps to the headstock without leaving any marks. It is still using the same battery that was put in when i bought it just over a year ago. Its accurate . You pay more for one , but in the long run you will come out ahead.

I have gone through a few cheaper ones over the years due to breakage and not tuning as accurate as i would like. I use this everyday so it gets a work out.

 

[dmatthews]

Yup... Had one for years, it's awesome!

 

[jtcnj]

Yep.
I have the pedal one for a few years now and got the clip on some months ago.

 

[67plexi]

I have the pedal TC on my board and hate anything that uses battery's

 

[gball]

I have always avoided the clip on's because I am afraid I will leave it on a Les Paul and it will eat the nitro

 

[Session 5]

I have always avoided the clip on's because I am afraid I will leave it on a Les Paul and it will eat the nitro

I have always avoided the clip on's because I am afraid I will leave it on a Les Paul and it will eat the nitro

Wade Hampton Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chugiak, Alaska Posts: 32,262

An unexpected testimonial to the TC Polytune clip-on tuner One of the ongoing controversies about using electronic tuners that clip onto a guitar headstock has been whether they present a danger of a chemical reaction with the finish. Nitrocellulose lacquer, the finish used on Martins, Gibsons and countless small shop and luthier-built guitars, is seen as uniquely vulnerable to that sort of finish damage. Rightly so. Vinyl in particular can be devastating when placed in direct contact with nitrocellulose lacquer, resulting in a slow motion melting and disfigurement of the finish that's impossible to get rid of without sanding off the finish in the affected areas. So over the years there have been dozens of threads on this and probably every other guitar forum discussing whether leaving a clip-on electronic tuner on the headstock will cause a problem. The answer seems to be yes, in some cases, but probably not in others. My own use pattern has been to clip tuners onto the headstocks while I'm using the instruments, whether in church or in performance, but to remove them immediately after I'm done. I do have a Snark tuner clipped to the headstock of the Seagull Folk guitar I keep out on a stand by my computer, and it hasn't caused any problems with the finish. With those of my instruments with nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, though, (which is MOST of them,) I'm very careful to never leave tuners clipped to the headstocks. Until I screwed up. At the beginning of June my wife and I had a bunch of friends over for one of our musical potluck parties. There's always lots of food, sufficient beverages and endless music from start to finish. I "fort up" in a corner with a triple guitar stand on one side of me - loaded with a guitar, mandolin and baritone guitar - and my most projective mountain dulcimer on top of its hard case on the other side. I own several TC Polytune tuners as well as a bunch of Snarks, and keep a tuner clipped on each headstock just for quick reference when I put down one instrument and pick up another. As usual, the party went late, but unlike the usual circumstances I had to leave early on a flight to Kansas City the next morning. So I put my instruments away more quickly than usual. Less carefully than usual, too, it turns out. Flash forward to a couple of days ago. The music I planned for this coming Sunday has a lot of songs that I use my baritone for, so I opened the case to take it out so I could practice them. There on the headstock of my McAlister baritone, the jewel in the crown of all the instruments I own, was a TC Polytune tuner. It had been on there a month. Oh, my Lord....it's no exaggeration to say that my heart sank when I saw that. Like most of my guitars, the McAlister has a nitrocellulose finish on it, and in the lifetime that passed before I reached down to take the tuner off I thought about what it would cost to get the finish sanded off and replaced on the headstock. Yet when I removed the tuner, the headstock was unmarked. Instead of the nickel-sized blemishes on both sides I expected, it looked as good as new. No dent, no disfigurement, no stains, nada. Now, obviously, I don't suggest that you folks try this simple test for yourselves. But it was a huge relief to discover that after a month of direct contact with the guitar's headstock, the material that makes up the clip padding on the Polytune didn't react with the lacquer that's on there. Hallelujah! Wade Hampton Miller

 

[gball]

​

Wade Hampton Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chugiak, Alaska Posts: 32,262

An unexpected testimonial to the TC Polytune clip-on tuner One of the ongoing controversies about using electronic tuners that clip onto a guitar headstock has been whether they present a danger of a chemical reaction with the finish. Nitrocellulose lacquer, the finish used on Martins, Gibsons and countless small shop and luthier-built guitars, is seen as uniquely vulnerable to that sort of finish damage. Rightly so. Vinyl in particular can be devastating when placed in direct contact with nitrocellulose lacquer, resulting in a slow motion melting and disfigurement of the finish that's impossible to get rid of without sanding off the finish in the affected areas. So over the years there have been dozens of threads on this and probably every other guitar forum discussing whether leaving a clip-on electronic tuner on the headstock will cause a problem. The answer seems to be yes, in some cases, but probably not in others. My own use pattern has been to clip tuners onto the headstocks while I'm using the instruments, whether in church or in performance, but to remove them immediately after I'm done. I do have a Snark tuner clipped to the headstock of the Seagull Folk guitar I keep out on a stand by my computer, and it hasn't caused any problems with the finish. With those of my instruments with nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, though, (which is MOST of them,) I'm very careful to never leave tuners clipped to the headstocks. Until I screwed up. At the beginning of June my wife and I had a bunch of friends over for one of our musical potluck parties. There's always lots of food, sufficient beverages and endless music from start to finish. I "fort up" in a corner with a triple guitar stand on one side of me - loaded with a guitar, mandolin and baritone guitar - and my most projective mountain dulcimer on top of its hard case on the other side. I own several TC Polytune tuners as well as a bunch of Snarks, and keep a tuner clipped on each headstock just for quick reference when I put down one instrument and pick up another. As usual, the party went late, but unlike the usual circumstances I had to leave early on a flight to Kansas City the next morning. So I put my instruments away more quickly than usual. Less carefully than usual, too, it turns out. Flash forward to a couple of days ago. The music I planned for this coming Sunday has a lot of songs that I use my baritone for, so I opened the case to take it out so I could practice them. There on the headstock of my McAlister baritone, the jewel in the crown of all the instruments I own, was a TC Polytune tuner. It had been on there a month. Oh, my Lord....it's no exaggeration to say that my heart sank when I saw that. Like most of my guitars, the McAlister has a nitrocellulose finish on it, and in the lifetime that passed before I reached down to take the tuner off I thought about what it would cost to get the finish sanded off and replaced on the headstock. Yet when I removed the tuner, the headstock was unmarked. Instead of the nickel-sized blemishes on both sides I expected, it looked as good as new. No dent, no disfigurement, no stains, nada. Now, obviously, I don't suggest that you folks try this simple test for yourselves. But it was a huge relief to discover that after a month of direct contact with the guitar's headstock, the material that makes up the clip padding on the Polytune didn't react with the lacquer that's on there. Hallelujah! Wade Hampton Miller

​

Wade Hampton Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chugiak, Alaska Posts: 32,262

An unexpected testimonial to the TC Polytune clip-on tuner One of the ongoing controversies about using electronic tuners that clip onto a guitar headstock has been whether they present a danger of a chemical reaction with the finish. Nitrocellulose lacquer, the finish used on Martins, Gibsons and countless small shop and luthier-built guitars, is seen as uniquely vulnerable to that sort of finish damage. Rightly so. Vinyl in particular can be devastating when placed in direct contact with nitrocellulose lacquer, resulting in a slow motion melting and disfigurement of the finish that's impossible to get rid of without sanding off the finish in the affected areas. So over the years there have been dozens of threads on this and probably every other guitar forum discussing whether leaving a clip-on electronic tuner on the headstock will cause a problem. The answer seems to be yes, in some cases, but probably not in others. My own use pattern has been to clip tuners onto the headstocks while I'm using the instruments, whether in church or in performance, but to remove them immediately after I'm done. I do have a Snark tuner clipped to the headstock of the Seagull Folk guitar I keep out on a stand by my computer, and it hasn't caused any problems with the finish. With those of my instruments with nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, though, (which is MOST of them,) I'm very careful to never leave tuners clipped to the headstocks. Until I screwed up. At the beginning of June my wife and I had a bunch of friends over for one of our musical potluck parties. There's always lots of food, sufficient beverages and endless music from start to finish. I "fort up" in a corner with a triple guitar stand on one side of me - loaded with a guitar, mandolin and baritone guitar - and my most projective mountain dulcimer on top of its hard case on the other side. I own several TC Polytune tuners as well as a bunch of Snarks, and keep a tuner clipped on each headstock just for quick reference when I put down one instrument and pick up another. As usual, the party went late, but unlike the usual circumstances I had to leave early on a flight to Kansas City the next morning. So I put my instruments away more quickly than usual. Less carefully than usual, too, it turns out. Flash forward to a couple of days ago. The music I planned for this coming Sunday has a lot of songs that I use my baritone for, so I opened the case to take it out so I could practice them. There on the headstock of my McAlister baritone, the jewel in the crown of all the instruments I own, was a TC Polytune tuner. It had been on there a month. Oh, my Lord....it's no exaggeration to say that my heart sank when I saw that. Like most of my guitars, the McAlister has a nitrocellulose finish on it, and in the lifetime that passed before I reached down to take the tuner off I thought about what it would cost to get the finish sanded off and replaced on the headstock. Yet when I removed the tuner, the headstock was unmarked. Instead of the nickel-sized blemishes on both sides I expected, it looked as good as new. No dent, no disfigurement, no stains, nada. Now, obviously, I don't suggest that you folks try this simple test for yourselves. But it was a huge relief to discover that after a month of direct contact with the guitar's headstock, the material that makes up the clip padding on the Polytune didn't react with the lacquer that's on there. Hallelujah! Wade Hampton Miller

Good to know

 

[Thatbastarddon]

I have always avoided the clip on's because I am afraid I will leave it on a Les Paul and it will eat the nitro

I have not had a problem with the PolyTune clip on any of my Gibson guitars. No finish damage at all.
It’s kind of a pain on my PRS SE headstock…lack of real estate.
Like Norm stated, it works great in bright sun. I like to do spring maintenance, and string changes, out by the BBQ/firepit when the weather gets nice here. It is very clear to read under those conditions.
I have a Peterson StroboStomp to check my work with the PolyTune clip, and it’s been pretty darned reliable for me.
I’ve had mine since the first year they were released(received it as a holiday gift), and it takes a common coin type battery. They seem to last a good bit. Instead of dimming, or performing in a flakey manner, as the battery approaches death…it just goes into auto shutdown quicker and quicker…until you’re forced to change out the battery.
Pretty sure I’ve swapped in a new battery 4 times now…I got it well pre-pandemic.
Edit…yep…just checked…Christmas 2015.

 

[GrooVey]

I have a few. Love ‘em.

 

[syscokid]

+1 for the TC Polytune. Very nicely designed and super functional.

 

[gball]

I have not had a problem with the PolyTune clip on any of my Gibson guitars. No finish damage at all.
It’s kind of a pain on my PRS SE headstock…lack of real estate.
Like Norm stated, it works great in bright sun. I like to do spring maintenance, and string changes, out by the BBQ/firepit when the weather gets nice here. It is very clear to read under those conditions.
I have a Peterson StroboStomp to check my work with the PolyTune clip, and it’s been pretty darned reliable for me.
I’ve had mine since the first year they were released(received it as a holiday gift), and it takes a common coin type battery. They seem to last a good bit. Instead of dimming, or performing in a flakey manner, as the battery approaches death…it just goes into auto shutdown quicker and quicker…until you’re forced to change out the battery.
Pretty sure I’ve swapped in a new battery 4 times now…I got it well pre-pandemic.
Edit…yep…just checked…Christmas 2015.

I probably won't get one as I have a stompbox tuner, but glad to hear this if I ever have the need.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I have a clip on for the odd time I might need one at home but I never leave a clip on attached at a gig. Looks silly and still might fly off. They work well though.
So much easier to use the Poly floor model.

 

[gball]

I have a clip on for the odd time I might need one at home but I never leave a clip on attached at a gig. Looks silly and still might fly off. They work well though.
So much easier to use the Poly floor model.

For the quick on-the-fly stuff I have an app on the phone. I have checked it against my chromatic tuner and it is pretty much dead-on, never more than a cent or so off.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

For the quick on-the-fly stuff I have an app on the phone. I have checked it against my chromatic tuner and it is pretty much dead-on, never more than a cent or so off.

For electric? Is it loud enough unplugged? I often tune before plugging anything in.

 

[gball]

For electric? Is it loud enough unplugged? I often tune before plugging anything in.

Yup, I just put the phone my leg sitting down and it is surprisingly sensitive. It works better than any of the tuners built into an amp I have used, except for the Fender ones they are great (I'm all digital for practice amps these days).

 

[Session 5]

My analogue tuner on my Orange 35RT, is the only tuner that comes up the same as my PolyTune. My Fender, Godin, Snark clip on are different readings . And the Snark broke, its now gone by the wayside.

 

[Don O]

I can never remember what all the buttons do. I keep the tuner on top of the instruction sheet.