Snark SN-8 Super Tight All Instrument Tuner

The BEST! I bought this on a recommendation from a friend in Indianapolis who is a guitar player in a band. He said, for the money, this was the best tuner to get. I bought it for my husband as a stocking stuffer, and to quote him, "If I had a room of guitars, I would have a Snark on each one." Easy to use. Quite reliable and accurate.

I play mandolin and a tuner like this gets attached to the head above the tuners. It gets the vibrations and ideally gives an accurate reading. This one is very sensitive and the very colorful, visual face is easy to read and makes it easy to adjust the tuners to get each string perfectly tuned. And it is rechargeable and comes with the cord to connect it. I am happy to not be using those flat round batteries that my older tuners used. I always had trouble getting them to work after a battery change. This worked perfectly just out of the package.

The best clamp-on tuner I've tried, out of about a dozen. I'm a serious amateur. I've tried others that flash bright lights and colors which are very annoying on stage, and ones that I had to hold the power button down for 5 seconds to turn off (which is a nuisance during a performance!)This reacts quickly, usually within a half-second of playing a note.The display is clear and easy to read without being distracting or annoying.It's very easy to use; all you need to know is what note you want to tune to. Might not be best for rank beginners who have no idea how their instrument is supposed to be tuned, but is fine for anyone else from beginner to pro. It's chromatic, so works with any instrument you can clamp it onto that uses modern Western tuning temperament.It turns on and off quickly with a single button press.It clamps firmly but does not damage the headstock, and easily adjusts to be clearly visible for a wide range of playing postures or instruments.The tuning accuracy is very good. I don't know of any electronic tuner that is more accurate. It's almost as good as my ears, and definitely good enough.I've used a number of other Snarks but I like this one best due to the fast response and the display that's easier to read while also being less distracting than the others. Any of the Snark tuners is a good bet but this is the best.I had one of these that got destroyed with everything else and I replaced it right away, with one for every guitar so it's always within reach.

I will keep my review short as there have been MANY factual and well written reviews for the various Snark tuners over the years. Quickly though, I will start by also agreeing that for the price, it is hard to beat. This is mostly why I have given it 4 stars and just bought a sixth one. It is accurate, reliable for tuning, and affordable. All that said, here is why I decided to write a review. I have owned about 5 of these Snarks and every single one has broken after about 3-4 months use. The unit itself is great. Here is the problem. Where the tuner attaches to the guitar and where the tuner attaches itself to it's own clip is where this little gem falls short. Sure, if you put it on a guitar and leave it there at home, it will likely last at least a year and maybe longer requiring a battery change one day if you are lucky. However, if you travel with it, take it on or off a few guitars a day, or frequently adjust it, it will likely eventually break. Either the "rubber feet" that come into contact with the head stock of the guitar will come off and get lost or the little ball joint that connects the tuner's head to the clip part will break. Best to get several of these at this great price and just keep one on each of your guitars. One for the electric, one for the acoustic, etc. This item does not travel well and is best used at home gently.Edited five years later in 2017: All of the Snarks I have purchased in the last two years have survived unbroken unlike the originals mentioned in this very old review from 2012. Perhaps QC or manufacturing has improved over the years. I highly recommend these little guys.

This is hands-down the best tuner I've *ever* owned. The Snark SN8 works extremely well, and being chromatic, works on every stringed instrument I own (guitar, bass, banjo, violin) no matter what key the instrument is tuned to. I still use my Korg Pitchblack inline with my bass (also a very nice product), but that is mainly to get more cord length across the stage and still keep my signal strong. This little baby is amazingly easy to use, and always accurate. It has a nice bright easy to read display in any lighting situation and makes tuning a breeze and not a hassle (just as it should be - I've personally always hated those Boss pedal tuners). It simply does its job and does it very well.Also, buying this item from Amazon saved me quite a bit over the local Guitar Center, which is always a big plus. It feels tough too, this thing feels like it can easily handle the rigors of being tossed around, which is a very good thing. Despite the flimsy way the seller packaged this for shipping, the product arrived intact, and fast. I would have cropped a star for a damaged product in that little wimpy envelope they sent it in. Fortunately mine arrived in perfect condition (no thanks to that paper envelope - seriously, they should use a stiff cardboard envelope or small tube or something).I could not be happier, at least until I buy another one to keep at the house while the first stays in my gig bag.