Best Violin Tuner (Clip On Tuners And Others For All Budgets)

Which camp do you fall in?

Do you hate tuning your violin, or do you enjoy it and find it relaxing?

I’m more in the first camp. I just want to get it over with and get to playing.

For me, the best violin tuner is one that gets the job done accurately and in the least amount of time.

I don’t need a lot of functions. But some people do.

That’s why we included some simple, budget tuners below, and also some with more functions that sell for a higher price.

Whatever your needs and preferences, you are sure to find the right violin tuner for you in the table below.

 

Best Violin Tuners Compared

11/11/2024 08:29 pm GMT

 

Best Violin Tuner: Reviews

The following tuners for the violin are the best models on the market. We included some in all budgets and with varying number of functions. That way, there should be a tuner for you, whatever your needs and budget.

 

Best Overall: Korg TM60 Tuner And Metronome Combo With Clip-On Microphone

Korg is one of the most famous names in the world of music and its tuners are all state-of-the-art. The successful KORG TM series gives you both a tuner and a metronome simultaneously.

This model has been updated as well. With TM 60 BK, a new large screen simultaneously displays tuning functions, making the TM-60 essential for practice. The TM-60 also allows the tuner and metronome to be displayed simultaneously.

Battery life has also improved noticeably. With the new TM-60, you can practice both your intonation and rhythm without having to switch functions or worry about battery life.

The only downside to this tuner is that it is a bit bulky. It has a clip-on microphone, but you should place the tuner itself elsewhere. This makes it harder to use outdoors.

 

Best Clip On Tuner For Violin: Peterson StroboClip HD Clip-On Tuner

When it comes to the best tuners  for the violin, the Peterson StroboClip HD Tuner comes out on top. It is recommended by various professionals and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

On the contrary, it’s perfect.

The tuner is accurate to 0.1 cent and works great with any type of string instrument. It’s compatible with Buzz Feiten Tuning and supports 50 presets for all instruments and occasions.

The display is a backlit HD LCD. It has a wide working angle, is visible under direct sunlight, and is simply perfect for any conditions.

This tuner offers adjustable calibration from 390Hz up to 490Hz, drop tuning, and capo adjustments, and can work with whatever you try with your violin.

The tuner also includes a CR2032 battery, meaning it can be used anytime, anywhere.

 

Best Budget Violin Tuner: 2Eleven Music Clip-On Devil Horn Hand Gesture Tuner

The 2Eleven Music tuner is the perfect option for those who don’t want to spend big, but also want to look cool. As the name suggests, this tuner is created to look metal (which is why many guitar and bass players buy it) but it’s great for most stringed instruments.

It is a clip-on tuner in the shape of a devil horn hand gesture and is quite easy to use. Simply turn it on, play, and it will show your tuning.

Another cool aesthetic thing is that it glows nicely, so you can keep it on your violin during the performance as well.

The downside of this great look is that the tuner is quite fixed and cannot change angles, which sometimes makes it hard to see. But hey, it’s cheap, looks cool, and does the work it’s supposed to do!

 

Best Multi-Practice Tuner: KLIQ MetroPitch

When it comes to musical devices that can do multiple things, the KLIQ MetroPitch is a life-saver. You won’t need to spend money and space on buying a metronome, tuner, and tone generator – this device will do all those things for you at once!

The primary concern for our purposes is it’s function as a tuner. And the MetroPitch is a great one. It’s accurate, it’s fast, and even offers transposition.

As a tone generator, it offers different pitch selections with the press of a button. Of course, as a metronome, it produces tap beats from 30 up to 250 beats per minute.

It’s quite easy to use, too. It has four buttons and one circular dial to select what you need with ease. It also comes with a carrying bag and a 3-year warranty.

 

Best Clip On Tuner For Violin Beginners: KLIQ UberTuner

Many tuners have too many buttons or special features (some of them are named above), but what beginners want is accuracy and simplicity. This is where the KLIQ UberTune jumps in.

The ease of use is its great strength – simply clip it on your violin and turn it on. That’s it. It will show the tuning on a bright and colorful display immediately and accurately.

The way this clip-on tuner works is that it picks up vibrations directly from the violin (or rather right around it) and immediately displays the tuning.

Another reason this tuner is good for beginners is its durability. It is built to last and will therefore withstand many shocks over time. If not, there is a 3-year warranty from the company (just like for the MetroPitch tuner).

 

Violin Tuner Buying Guide

Choosing the right violin tuner is by no means an easy task. Here are a series of tips to help you choose the right product according to your needs. Let’s start by looking at the various types of violin tuners.

 

Types Of Tuners

There are four main types of tuners. They are:

 

Tuning Forks

Let’s start with the tuning fork, which requires a lot of experience to use. It is usually chosen by professionals and has the advantage of not getting damaged easily and always being ready for use, with no worries of a battery running out.

How does it work? The most common tuning fork is one in A, which oscillates at a frequency of 440 Hz. You tap the tuning fork on a hard surface and then place it perpendicularly on a flat surface.

The fork emits the note and you must tune the string based on that sound. You then tune all the other strings by ear in relation to the intervals between A and the other notes of the strings.

This method is considered a bit outdated nowadays. Electronic tuners are much easier to use and are also quite reliable.

 

Electronic Tuners

These are the modern and technological variant of the tuning fork. They have an easy-to-read LCD screen and not only allow you to tune the instrument, but they often also offer the ability to produce sounds that you can try to reproduce while practicing.

 

Metronome Tuners

Similar to the electronic model but they also have a built-in metronome. The advantage is clearly that of having a 2-in-1 device for greater convenience. You can generally use the two functions simultaneously or separately. These tuners have become widespread, due to their convenience.

 

Clip Tuners

These are suitable for use with various instruments, such as acoustic guitar, bass guitar, double bass, mandolin, ukulele, classical guitar, clarinet, viola, cello, and of course, the violin.

Beware that not all clip tuners are suitable for all instruments, so check carefully that they are suitable for violin tuning, along with any other instruments you play.

 

Screens

Screens can also be in color! Some models may indicate the degree of intonation accuracy by means of colors. With clip-on models, the screens can often be rotated, so you can adjust them and view them comfortably from any direction.

The screen is very important: it must be clearly visible, especially if you plan to use the violin tuner in poorly lit places. In this case, choose a model with a backlit screen!

 

Battery Life

The power supply is usually via battery. Depending on the model, different types of batteries may be required and their life span may be shorter or longer.

Some manufacturers have thought about battery saving. They design their tuners to have an automatic shutdown, which intervenes after a certain amount of time of inactivity, in order to avoid wasting the battery.

 

Ease Of Use

Speaking only of the electronic, clip, or hybrid models, the operation takes place via some buttons on the device. Some models may offer more functions and have more buttons, while others have only one button.

Which is better? It depends.

If the functions to be set are few, such as a chromatic tuner and the various instruments, a button can be more than enough and be very comfortable.

If it is a hybrid, it is certainly likely to have more buttons. For example, it may have a button to adjust the metronome.

 

Tips For Violin Tuners

• Always remember to take out the battery if you don’t use the violin tuner for a long time. It doesn’t matter if you bought an expensive branded product or the cheapest one. You don’t want your device to be short-lived anyway.
• You will need to keep it in a safe place, where it will not get wet or take accidental hits that could damage the displays.
• You should also keep a tuning fork safe, but it is certainly less sensitive to shocks than electronic tuners.

 

Best Violin Tuners: Final Thoughts

The best violin tuner will depend on your needs and your budget. But basically, it is one that does the job accurately and reliably, with minimal hassle and ideally at a low cost.

All of the tuners above fit the bill, but some do cost more and have more functions. If you don’t need those additional functions, or if you are on a budget, it makes no sense to get one of the more expensive ones. Even the cheapest violin tuner in the list above will get the job done well.