Tired of lugging a guitar tuner around? Here’s a solution that’s both cool and cool looking.
The N-Tune Chromatic Tuner installs on your guitar in place of your standard volume control, with no modifications required. When the control is pressed down, it acts like a standard volume control. Pulling the control up mutes the guitar’s output and activates the tuner.
A display ring under the knob shows the notes and tuning status symbols: Flat, Sharp, Tuned and Tuned Sharp (for accidentals: C sharp, D sharp, etc.). Bright LEDs guide the tuning process by illuminating the note being tuned and the relevant symbol.
When a note is tuned sharp or flat, the corresponding LED will blink red and flash faster as the note is tuned to pitch. The green Tuned LED will light when the string is in tune.
Two pots are available: a 250k pot for Stratocaster-style guitars and a 500k pot for Gibson and everything else. The pot is a high-grade design, and the stem allows you to use your original control knob. N-Tune uses one nine-volt battery, which mounts with Velcro under your pickguard.
Note that if your existing volume pot has additional features, they will not function when the N-Tune is installed.
The N-Tune has a list price of $100. For more information, go to www.n-tune.com.
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Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of Guitar Player magazine, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.
