Customer Reviews

Center Pitch CP2 Tuner

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This tuner is a good idea but poorly executed. I used it for violin. The worst thing about it is that it uses up relatively small and expensive CR2032 batteries (2 at a time) very quickly. I didn't get many tunings out of a new set of batteries. Hard to believe; perhaps it drains the batteries even when off. It certainly seems that way. It is also a very slow responder. You can check finger positions only if you play scales very slowly. Suggest you look for a tuner that uses AA or AAA batteries with clip-on tuner pickup. This tuner is headed for the trash.

Since writing this I've heard from the company: "We did recently discover that we had a few tuners that were causing the batteries to short each other out. That is not normal--the batteries actually have an approximate 2 year usage life." They offered to replace my unit.

Since writing the above the company replaced the tuner twice, each time with the same result--it drops dead after 3 months or so even if you don't tune with it. So it's the third one that is headed for the trash. In its place I use the less expensive and smaller Cherub WST-550c that has been working perfectly for about 5 months on a single CR2032 battery.

This tuner came with part of an electric violin set I got, but after using it, I would not recommend this item to anyone. It is a complete waste of money. The batteries only last me a few tunings before dying, often at the most inopportune time, and I don't tend to carry 2 backup batteries as they're rather expensive. If the batteries would last more than a handful of tunings, this would be perfect, but you'd be better off investing your money into a quality item.

I got this to tune my trumpet prior to concert band rehearsal.
As a tuner, it works really well. My only beef is that the clamp only took a few months to get really weak. The toggled offset rod also tends to wobble out of place fairly easily. A few extra cents spent by the manufacturer on these features, and I'd easily give it the maximum rating for quality. As it is - it works, but when I'm trying to tune and it wobbles over or falls off, that's really annoying.
For the record - you can put it on the stand in front of you and it will work just fine that way. I wouldn't say don't get this at all. I'd say - keep in mind where you plan to use it. If you are going to be tuning as you stand outside waiting to head onto the football field - get something else. If you will be using it in concert band, then, it's a great tuner for the price, maybe. That's what I use it for, but it needs to be clamped to the horn when there's a dozen other people blowing theirs a few feet away, and it doesn't do the clamping thing that well.

I used this tuner for about a day and a half and the little blue grippers fell off. I tried to put them back on to no avail. I tried to replicate their purpose with duct tape. No go. The thing wouldn't stay on my horn. Wish I had my money back.

This tuner functions perfectly in environments with ambient noises that are loud and random. It's perfect for outdoor performance warmups.

I've also used it in other ways. This particular band I'm teaching (brass, with some woodwind work) tunes extremely well by ear. During pre-show or pre-rehearsal warmups I put the section in an arc around me and randomly select a student to provide the reference pitch (Bb concert). I then attach the tuner to their instrument, show them how to read it and have them sweep across the arc 4 times while sounding the reference pitch. Since the student can see the tuner while sweeping across the arc, they can hold the pitch steady for the rest of the arc to hear. In addition, the students in the arc can play, if they wish, to match their pitch to the student sweeping the arc. Since the tuner in unaffected by all of this, the student sweeping the arc can still provide the correct tuning reference. Even the weakest, least experienced players are able to keep the pitch steady enough for reference tuning purposes.

The piccolo players especially like it when I let the section leader "wear" it on her instrument during marching rehearsals and she can constantly monitor the tuning of the section. I highly recommend it to anyone working in the marching music arts.

I use it to check my finger positions as well as tuning. Fast and accurate. As a bonus, it is very small.