Customer Reviews

Farley's PocketTones Banjo Tuner, ¹

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

 

 

Farley's PocketTones Banjo Tuner is inexpensive, it's extremely compact, it's accurate, and it's easy to use. You can listen to any string's tone as often as you want, and when you are satisfied, you can move on to the next string's tone at any time. Also, the duration of the tone is up to you. I use it by turning on and listening to a tone, then turning it off after I've gotten an auditory "fix" on it. Then I pluck and tune the corresponding banjo string. I repeat this process as often as I need to, then with the press of a button, I move on to the tone for the next string. This product is handy-dandy, and I'm quite happy to have purchased it.

This tuner was not what I expected. The size is perfect for compact storage, but the tones produced are not accurate and made tuning a banjo extrememly difficult. We will be purchasing a regular sized chromatic tuner that will give better results. Chromatic tuners can be used for various stringed instruments, so if you have guitars and banjos, the chromatic may work for you also.

No banjoist should buy a tuner that is not chromatic. There are hundreds of tunings for the five string banjo, especially for old time players. A tuner that only tunes to G is useless. Even bluebgrass players will sometimes play in D Reuben and other tunings. Old time banjoists typically play in g modal, c, cc,ccc, variations of the d tuning, and as well as F tunings. So a tuner that is only G is useless.


Goldtone and others make tuners that have the g tuning but can switch to chr0omatic. I also tend to think that tuners that have a dial are more useful. I go with the basic Korg tuners that cost little and do a lot.

Lately I have been attracted to snap on tuners because a tuner that just listens like the one displayed here is pretty useless if you are in a band and all the other instruments are tuning up, let alone a jam or a banjo class. The smallKorgs do come with connection to attach a pickup.

Although I have read some reviews of how accurate this item is for tuning, as a professional instrument maker and performer I must beg to differ. It is useful as a stocking stuffer for a budding musician, but truthfully it is a little flat of standard A=440 pitch. Also, it sounds a tone for you to tune against, and in anything other than a quiet room this is worthless... one is almost better off with a tuning fork against the sound box of your instrument. It is inexpensive and a novelty, but if you want a real tuner to rely upon, move onto to another tuner.

What can I say other than good product, fair price, and very fast shipping. Thanks

Farley Pockettones Banjo Tuner was a dud. Ordered one for me and one for a gift. Neither worked. Complete waste of money.

Just a few words on the Farley's Pocket Tones Banjo Tuner. Don't wast your money. I sent mine back after 5mins of trying it. The tones arenot accurate.