[CAUT] Barbie tuner

[Jim Busby]

Thanks Dale, Dave and others.

Dale, I found that the guitar tuners also seem to read differently when held at different places near the piano. Close up it's A440 and 3 feet away 441. Maybe the SAT and VTs sophisticated filters make a huge difference. Whatever it is I'm sure glad I don't have to depend on Barbie technology for pianos!

Jim

From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ward & Probst, Inc
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 4:21 PM
To: 'College and University Technicians'
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Barbie tuner

JB,

Most of the smaller tuners are not accurate at all by our standards. Plus or minus 2 hertz is not uncommon in the cheapies, calibration is not great and they are subject to drift with temperature and rough handling.
DP
Dale Probst, RPT
Midwestern State University

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Jim Busby
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2008 4:34 PM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: [CAUT] Barbie tuner
List,

I won't name the fellow, but at the International Double Reed Society conference here at BYU there is this "oboist" who is running around with this tiny guitar tuner complaining that all the instruments are off. He confronted me before one of his performances saying that the pitch of the Shigeru was not A440 but was A442. He said the Hamburg D was also A442 (Was supposed to be at A443). I told him I was confident the pitch was where it was supposed to be on both instruments and that maybe his small tuner was off. BAD thing to say! Boy was he mad! After his performance, when most the people were gone, the head honcho watched me measure the pianos. Less than 4/10ths of one cent off... (Dang! Will I ever learn to keep my pitch dead on?)

Funny, but almost all his high notes were extremely flat. Or maybe I'm just dreaming...

Jim Busby

p.s. Other than this unfortunate experience everyone else is very nice and complimentary.
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