All of them do a decent job. It just depends on how you like to work, how much weight you want to carry, how often you like to recharge, how much you want to tweak or get into the programmability. My view of ETD's is that for real quality tuning you must always monitor their decisions anyway so choose the one that is the simplest to use and performs the tasks as quickly and efficiently as you need. They are a nice tool and relieve a lot of the stress in less than ideal tuning situations. The SATIII is lightweight, long charge time, easy to use, good for direct interval checking, decent pitch raise function. The VT has all the bells and whistles, is programmable, contains a large cache of temperaments, alleges to measure every note and set up a custom scale, gives lots of data on the screen, decent pitch raise function, but is heavy, needs more frequent recharging, some people don't like the display. The RCT is lightweight, needs frequent charging, has probably the best pitch raise function, several stretch options. Each supplier will give you more data than I have provided but think about how you will use it and what matters and then make your decision. I happen to agree with David A. that aural skills are still very necessary as machines calculate theoretical curves and you need to make practical decisions based on each piano's idiosyncrasies. I tuned for 20 years or more strictly aurally before I bought a ETD. While you don't necessarily need to follow that lead, don't forgo developing aural skills just because you have a machine. Often, they make mistakes which you need to override. David Love davidlovepianos at comcast.net www.davidlovepianos.com -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Wayne Walker Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 11:55 AM To: 'Pianotech List' Subject: RE: Sanderson Accu-tuner I second your motion, as I have been using a Sat for years I'm very happy with it. Wayne Wayne Walker Piano Tuner / Technician Musicstop Acoustic Piano Service 264 Herring Cove Road Halifax, NS, Canada B3P 1M1 902-221-1540 902-496-0041 Fax www.musicstop.com -----Original Message----- From: Paul McCloud [mailto:service at pianosd.com] Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 2:18 PM To: 'Pianotech List' Subject: RE: Sanderson Accu-tuner Rick: I have to put in a plug for the Accutuner. I am still using mine, though I had it refurbished a few years ago. The refurbishing included a new face and buttons and a new battery and microphone. The core of the unit is still original..I purchased this machine in 1988, and it's still running perfectly. Ask anyone if their Pocket PC has been around for that long. I'll admit that there are more elaborate features on the other units, and that's nice. I don't have the newest SAT III, which includes more features than mine, like the double octave beat, RPT exam, and such. I don't need them, at least enough to buy the new machine. Another consideration is the display itself. The LED lights are very easy to see, and don't drain the batteries as much as the computer display does in a PPC. Battery life is phenomenal, about 1 charge per month. The light display is instantaneous- there's no lag as the computer displays the spinner. I've owned both, so I can tell you I prefer the LED's. In no way will I disparage the other units, including the Verituner, which I have never owned. They are all fantastic in their own right. Just be aware of all the pro's and con's of the technology in each unit. Good luck. Paul McCloud San Diego -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ron Koval Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 8:52 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Sanderson Accu-tuner Hi Rick, I'm going to second Jon's recommendation to check out the Verituner - available as a stand-alone unit or as software for the pocket pc. There is plenty of specific help from other techs at the Verituner forum if you do choose to go this route. Even though the tunings are good using the default settings, to maximize the potential of the machine, there is an easy to understand custom style function that really makes a difference in the final product. I'm encouraged by your statement: "I will never be completely satisfied with my work as a tuner until I am satisfied with it as a teacher and musician." That's the most important thing! Too many times it's easier to create a tuning that passes "tuner's checks", but lacks "musicality". I think the Verituner could be a big help to you progressing to your goal. Ron Koval Chicagoland _________________________________________________________________ Play games, earn tickets, get cool prizes. Play now-it's FREE! http://club.live.com/home.aspx?icid=CLUB_hotmailtextlink1 -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 2396 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.11/838 - Release Date: 6/7/2007 2:21 PM
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