There are all kinds of guitar tuners in this world. You’ve got your stompbox tuners, chromatic and strobe, rackmountable and clip-on, but have you ever seen a tuner that gives you that look of peak Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, EVH or Keef with a cigarette on the headstock – without the deleterious effect on your health? You have now – meet the Tunerette.
That’s right, the Tunerette is a clip-on chromatic headstock tuner that’s designed like a cigarette. No, it’s the sort of thing you would want to give to a 20-a-day smoker who is trying to quit, nor to an impressionable minor. And yes, it has a questionable public health message.
But quite honestly, anyone who doesn’t think smoking is bad for you is for the birds, and whatever gets people hooked on tuning their guitar, cravings first thing in the morning to get up and make sure their Stratocaster is bang in tune, that’s got to be a good thing.
The Tunerette was dreamed up by Dave Hinson. You might recognise the name – Hinson is the owner of Killer Vintage Guitars, in St Louis, is editor of the Vintage Guitar Price Guide, and a contributing editor to the Blue Book of Guitars. He knows his vintage apples.
He doesn’t strike us as the second coming of the Marlboro man but a man in his profession will absolutely consider being in tune as simply good hygiene – a mark of a sound grooming regime and a sign of good character. We would agree.
Hinson got the idea while driving through Oklahoma.
“Inspired by the legends of rock like Clapton, Hendrix, and Van Halen, he envisioned a tuner that not only paid homage to the golden age of guitar but also addressed all the gripes he had with existing headstock tuners,” says Tunerette.
The Tunerette might come in a box that’s like a pack of cigarettes, vintage tobacco marketing is the vibe, but this thing is serious about tuning. It has a bright LED display, is fully rechargeable via USB, and weighs just over an ounce.
“We advise removing any clip-on tuner before a performance,” reads the Tunerette disclaimer. “But with Tunerette if you leave it on, at least you won’t LOOK like an idiot!”
Well, quite. It does not say if it is compatible with Matchless amps but only a fool would try playing Smoke On The Water without sparking this little tuner into action. The Tunerette is available now, priced $49.95. See Tunerette for more details.
