D'Addario Accessories Micro Banjo Tuner - Multi-color display - Digital Tuner - Non Marring Hoop Bracket - Fast & Accurate Tuning - Visual Metronome

After 39 years of playing guitar I'm casually picking up the banjo. I want to learn chords and some melody picking techniques, not how to transpose a guitar tuner to banjo. This DEDICATED BANJO tuner works great and stays on the banjo head, not snug on my Deering Good Times, but doesn't fall off and gets the banjo in tune very well

I have 2 of them they are outstanding. The tuner is small yet easy to see and use for the player. However, it is unnoticeable to others and functions very well. The black color makes it difficult for onlookers to see it attached to the banjo when placed on the top part of the rim near the neck heal. I use this product all the time and it works very well for me on both of my banjos. It is a good value for the money. The screen denotes the string that is to be played and is fairly easy to see. Of course, a good quality of the strings on the banjo must be used, in order for the tuner to function properly.

The best thing about this tuner design is that it can be permanently parked in a convenient spot on almost any banjo. It is really convenient that I don't need to track down the tuner and clamp it on somewhere every time I get the instrument out of the case. "Almost any" is a key point here and the only reason it gets four stars instead of five. If the typical bracket hooks on the average banjo are only a couple of inches apart the plastic arms on this unit will slip under a pair of adjacent ones. The tuner can slide back and forth a short distance but will then stay in place. I did find it would not work on one of my instruments with fewer brackets which are further apart because one or the other of the arms was always slipping out from under its bracket. I intend to improvise a way to extend one of them so I can use one of these on that instrument but I'd rather see the manufacturer make them maybe twice as long with break lines cast into them. That way they could be customized to fit instruments with different bracket spacing. Otherwise, this is an excellent unobtrusive, accurate and sensitive tuner.

After reading the reviews I was apprehensive thinking it may not fit. Many say they broke it trying to install. I thought the whole thing went under the brackets for the head. I found it fit perfectly on top of one and under two. There is enough flex for this fit. My brackets are 1.5 inches apart. In the first photo notice the half-circle opening at the bottom of the strap. That goes over one bracket the other two fit under the corresponding brackets. To install slide one side of the strap completely under the front bracket, then press down on the back of the bracket, so it will slide under the third bracket, while sliding the entire piece towards that third bracket.To make this easy to see you can remove the actual tuner from the bracket just slide it forward and it will come off. If you look at the underside of the tuner you will see a large and small hole on the strap. the tuner has a small knob on it. the knop fits into the large hole and slides to the smaller hole to keep it secure.Some have issues with instructions on the tuner's use. I found it very intuitive. once installed turn it on and pluck a string the tuner will respond with a note and some lines on either side of the note. tune to the point that the note you want has a small blue line on either side of the note. It seemed touchy on my banjo that is the best I could tune.

First of all I'd like to congratulate Ned Steinberger for taking the time to design a tuner just for the banjo. Great idea and long over due. I was excited to get a tuner made just for the banjo. So, I took it out of the box checked it out and then tried to decide where on my banjo was the best place to put it. I finally decided on a position, after trying several, then when I looked at the box it came in again I noticed that I had placed it in the same position of the picture on the front of the box. Duh! As far as I can tell it works just fine. I have had no problems with it. I have even used the metronome which again was a great idea. It's obviously a benefit to be able to replace the battery from the back instead of having to take it off and replace the battery underneath somehow. Because the tuner is placed directly on a tension rod I believe that it picks up good vibrations from the head and rim which is another benefit. Also, as stated in the instructions, you do not have to remove it to put it in the case. In fact, the banjo strap does not touch it. I bought one for each of my three banjos and have just forgotten having to worry about a tuner. I just hope I remember to have a supply of extra batteries. Lastly, I gave the tuner a five star rating because I've had no problems with it so far. Again, a great idea for a banjo.

Have the people who designed this thing ever *seen* a banjo? It does not fit, in any fashion I can think up, any of my banjos. It's not a matter of the number of hooks, it's the fact that at best it rattles around -- this on high-hook-count Vegas as well as others. I'm sure it is possible to make a bespoke banjo tuner, but this sure as hell ain't it.AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS: Got it to more or less work, once I used a metal pick (not a banjo pick) to get the residue of the adhesive plastic off the battery. It still wants to buzz and slide around, though. Its size is convenient enough, but this is more than canceled by an overly stiff on/off button. The door to the battery compartment, too, is apparently overly stiff, though perhaps I'm doing it incorrectly. I can't know, though, because it came, as mentioned, with absolutely no instructions. I can't believe the company was serious about this product.