Strobe Tuners: Their History and How they work

[1Doz]

Back in the 1930s when these were introduced, how did they flash the light at the same frequency as the note? It seems like the response time of an incandescent filament would be too slow.

[whydidigetdeleted]

get an LED to flash on your guitar string, with the flash rate dependent on the desired frequency :P

[Brandovibe]

Question, with a mechanically driven wheel, wouldnt the accuracy decrease as the motor wore out slightly? I ask because a friend of mine has one of these that is 30 years old and swears by it....

[wmansir]

@Brandovibe

The motor is regulated with a precise timing source. Originally, the tuner's circuitry adjusted the power to the motor so that its drive wheel matched the frequency of a calibrated tuning fork. Different gear ratios could then be applied to achieve the desired speed on the tuning wheel(s). Today a quartz timing source is more accurate and reliable.

[89mww]

The cheapest (but just as accurate) Peterson strobe tuner would be the iStroboSoft app for iPhone/pod/pad. I believe it is around twenty dollars, as is the adapter to connect a 1/4 inch jack. Total steal.

[sirgerry]

Very informative, thanks!

[hardband]

where do i get that last strobe tuner?