Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Neither my new 650D nor my used 4404L were properly intonated and set up when I got them. I used my little Korg GA-30 to give them a quick and dirty intonation setup. It did fairly well, actually. However, the GA-30 like all cheap digital tuners has a lag in response and has poor resolution. Small, quick changes in frequency just aren't visible. The needle jumps around in steps, and you guesstimate between those steps.

I suddenly found myself with a few hundred dollars of mad money to spend on new toys. Having entered my second childhood, I had my eyes on the Peterson VS-1 tuner that shows results in real time like a strobe tuner. It is also at least ten times as accurate as the cheap LCD digital tuners. The techno geek in me was baited. It sounded like a really accurate tool that was available at a breakthrough price of $200. I was hooked. The next best tuner costs upwards around $800, which is obviously out of my league as I could get a new 650 Rick or Tacoma for that kind of scratch.

Well, it certainly does the job as advertised. I was able to easily intonate and tune my 650D and 4004L to perfection. It shows the attack and decay of each note, and you can adjust the tuning to whichever part you choose. I have only used Peterson's proprietary equal temperament tuning option, but several others are available. The tuner is so sensitive that you can watch the slightest finger pressure change pull a note sharp or flatten it. Your setup guru may have adjusted your guitar perfectly to HIS method of fretting the notes, but does that match YOURS? On most of my string saddles, the intonation had to be adjusted by one full turn or more. The Korg GA-30 suffers from poor resolution compared to the VS-1. It was easy to see a quarter turn adjustment with the VS-1. Also very noticeable was the change made by leaning the guitar forward or backward which allowed the headstock to push the neck flat or pull the neck sharp. This thing could give you a real case of tuning nervosa if you allowed it too. It sees everything!

It also has a built in microphone and an audio line output for tuning your acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments. The backlit display allows use in a darkened room, and you have the option of battery or wall wart power. It comes in a protective plastic case that doubles as a display stand. This unit fills the gap between the cheap and amateurish LCD digitals and the expensive professional strobes. NICE INSTRUMENT!

I also forgot to mention a few extra features. You can adjust the standard tuning from A4 = 440 Hz to as low as 433 Hz or as high as 447 Hz. For those who like to detune or use capos a lot, you enter an offset equal to the number of frets from the nut and still read out your open strings as EADGBE when you tune them. You can also store a custom setup for when you turn it on if you don't like the factory default setup. You have a choice of manual or automatic tuning. You can dial in an offset of plus or minus 50 cents. What a toy!

One year warranty. Batteries not included (3 AA size needed).

I picked up the 490 model a couple years ago, isnt it amazing how the slightest change in finger pressure can put a note off or how some strings tune up better then others? I no longer have to drag my basses to the shop either and wait a week for a setup The customer service is good over at peterson as far as tips on how to use their products also.

Getting your guitar set up right and keeping it there will do you more good than messing with something like the Buzz Feiten system. I have a link on the Buzz Feiten thread at The Toneman that tells how one guy screwed up 5 guitars with the Buzz Feiten system when all he really needed to do was fix the original problems. The VS-1 will help you solve problems............over and over again. It easily pays for itself.

I have NEVER owned a guitar or bass that came set up right. Now it's a snap to set one up the way I want it. And to set up anybody else's........I wonder how many amateur bands have instruments that are tuned the same within the band.