Customize Your Electric Guitar With A Built In Tuner

Six string or bass electric guitars can be customized.

If you have humbucker style pick ups on your electric guitar (i.e. Fender, Gibson) and are tired of carrying along a separate tuner, An N-Tune On Board Chromatic Bass & Guitar Tuner could be for you. Here's the original article, Fender Strat Gets N-Tune.  I had one of these on board tuners installed beneath the Volume Pot on my Fender Stratocaster a few years ago and never looked back. Why? Well because before that, I had to bring along a dedicated pedal tuner and add it to my effects chain. 

Before, I used a dedicated pedal tuner in my effects chain.

Now some musicians swear that pedal tuners diminish the guitar volume or effect the tone in some way. I can't say that I've noticed any real difference between before and after the N-Tune but just having one less pedal to pack in my flight case is a big deal.

Fender Strat with N-Tune installed.

The N-Tune Onboard Guitar Tuner fits behind the white pick plate on most Fender electric, humbucker pick up style guitars. These on board tuners come in different colors to match the following guitars: 

• Includes Black,White,Fender(TM) -Cream,Gibson(TM) -Cream and Parchment colored tuning rings

I'm am not very technically advanced so I had it put in at my local music store as some soldering is required. It's best to use a 9V Duracell battery as mine has lasted for years without needing to be changed. You simply pull up on the VOLUME knob to activate this true bypass guitar tuner which automatically mutes any and all sound to the amp. Very quick and easy to tune as it is fully lit making it perfect for silent tuning on a dark stage.

N-Tune is perfect for tuning up on a dark stage.

The only downside is that once the battery goes, depending on your style of electric guitar, you may need to basically take the entire guitar face off. If you are into modifying your electric guitars then this shouldn't be an issue. As for me, I'm not into such mechanics and would prefer to leave something like that to the pros. I think my local shop charged me about $25 to install it. I would imagine they will charge a little less to just change the battery. All in all, I would still recommend it as it has spoiled me when it comes to playing my Strat. I know a lot of newer acoustic guitars with built in pick-ups have on board tuners now which is great. However for other more traditional guitars with humbucker style pick ups, this is an amazing innovation. You can find N-Tune On Board Tuners online on Amazon.com

N-Tune On Board Tuner

Disclaimer: Links to N-Tune are affiliate links for which I earn a small commission if purchased from. The reviews and recommendations are strictly my own honest opinions.