The sound quality produced by stringed musical instruments depends on a wide range of factors, including how well the instrument is tuned. Most people cannot tune musical instruments proficiently with their ears alone and thus require the assistance of guitar tuners. Guitar tuners are designed to pick up sounds from vibrating strings and measure frequencies, but what causes guitar tuners to fail, and what fixes are available?
Common causes of a guitar tuner not working include incompatibility with the guitar, using a worn-out guitar tuner, no display on the guitar tuner’s screen, and dirty battery terminals. Fortunately, all of these issues are fixable, meaning a replacement is not always necessary.
In this article, I’ll outline a few issues that cause guitar tuners to stop working correctly. I’ll also talk about the potential fixes you should consider to obtain reliable feedback from your guitar tuner. Keep reading to learn more!
Related: for the full overview, see our list of essential guitar accessories.
1. Guitar Tuner Incompatibility
Incompatibility is the first common reason your guitar tuner could refuse to work correctly. Guitars are designed for specific guitar types, so using a tuner intended for a different kind of guitar will likely cause no feedback or unreliable results.
Manufacturers design different tuners for electric, acoustic, semi-acoustic guitars, and the standard bass. Therefore, if your guitar tuner is not working from the start, consider testing its compatibility with your instrument before checking for other issues.
When testing if a tuner is compatible with your guitar type, consider the frequencies it picks and whether its design corresponds with the guitar. For instance, a guitar tuner designed for a right-handed instrument can’t work correctly on a left-handed guitar. Therefore, always ensure the guitar tuner you purchase is compatible with the type of guitar you own.
How To Fix
Unfortunately, the only way to fix issues arising from an incompatible guitar tuner is by purchasing a new, compatible one. Always ensure the guitar tuner picks and responds to sound and vibrations from your guitar strings (Related: how to properly hold a guitar pick). You must also ensure the guitar tuner can fit on the headstock well. The headstock’s configuration is essential because it helps you determine the correct type of guitar tuner.
Consider consulting a professional for advice on the best guitar tuner to buy for your instrument. Otherwise, I would recommend purchasing a versatile guitar tuner compatible with multiple stringed instruments. The D’Addario Guitar Tuner (available on Amazon.com) is a versatile and extremely accurate device that is compatible with acoustic, electric, and bass guitars, as well as mandolins, banjos, and ukuleles.
Investing in a universal tuner compatible with multiple instruments minimizes the chances of getting one that does not fit your guitar. Moreover, it guarantees that the tuner performs accurate readings, allowing you to tune your guitar perfectly.
2. Dirty Battery Terminals
The most common problem affecting the performance of compatible guitar tuners usually involves batteries. Guitar tuners generally rely on battery power and thus can’t power on or pick sounds and vibrations if the energy sources are faulty.
Therefore, check the battery compartment and ensure the batteries work fine before giving up on the guitar tuner and seeking a replacement.
Usually, leaving your guitar tuner unattended for a long time causes its batteries to corrode and develop deposits on the terminals. This coating breaks direct contact between the battery terminals and the device, causing the latter to shut down for lack of power.
The battery terminals should always be clean to facilitate efficient power transfer from the batteries to the guitar tuner. Therefore, try not to leave a guitar tuner unused for a long time with batteries left inside.
How To Fix
You can easily restore the proper function in a guitar tuner with corroded battery terminals. You only need some baking soda and a q-tip to scrub the corroded powder stuck on the battery terminals.
Gently rub the baking soda mixture onto both battery terminals and repeat the process until the corroded coating loosens. Afterward, you can use a small piece of cloth and water to wipe out the corrosion and leave clean battery terminals.
This process restores the power supply. If this doesn’t work, the batteries are probably fully discharged and should be replaced.
Guitar tuners typically take CR2032 batteries. Therefore, consider purchasing the Amazon Basics CR2032 Cell Battery (available on Amazon.com) if you need to replace your guitar tuner’s batteries. They’re affordable, long-lasting, and an overall high-value product.
3. Disconnected Battery Contacts
Another cause threatening the proper working of a guitar tuner that also involves the batteries is disconnected battery contacts. Typically, the contacts in the guitar tuner’s battery compartment must stay connected to the terminals for power to flow through and power it. However, multiple factors usually push the connectors too far, thus breaking contact and affecting the guitar tuner’s normal function (Relevant Article: Do locking tuners help stay in tune?).
Therefore, always remember to check if the battery terminals and contacts actually stay connected for energy to flow through the batteries and power the tuner.
How To Fix
If you find out that your guitar tuner is not working well because the contacts aren’t connecting, you should try to restore the connectors to their position. To do this, gently bend the connectors towards the correct position until they are back in contact with the battery terminals.
Make sure this is done carefully and with moderate strength because you can easily break the connectors by bending them too far. Breaking the contacts worsens the situation and may force you to buy a new tuner.
4. No Screen Display
The next common issue you may experience with your guitar tuner is the lack of a screen display. Usually, guitar tuners are equipped with screens to provide the guitar player with feedback. The guitar tuner measures the tone or vibrations and displays the measurement on the screen for you to see.
If the string you played is in the key of C, the guitar tuner displays a C on its screen. These displays are also usually accompanied by color coding and measurements of vibrations in HZ in some tuners for ease in interpreting the guitar tuner’s measurements.
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