Korg Sledgehammer SH-G1 Clip-On Tuner

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Korg Sledge Tuner 2 The Korg Sledgehammer SH-G1, A Tuner Of Considerable Talents

On almost every tuner package released by Korg these days you'll see the words “over 20 million tuners sold.” It's a proud statement, and one that goes a long way to letting you know that when it comes to tuners Korg know what they are doing. The 1^st generation Sledgehammer clip-on tuner might just be the best example of their expertise; this is an accurate, user-friendly, easy to use and very well priced clip-on.

The tuner gets its name from the sleek hammerhead-shaped top half which provides space for a very crisp LCD screen. It's a clever one too, using high-contrast colours – blue for under tuned, red for over tuned, white line for tuned - to provide a clear and bright display that is just so easy to work with. De-tuning and raising is easy too; the Sledgehammer will operate between 436 – 445hz without any drops in accuracy or speed. The sleek and compact design uses edge mounted “Shuttle” switches that adjust the tuners setting with a simple and short twist, a very quick and simple design that works brilliantly although they do feel a little on the cheap side to hand

Korg Sledge Tuner 3

For added versatility the Sledgehammer has dedicated tuner modes for Guitar or Bass, Flat tuning or Capo, a useful function for live performance when a speedy tune up is essential. It's worth noting that the Capo setting is only available on “Guitar” mode, although the use of a capo on a bass is a rarity at best. Another nice feature is the Over-Winding warning, aimed it would seem at those new to guitar tuning and the procedures involved. The idea behind it is that if the thin E string gets wound too tight a warning appears on the screen, therefore preventing a string break. This feature is a good idea in principal and we found it to be useful but a little indecisive at times in it's judgement on how tight is too tight.

Other features include a Calibration function, allowing the user to apply various tunings of their own. A built-in memory backup preserves any settings and tunings applied to the Sledgehammer and does so even when the tuner is powered down, a welcome relief but whether or not it will keep them when its batteries have emptied for a period of time is an unknown, but with a quick battery change such accidents appear to be avoided, very fortunately.

Verdict

This Korg Sledgehammer is a high quality clip-on tuner offering versatility and user-friendlyness. The long list of features mark it above its competitors in this price range and the LCD display is just a joy to behold. Well designed, well built, supremely accurate, and so simple and effective in its execution of its task, this is an excellent addition to any players equipment list. There may be cheaper clip-ons out there, even ones made by Korg themselves, but this one is the best bet by a mile.

RRP - £21.99