Intelli IMT-900 Chromatic Clip-On Tuner with Transposing

I got this thinking that it would be handy in a pinch for mid-playing tuning. Now I use it more than my other "better" tuner (more expensive, not really better). This can tune easily in a noisy room, unlike most tuners. The face turns so you can see the reading without craning your neck. My only complaint is that it has issues with low notes. This can be overcome by moving it closer to the string and plucking harder. If that doesn't work (worked for me), there are handy pictures posted by R. J. Province "Blade" that helped a friend of mine. This thing is so small and compact. I expected it to be cheap and flimsy but it is actually quite nice. I found where it can pick up all the notes easily and now I leave it in that spot on my guitar at all times, right next to my capo. The quality is amazing especially given the price. The 5 stars were easily deserved.

The IMT-900 is a good performer. It is definitely superior to the Korg AT-2, which it replaces. My old Korg AT-2 was still functional but suffered from all of the obvious drawbacks. It was heavy, bulky, slow, and subject to ambient noise. The IMT-900 is light, small, more easily read, much faster, and immune to off-instrument influence. True, the low E on my guitar is a slower read than the other five strings but proper positioning of the tuner makes it easy. One reviewer complained that his IMT-500 was badly scratched when it arrived. Most likely, he failed to read the notice about removing the protective covering from the instrument. The covering is soft and scratches with a fingernail! Underneath is a crystal hard, sparkling clear, polycarbonate plate that looks great. Another reviewer complained that his IMT-500 finally worked after the third new battery. I tested the battery that came with my IMT-900 and it read 3.22 volts. Obviously a fresh lithium cell. Perhaps the reviewer was unfamiliar with CR-2032 installion and finally got it right. Anyway, I opted for the IMT-900 over the IMT-500 even though it was $2.00 more expensive. The IMT-900 is described as an improvement over the IMT-500, comes postage paid for $17.99 from this excellent Amazon.com vendor and, unless someone accidentally steps on it, I expect it to last many decades (or a dozen battery changes -- whichever comes first). Altogether, this is an excellent buy and almost a quantum leap from my Korg of the "bad old days."

Pros: It tunes via contact clip and transposes-displays in different keys, so it is very convenient for my Bb trumpet. It is small and light with swirling head. The green display is very easy to read, day or night. Cons: Its transposed key CAN'T be retained once powered off. You must re-adjust it every time you turn it on, which means every few minutes (it turns off automatically if idled for 5 minutes to save battery, and you can't disable this function!!). But it only takes about 5 seconds to find Bb. The tuning is quite accurate but a little slow. Low notes don't show up every time. Overall, a very cheap and convenient tuner for a Not-C instrument.

When I first bought this tuner I was a little skeptic. I had read the reviews and they were somewhat mixed. But for the price I thought I would give it a try. At first tuning was a little wonky, but it turns out it was user error! I tuned using another tuner first and then when I used the Intelli tuner, it was right on!! I love being able to tune my guitar while there is other noise in the room. Plus, being able to tune other instruments make this a real deal!! I have a requinto which is a smaller guitar tuned 4 notes higher than a regular guitar, this means that the tuning is A D G C E A. Using my old tuner was a pain, but with the intelli, it works like a charm! I can also leave it on my guitar while its in the case. I would highly recommend this tuner to anyone searching for a small reliable tuner!

The Bad: 1. Flimsy on/off switch on the front, Feels like it's about to fall out of the housing. 2. It's a bit slow on reaction time. My old analog tuner is 3x as fast in reacting to the string played on my banjo. 3. the head only swivels in 2 degrees of freedom so it sits at a 90 degree angle to viewing when clamped up by the tuning pegs. The Good. 1 Works accurately. 2. Small and compact 3. clamp is strong. Fits tight. 4. hits all the notes on my banjo, I have yet to try it on my balalaika 5. clear large view of the display 6. auto power off