Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems

Subject: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 02 Aug 06 - 11:05 AM

I'd be grateful if anyone owning one of these could advise me. It has become increasingly hard to get it to recognize any string at all (on auto/guitar setting) and now it doesn't seem to even stay on setting. Before I take it back (long way to town, owned it since Dec. 06), maybe there's a simple fix (I may have messed with it somehow?).

Thanks

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: leftydee
Date: 02 Aug 06 - 11:12 AM

Try a new battery. I don't have a Seiko but it's been my experience with electronic tuners that when they don't recognize stuff it's because the battery is getting low. Hope this helps! Lefty

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: jeffp
Date: 02 Aug 06 - 11:14 AM

You've owned it since Dec. 06? Could be the time warp has had a deleterious effect on the electronics.

Have you tried changing the battery?

Cycle the switches through all positions a few times and see if they feel loose.

Could be just a bad tuner which needs replacing.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 02 Aug 06 - 11:45 AM

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 02 Aug 06 - 05:31 PM

Ack! Where did my post content go?

Above was supposed to say thanks to you all, and note that the suggestions have not solved the problem. Guess it's a trip to town for me...

...or learn to tune by ear like a good l'i'l musician prob'ly oughtta...

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 12:41 AM

If you are by chance using an external pickup of the "clip on" or "stick on" kind, you should be aware that the leadwires on some of these are rather fragile, and/or the connection to the piezo element inside often gets itself unconnected. A bad pickup may be more likely than a problem with the tuner itself. Of course if you're using a good (built-in) instrument pickup, that's not too likely that there's a problem with the pickup, but a cable could still be less than perfect.

If you have used a pickup, even if you're not using one now: many tuners disconnect the built in mic when you plug in a pickup, and the contact in the "input" socket may have not made a good connection the last time you unplugged the pickup, so the mic is "turned off." Sometimes just a few insert-remove cycles with a properly fitting plug will re-seat the contacts.

The built-in microphones in tuners of this sort ($19.95 US) generally aren't particularly "robust," and with many of the cheaper tuners it seems almost necessary that you do use a pickup of some sort to get enough signal for the indicating circuits to pick out the pitch, especially when there's a bit of background noise. If you tried it out at home (where it's quiet) and it worked, but doesn't work out in the real world (where there's more noise) it may be just a problem of insufficient input to register.

The "technical specification" on this tuner, so far as I found with a quick search, is limited to "comes in red or black."

John

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,bruce baillie
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 01:43 AM

...seriously, have you ever tried the most wonderful tuning device of all, your ears

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 04:24 AM

Do you have perfect pitch hearing then Bruce ?

eric

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 09:10 AM

Thank you, John in Kansas. No pickup ever used, but the robustness of the microphone is certainly suspect, since as far as I can tell the rest of it is functional. It has been unceasingly either pouring rain or hellishhot&humid here, and I've wondered if that was a problem, as well.

Bruce: certainly that would be ideal, as I mentioned above. However, besides doubting my innate ability in that direction, I'm more than middle-aged, started playing guitar in January, having never played an instrument in my life. Any device that makes my learning curve smoother, such as a tuner, I'll be using. I don't plan on performing, just enjoying playing songs I like. Example: I am likely the only person in the province who can now reasonably play and sing Voodoo Queen Marie (Holy Modal Rounders tune), to the delight of several Acadian friends who'd never heard of it, and who have Cajun connections.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Scrump
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 09:22 AM

Could be intonation problems with my guitar, but whenever I tune it using an electronic tuner, and apparently get it spot on for each string, I almost invariably have to tweak it a bit to get it in tune as far as my ears are concerned. Is this normal or do I have strange hearing?

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,Bruce Baillie
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 09:50 AM

...in answer, dunno whether I have perfect pitch or not but my ears have always worked for me over the last 30 odd years. I have seen various people using electronic tuners who have still managed to end up with their instrument horribly out of tune (not that I'm saying that the tuner is faulty, maybe it was nervousness on the part of the operator) which makes me say, what was the point in spending all that money on the damned things? I think as well, while ever you are relying on an electronic tuner you are not developing 'an ear'which I think is important, I'm not saying they are useless, just that you shouldn't be too reliant on them

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: jeffp
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 09:59 AM

When it is perfectly in tune for one key, it will be slightly out of tune for other keys. Tuning involves a compromise that will be acceptable for as wide a range of keys as possible. This is the reason behind the tempered tuning method for pianos.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Scrump
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 10:19 AM

I find a tuner useful just to make sure I'm in the right ballpark, if I'm not tuning against other instruments, just so I know I'm playing in, for example, D and not Db or D# (with my limited voice range that's more important than you might think! :-))

But I guess a tuning fork or pitch pipes (neither of which I've ever owned) would work just as well, and save on batteries too :-)

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 10:53 AM

Nerves screw up your ears more than they screw up a tuner.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: jeffp
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 11:04 AM

Not to mention background noise and fatigue

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 03 Aug 06 - 11:57 AM

Thanks, everyone. As usual with Mudcat, I've learned from this thread. The tuner in question has been returned and replaced by the music store - microphone was indeed kaput.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,Den
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 05:52 PM

You can download the SAT100 owner manual at
http://safemanuals.com/user-guide-instructions-owner-manual/SEIKO/SAT100-_E.
My SAT 100 would not recognize my acoustic strings properly. I changed batteries, tried plug/unplug the input jack, and reset all the buttons. No change. Then I tried blowing on the small hole labeled "MIC" to clear out any dust accumulation. BINGO! It will now tune my acoustic guitar just fine. Also, prop up the tuner so it faces the acoustic strings, using a playing card stuck in the groove in the rear of the tuner.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: MaineDog
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 05:58 PM

Check to see if the tuner has a reset button. It may be hard to find, maybe needing to be pushed with the end of a paper clip. Your manual should mention if it has one. If so, try it!
MD

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 28 Jul 08 - 07:56 PM

And if you're going to capo, tune once the capo's on: unless you've got a very perfect guitar, putting the capo on may throw your tuning (perfect on open strings) OUT.
Bruce B: yes, very good in theory: I thought I had a pretty good ear until I bought a tuner; As RB says, a tuner is very helpful in noisy environments. Mine did stop working, but a new battery cured it.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 03:06 AM

Now that clip-on-headstock tuners are so cheap on ebay I think any other sort (apart from the horridly expensive strobe ones if you are paid megabucks to perorm) are history. They are very resistant to noise, and will also let you tune by plucking your own strings softly so you can tune quietly without leaving the session.

Intellitouch - expensive, many say better than the rest
Intelli - still quite dear and I find the LCD response a bit too slow
ENO 3000 - my preference, and really quite cheap
Joyo - stupidly cheap sometimes but I find less effective at recogising the note you are tuning.

All, I think, have a mic as well as a clip setting, which can be very useful if you have recorder players with you: quite a lot of recorders seem to be a smidgeon sharp (between 2 and 5 cents) and need the top joint pulling about a thumbnail to be in concert.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 10:44 AM

Anyone know how to tighten up the joint on a Seiko STX1? : in mine it's become very loose and floppy, tho' the tuner still seems to work OK.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 29 Jul 08 - 10:50 AM

I've never seen one of those before and cannot find a decent picture on teh 'net but I expect there to be two joinst, a swivel that is not adjustable and an up-and-down with a little nut sunk into a hex on one side and a small screwhead the other. If so, tighten screw a very little. Do not overtighten.

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: GUEST,GS
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 11:25 PM

Ran across this old thread after a search... My SEIKO SAT100 tuner actually seems to get a half step off when the batteries get "older" or used a bit. This is a problem because one has no way to know when this occurs (other than to compare with another tuned instrument)... in a recent jam session, I found I was playing my bass guitar one fret off from where I should have been (!) - just to match others in the group. I checked against another tuner and, sure enough, all strings were off tune by a half step.

Has anyone run across this? Why would Seiko not put a "low batt" indicator to prevent this?

Subject: RE: Tech: Seiko SAT100 guitar tuner problems
From: Gary T
Date: 16 Mar 09 - 02:16 AM

Is that exactly a half step off, no in-between as the battery weakens? If so, my first thought would be that an indicator light (b or #) meant to distinguish between, say, A and Ab, fails to operate when power is low.