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D’Addario NS Micro Soundhole Tuner

D’Addario introduces the NS Micro Soundhole Tuner, a soundhole-mounted variant of their popular ultra-compact tuner.

D’Addario NS Micro Soundhole Tuner

Related Feature:
D’Addario NS Micro Tuner

Like the NS Micro Tuner, this version is designed to be as discreet as possible while ensuring that you see the screen properly and it reflects the right notes accurately. The main difference being its clip, which is specially designed to mount on the inside of a soundhole.

The original NS Micro Tuner is designed to simply clip on the back of headstocks, so it works with various types of instruments. This new release is designed specifically for acoustic instruments with soundholes, including the ukulele, parlor guitars, acoustic guitars and the like.

The company says that the NS Micro Soundhole Tuner is their most discrete tuner yet, which is true because only the guitarist playing the guitar will see the very small tuner itself, unlike the original where people on the back side will see it on the back of the headstock. However, there is a protruding clip on the soundhole, which although small is still quite visible, so it’s not really 100% discrete.

To be honest, I’d still prefer the original design because it can work with more instruments, but there are also advantages to the NS Micro Soundhole Tuner design. The most notable of which is being more securely attached because of its clip-on design, this reduces the risk of losing the tuner compared to one that’s attached to the back of the neck. Also it can just stay on the guitar even when you put it back on the case, unlike the original which may touch the interior of guitar cases and gig bags.

D’Addario describes the mounting clip as “non-marring”, which should alleviate worry of damage, but then again, you can never be too careful. I certainly don’t recommend having it stay on the guitar for long periods of time, especially if you have a premium instrument you want to keep in pristine condition. The clip-on design is expected to appeal to owners of expensive guitars who don’t want to a tuner at the back of the headstock that can block intricate cosmetic details like artist signatures.

Despite all that talk about looks and discreteness, the most important function is tuning, and since this tuner is mounted on the soundhole, it most likely have improved tracking. It probably has the same sensitive piezo transducers which senses vibrations, but since this one is attached directly to the resonating soundboard instead of the headstock, it makes sense that it will provide faster and more accurate tuning operation.

Check out the official video demo:

Finally, the D’Addario NS Micro Soundhole Tuner features a bright multi-color display that is visible in both bright and dark stage environments. It is currently retailing online for just under $20, for more details visit D’Addario.

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