smileynumber13 Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 I've seen it done mostly on acoustic electrics... Does anyone know how to install a tuner into the actual guitar? Like... say I would dissasemble an LED tuner (yes, I realize they aren't the most accurate), trying to keep most of the wiring intact, and try to install it into the guitar body. I'm almost certain it could work, the only problem being you would need to route and drill more holes in the guitar which means loss of tone. Also, would you be able to or even need to run wire from the tuner input to the pickups? If none of this would work, where could I purchase the neccessary equipment to install one into the guitar, preferably an electric? I'm new to all of this, but for the past month, all I have done is read and read and this is something I haven't come across much. It's something I have been curious about trying... but again something I know very little about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 First of all, routing and drilling into a guitar does not make you "lose tone." It simply changes the tone, which is inherently subjective anyhow. That said, yes, it can be done. You'd want to hardwire the tuner cicuit to always be on. Then add a dpdt switch that switches the output of the pickups between the output jack and the tuner, and turns the battery on and off. I doubt you'd want to just route a pocket to stick the whole tuner in, so i'd recomend making some sort of decorative plate that screws to the guitar to which you'd mount the indicators and switch for the tuner. Personally, it's not something I would want in my guitar. I like the idea of paying for only 1 good tuner, regardless of how many guitars I might own at any given point. peace, russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileynumber13 Posted February 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Hey, thanks. I figured that it wasn't the wisest thing to do, it just sounds like it could be fun to experiment with. And as for the lost tone, you're right. I didn't think about it that way... At any rate, I appreciate the feedback, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Like I said, it's not something I'd do, but I must admit, that if done properly, it could look pretty cool. Good luck with your project. peace, russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Sabine used to make the STL-12 chromatic onboard tuner for this kind of installation - unfortunately, I think it's been discontinued. Still, you might find one on Evilbay, or somewhere similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Sabine used to make the STL-12 chromatic onboard tuner for this kind of installation - unfortunately, I think it's been discontinued. Still, you might find one on Evilbay, or somewhere similar. That Sabine was a neat setup, too. I remember seeing some acoustic about 10 years ago with one when they first came out. Sabine makes the best non-strobe tuners, anyway. I wonder if they still make the stick-on one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fookgub Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Like I said, it's not something I'd do, but I must admit, that if done properly, it could look pretty cool. Like this? http://www.bassurgery.com/c_tuner.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileynumber13 Posted February 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 Now that's nice. I'm going to have to wait to experiment with this anyway, the tuner I have that I assumed to have wiring inside has far more. Meaning I took it apart and it's a 4 inch long rectangular circuit board. Bah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opencan Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I wonder if you can use this weird trend of LEDs fret markers (the side dots using leds) as a tuner. wiring it should be really easy. THAT could be cool i barely use tuners actually, so i can't think of myself trying to think about doing this in my project. also, its a lot of work for a complete guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileynumber13 Posted February 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I wonder if you can use this weird trend of LEDs fret markers (the side dots using leds) as a tuner. wiring it should be really easy. THAT could be cool I remember reading somewhere that someone was thinking of that but I don't think they ever did it.. It was in one of the LED vs fiber optics ones ... I know that Ovation uses onboards, as well as Ibanez... I wonder if there would be a way to get just that part.. the part with the mixer/tuner on top of the acoustic electric... Wierd stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 ...i barely use tuners actually... I don't think I'd admit that in public! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I wonder if there would be a way to get just that part.. the part with the mixer/tuner on top of the acoustic electric... Like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileynumber13 Posted February 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 That's amazing. I want it for my acoustic. If I knew how to install it hehe. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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