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Find the best guitar tuner whatever your budget, with our top picks from the likes of Boss, Korg, TC Electronic and D’Addario npb
1. The quick list 2. Best overall 3. Best for accuracy 4. Best multi-purpose 5. Best value for money 6. Best rackmount 7. Best budget 8. More options... 9. Buying advice 10. How we choose the best guitar tuners
We get that a guitar tuner is not the most interesting purchase you’ll ever make. But ultimately it should be the first port of call for any guitarist, particularly if you’re a beginner or you’re building your first pedalboard. Our pick of the best guitar tuners comes in a wide variety of formats that will suit any guitarist whether you’re just coming up or you’re a touring professional.
Before you get to buying loads of boutique stompboxes or expensive tube amps, your instrument needs to be accurately tuned. Not only does a tuner ensure that your guitar sounds its best from the off, but it’s also a crucial component in the setup work required to make a guitar play great, from changing strings to setting the intonation. Get it right and the first step and everything that follows will sound that much better for it.
There are loads of different tuner types to choose from and whilst that free app on your phone is great, it just won’t cut it compared to plugging something directly into or onto your guitar itself. If you’d like to know more about tuning then check out our buying advice section. If you’re ready to see the best of the bunch, then keep scrolling for our top picks…
Chris has been the Editor of Total Guitar magazine since 2020. Prior to that, he was at the helm of Total Guitar's world-class tab and tuition section for 12 years. He's a former guitar teacher with 35 years playing experience and he holds a degree in Philosophy & Popular Music. Chris has interviewed Brian May three times, Jimmy Page once, and Mark Knopfler zero times – something he desperately hopes to rectify as soon as possible
Bored of walls of text? Here you'll find the very best guitar tuners available today, with links to read more if you want.
With it's small size, excellent tuning accuracy, and its polyphonic ability to see all your strings' tuning at once, the TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Mini is a brilliant option for any guitar player.
The Peterson StroboStomp HD has fast become a favorite of pro guitarists, mixing compact size with a huge feature set. It's also one of the most accurate tuners around.
If you've got a packed pedalboard, the Ernie Ball VPJR Tuner does the job of volume/expression pedal and tuner, saving you valuable space for more fuzz, dirt, or delay pedals.
No list of guitar tuners would be complete without the Boss TU-3. Seen on countless pro guitarists' pedalboards, the rugged build and reliability of the TU-3 make it a great choice.
Best rack mount
If you're looking for the ultimate in accuracy, then a rackmount tuner is the way to go. The Korg Pitchblack X Pro is a brilliant option as it can be mounted on pedalboards too.
If you're on a tight budget then a clip-on guitar tuner is the way to go. The Snark ST-2 Super Tight is absolutely insane value for money, and super accurate too.
You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Inline Tap Here you'll find full writeups for the best guitar tuners available today. Many of these products have been extensively tested by our team of expert musicians, so you can rely on our recommendations.