Fender FT-1 Pro Chromatic Clip-on Headstock Tuner Reviews

Forget the Snark, you're paying for a name!
I use this on a Squier Jazz 5 string bass tuned AEADG and it picks up the low A pretty well, better if I use a harmonic, but IT WILL HEAR IT!!!
It works great, easy to use, similar if not better footprint than a snark, and has options I never need to use!
This is the best bang for the buck clip on tuner you can find.

This is honestly the best tuner I own. I have owned it now for a few months and it works every time. I have went through three snarks and have had issues with them not working correctly to the point that I threw them in the trash. For the price it has definitely been worth it, and has been a great tuner.

I wanted an inexpensive, but accurate, tuner. Nothing fancy. This is exactly the item I wanted. Buy one, you won't be sorry.

This is a nice little tuner, and you can't beat the price. It does what it's supposed to do. It's infinitely more accurate than the cheap Snark I have that is also in this price range. I really can't say anything bad about it. I don't agree with some of the other reviews I've seen that say the screen is too small. I can read it perfectly fine from the end of my P bass. I've recommended this tuner to others as a good, inexpensive option.

I was a bit hesitant about this tuner because I've always been a snark guy. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well actuate this tuner is. It fits tighter then my snark on the head stock of my Mikro bass. It's a keeper!!!

This little guy is a real trooper. It just works. No fancy bells and whistles, no ostentatious lighting, it just works. It is more accurate than my old ears, and I can use it on any of my instruments. I bought this tuner three years ago and it hasn't missed a beat in all that time and I use it daily.

I'm a drummer who has learned from all the guitarists I've drummed for to play the cowboy chords, enough to play and perform some of my favorite acoustic numbers. So I own an acoustic and Sweetwater has made it impossible to not own a beautiful Gretsch electric guitar ( or two) . Keeping my drums in tune is a part of playing them, and having this easy to use wonderful tuner clipped to a guitar is essential. I bought another for a guitarist friend, it impressed me that much and it's affordable as hell and does whatever you need it for. Looking for a clip on tuner? Look no further- this is truly a no brainer at the price!

As usual all goodlove this store & how fast they get it to you. Tuner works Perfect
Thank you

I have several clip on tuners from various manufacturers and I must say that these are my favorite. They work well and are so cheap that I have bought several to have in various instrument cases. They are as accurate as more expensive brands and are able to tune anything that I clipped them on including guitar, bass, ukulele, and other stringed instruments.

really good tuner for the money you can't beat it!

WoW! I am most impressed with this LiL' bug tuner. Works as it should with no latency. "Tip" once you have tuned your desired string to pitch, mute that one and move to the next string, easy as it is.
I find this a fantastic tuner for an almost give away price.
I had 2 snarks that broke at the joints 2 to 3 months in use.
You have to put the button battery + facing away from the front screen, it's not that clearly spelled out in the micro print instructions.
So have been playing guitar for some 50yrs, back then alls we had to tune a guitar with was a "pitch pipe" for beginners or a tuning fork for "A" that would set the standard and tune all the other strings according of that. This fender tuner has aliviated all that. Thank you Fender & Sweetwater

Works perfectly and the price $ is great

This is a nice tuner for the money. It seems a little sturdier than the typical Snark and it's easy to get a reading. My only niggle is that the tuner just barely fits on my acoustics, but the Snarks are like that as well.

I have 3 of these and could not be happier.

I like this tuner, it's accurate, fast and one thing to, is it's actually pretty durable compared to Snark tuners. I like Snark tuners but their easy to break! And this fender feels more solid, and it's just built better for a clip on tuner.

I like these turners. I have tried it against more expensive ones and these were just as good.

It only took a minute to get my bass in tune and ready to go. This tuner is easy to go right out of the box.

...make that 4 tuners in all...just purchased my 4th one from sweetwater...
can't beat the price, and they're exceptionally good...and FAST!!!

check the prices and you'll see sweetwater has the best deal...

i like it much better than my $40 boss tuner....

in fact, i threw the boss tuner away. the needle was all over the place and tuning
wasn't consistent...and sometimes it even read the incorrect note or key....

with the FT-1, i can tune every string on my guitar in less than a minute...and it's ACCURATE!!!
the price was right, so i have 3 in all...

I really like this a lot! It's extra useful for a handful of instruments; plus you can tune, or fine-tune, chromatically.

This tuner is easy to read it's bright enough to read under any lights. Easy to put on and easy to take off. I believe this will be my 4th one. My 12 year old grandson can use it. What else do you need or want. Thanks Brent for all the help.

Nice little clip on tuner, for a great price. Easy to use, small, and works just fine.

Pick one up for each guitar!

I have different models and brands of clip on tuners in guitar cases and drawers scattered around my apartment, some pretty good, some I regret buying. I recently picked up a couple of these with my new Guild Starfire IV, and I just love them. Sweetwater sells them for a good price, they are very responsive, and most important to me, they are easy to see. Definitely the tuner to have!

I chose this tuner based on customer reviews. I'm so glad I did. Good tuner, great price. Surprisingly accurate, easy to use. I'm not seeing the downside here. Highly recommended. I will be buying another one (or two) for backup. Thank you Fender. And thank you Sweetwater for superb service as always

I have used many different brand clip on tuners and this one surprised me. It is very compact, it tracks great, and the display is excellent. I play 5 string basses and this tuner tracks my low B's very good. I have used other, more expensive brand clip on tuners, and this one beats them all.

First of all, I'm just a bedroom player, so take my opinion w/ a grain of salt. I too was using my iPhone app (Fender) to tune which was a pain. I like chromatic tuning, and I love how smoothly it works on this device. The background color changes from blue to green when you are in tune. What's not to like? Fairly small and looks about as good as you make one of these things. And dirt cheap. For you gigging guys, do not be put off by the price. This thing is flat out good. For all of you in my situation? Put away the phone and order one.

This is my 1st foray into clip on tuners and I'm absolutely astonished! My old Korg gt-8 tuner I bought in the early 80s has served me well but is getting a little rickety from all the years of gigging (been dropped many times) . It's old but still very precise (I like how as you turn the tuner machines the needle rises smoothly unlike other digital tuners that take big jumps,I hate that). So when I ordered my new Yamaha ll 16d I decided to get this tuner. Couldn't be happier. I have many guitars in different tunings (E-E,Eb-Eb,D-D,C#-C#). I used to place a capo on the appropriate fret tune to pitch then take it off. Now I just set the fender ft-1 on chromatic function turn the tuner until the note I want shows up and turns green . Hands free and easy to see. Under 10 dollars if it breaks not a big deal. Thanks Sweetwater for and Chris's Cress for recommending this great product!

This tuner is a God send. I no longer have to open up my app on my phone, plug into a tuner, etc. to tune my guitar.. Just clip this little bad boy on to my guitar and somehow it tunes it perfect. As it has been said, has a BRIGHT GREEN LIGHT when it hits the perfect tuning of a string. I don't know why I never bought one of these in my 20+ years of playing. Feel like a DODO Bird. Get it, you will be thankful.. Also, thanks for the candy sweetwater!! I give it to my little boy who LOVES it!!

This is a great, simple to operate tuner. It is easy to read, turning an obvious green when in tune. It responds quickly to pitch changes to prevent back and forth over/under adjusting. And the double swivel head makes it easy to point in just about any direction you could want. The chromatic mode covers all the bases so I just leave it there. It's worked for ukulele, guitar, violin, and even cello. I don't find instrument specific modes all that useful, but they're there if you want them!

I love this tuner. Easy to use and very precise. Would highly recommend this product. Worth the money.

This was my first foray into headstock tuners. Previously, I relied in plug in tuners, but this has become a game changer for me. I like the convenience of leaving it on my guitar in the family room and just picking up my guitar whenever I feel the need to play. As always, my sales engineer, Shelby is a good guide on the products.

I got one of these inside my metal tin Fender lunch bucket (so much nicer than the old "Barney" one)...I was expecting a "so what" tuner and when I used it - it was a" kawabunga" - much better than my high-priced Korgs, light-weight and really easy to use. I am buying more.

You have to toy around with this thing a bit to figure out alternate tunings -better than average for standard tuning - slight adjustments may be required depending on your ear and the genre you play. Excellent customer service - personable and professional, very reasonable if you have any issues or questions to ask. Packaging and shipping more than adequate - satisfied customer...

Accurate enough for my needs, not as fast as my snark but it's also twice the price. It also feels solid than it. I used it to tune electric guitar and bass and works great with both

I've had my Fender FT 1 for a month, and I am immeasurably impressed with this little unit. That is to say, after I removed the plastic display protector. But even with that on, I found the FT 1 to be well worth the $10.00 I paid for it. After removing the plastic protector, I realized that the tuner is an incredible tuner for $... In fact, I am not sure why it doesn't sell for $20 or $30. Just don't tell Fender.
I am on my way to Sweetwater right now to order two more Fender FT 1's. One for each performance guitar.

Earlier I posted a unfavorable review of this tuner, now I realized the batteries I were using were faulty. I obtained some fresh batteries and the tuner works perfectly now, so I sincerely retract my earlier review .

This is the first clip on tuner I've purchased. Really surprised something that works this well is less than $. Works great on my guitars and bass, but it can also work on a ukulele and a violin. My only gripe is the need for a battery. Really wish it was rechargeable. I know there are other models that do more and are rechargeable, but if I lose it, no big deal.

Screen and tuning works great, good little gadget to toss in your bag or keep clipped on your players at home. Didn't realize until after I bought it that it baaarely fits on the headstock of one of my guitars because of the shape, so check to make sure you have space for about the size of a penny plus the clamps to not bump into your tuning pegs. The little neck does extend and turns at different angles but I still have to crane my neck a bit to see it while standing. I'll definitely keep it because it works well but for my next one I'd get something with a little bit more moveability. 4 stars for me personally.

Yes, I like it. It does exactly what it it supposed to do. It is accurate, consistent, easy to read and easy to operate. What is battery life? I don't know, but the first one lasted about 18 months. I like the light and the fact that it turns green when you hit the sweet spot on tuning and it is calibrated for more instruments than I can play.

So I wanted to finally retire my trusty ole Korg Tuner I've had for 20 years, because I have to use the mic for acoustics and it goes haywire sometimes. Anyway, went with Fender for my first clip on tuner. Easy to use. Check. Gives fast and accurate readouts. Check. I saw comments about the LCD display being too small, but honestly if you're naturally, or with corrective lenses, near standard eye sight (20/20) you'll be fine. The setting symbols (like "C" for Chromatic) are smaller, and I can see some people having a real problem seeing those.

Here's my only con: The clip is tiny, smooth, and very strong. Bad combination. Two things happen: 1. When I try to open the clip and I lose grip, the **** thing will go flying out of my hand and onto the hardwood floor. 2. I feel like my head stock is too thick for it (I have a Cordoba C5), as I really have to open the clip wide to get it secured onto the head stock. And If I don't get it right, flying off it goes again. It's come crashing onto the floor a few times and I'm worried it might mess up the sensor and it's calibration.

Maybe it's designed with thinner head stocks in mind, I don't know. Hopefully it just get's getting use to. Just my two cents.

I just bought this through Sweetwater of course, and I really do appreciate the structure, except for the display size and clearness, and also unnecessary features like the way you have to keep doing everything with one button. It should have a larger screen also. I'll go back to Snark for now.

It's a problematic design to have all the features on one button, especially if you're buying it for a beginner or for someone who isn't too tech savvy (i.e. elderly folks). It's way too easy to accidently get the tuner on the wrong setting for the instrument you're tuning, and when you turn it off and back on, it's still on the wrong instrument. When 90% of the people that buy this are likely buying it for a guitar (it has one of the oldest guitar manufacturers' name on it after all), it should probably default to that every time you turn it on. Good heavens, the odd way my MIL tuned her guitar with this thing set to some other instrument! It's also kind of finicky to find a good spot to get it reading properly on some headstocks, my TC tuner doesn't seem to care where you put it, it just works.

You definitely get what you pay for here, it's not doing Fender any favors to have their name on something so mediocre.

I ordered this tuner a few months ago because I wanted a convenient clip-on style tuner and this one was super cheap shipped from Sweetwater. The tuner worked fine and had different modes available for tuning, however, recently my guitar fell over onto the carpet when I was moving my amp and the tuner, which was clipped to the headstock exploded and the wires came unsoldered. It was a fairly soft surface; but the quality of construction on this tuner won't hold up to much if any wear and tear. It was my mistake, but I'll try out the boss clip-on as a replacement and see if it's any better. At $ you can't go wrong, but you get what you pay for

I was happy with this unit until it turned out like every other clip on tuner I own with a nonfunctioning blue backlight. It lasted almost 3 months. However, it will still light up green when you get in tune so it's not completely useless. Great ear training device.

I'm displeased with this tuner I tried it out with a new battery and it still doesn't work it lights up for a second and then dies.

Piece of junk. Rarely works, and when it does it is anything but reliable. Don't buy this. Total waste of money!

The display is too small and poorly defined to read from a normal playing position. VERY tiny display. Notes do not clearly display. Not even worth the little it costs.

The readout is very tiny. It's hard to read when clipped onto the headstock of even my short scale Mustang bass. Plus the instructions are written in very tiny type - almost impossible to read. I won't be returning because it's not worth the trouble at the price. Get a Snark - much clearer read out.