I remember those Sabine tuners too we used to sell them a lot back then. I think people liked the design and the display style and they weren't too expensive. The Seiko is styled like a few other "needle" style tuners back then, the best one being the Boss TU-12H. Absolute BEST tuner of the 80's no question was the Korg DT-1 in the cassette style housing with the velcro fabric fold over wallet style case. Most reliable and accurate tuner (besides a strobe) that I ever used. Great with the two different speed/response settings, nice tone generator, even had a 1/4" output! I had two of those--the mic sensitivity was reliable. I used to just set it in the corner of one of my top speaker cabs right near one of the speakers and worked awesome that way. I trusted those DT-1's for everything at work, from intonation and temperament of guitars & basses, mandolins, bouzoukis, I tuned hammer-action stringed clavinets with that, Fender Rhodes pianos, everything. I have to say I trusted it as much as the Conn and Peterson strobes. Tuners were all going digital then and the convenience of NOT having a mechanical part getting damaged at gigs and traveling in tool bags was a huge plus. Best ones made now are the Peterson digital strobes. We used them at GC all the time (were required to by corporate standard instructions too) and I have to say the clip-on one is every bit as accurate as even the rackmount ones. The Peterson StroboPlus may be the best all around tuner manufactured right now. ~JSV
I'm a collector of the Conn family of "scientific instruments"...... I've got All 3 Conn Strobe tuner styles, the Dynalevel, and LektroTuner. Should be videos for all of them. Once I got to Strobe tuning, I never bothered to see what's new and cool......I have exactly what I want now.
I have that one, bought it from japan surplus the seiko I think its great for my pedal board, but the tuners mic is not working anymore its no big deal to me it works fine anyway.
I have the exact same Seiko ST600, and it's biased just like yours. It always tunes slightly sharp. I'm gonna tear it down for parts. My cell phone works far better.
@@DeadKoby But why bother hanging on to one when I always have my phone on me and it does a better job? (Not trying to start an argument. Just genuinely curious.)
@@DeadKoby Yeah, I can see how in a live setting something either plugged in or vibration based would be much better. I think I'm still gonna rip up my old ST600 though. I have another (better) pluggable tuner and the clip-ons are pretty cheap nowadays. Plus, dissecting old electronics is FUN.
thanks for doing a video on these, I just got a couple of these old ones from my uncle and wasn't sure about them.
They aren't terrible... but are not up to snuff with the strobe tuners I own. Still better than the snark that too many folks buy.
I remember those Sabine tuners too we used to sell them a lot back then. I think people liked the design and the display style and they weren't too expensive. The Seiko is styled like a few other "needle" style tuners back then, the best one being the Boss TU-12H.
Absolute BEST tuner of the 80's no question was the Korg DT-1 in the cassette style housing with the velcro fabric fold over wallet style case. Most reliable and accurate tuner (besides a strobe) that I ever used. Great with the two different speed/response settings, nice tone generator, even had a 1/4" output! I had two of those--the mic sensitivity was reliable. I used to just set it in the corner of one of my top speaker cabs right near one of the speakers and worked awesome that way.
I trusted those DT-1's for everything at work, from intonation and temperament of guitars & basses, mandolins, bouzoukis, I tuned hammer-action stringed clavinets with that, Fender Rhodes pianos, everything. I have to say I trusted it as much as the Conn and Peterson strobes.
Tuners were all going digital then and the convenience of NOT having a mechanical part getting damaged at gigs and traveling in tool bags was a huge plus. Best ones made now are the Peterson digital strobes. We used them at GC all the time (were required to by corporate standard instructions too) and I have to say the clip-on one is every bit as accurate as even the rackmount ones. The Peterson StroboPlus may be the best all around tuner manufactured right now.
~JSV
I'm a collector of the Conn family of "scientific instruments"...... I've got All 3 Conn Strobe tuner styles, the Dynalevel, and LektroTuner. Should be videos for all of them. Once I got to Strobe tuning, I never bothered to see what's new and cool......I have exactly what I want now.
I have that one, bought it from japan surplus the seiko I think its great for my pedal board, but the tuners mic is not working anymore its no big deal to me it works fine anyway.
I have the exact same Seiko ST600, and it's biased just like yours. It always tunes slightly sharp. I'm gonna tear it down for parts. My cell phone works far better.
Although Nothing compares to the strobe, korg and sabine tuners are close enough.
@@DeadKoby But why bother hanging on to one when I always have my phone on me and it does a better job? (Not trying to start an argument. Just genuinely curious.)
My phone is rubbish... and in a live setting, the clip on is the best unless I have a Gibson robot.
@@DeadKoby Yeah, I can see how in a live setting something either plugged in or vibration based would be much better.
I think I'm still gonna rip up my old ST600 though. I have another (better) pluggable tuner and the clip-ons are pretty cheap nowadays. Plus, dissecting old electronics is FUN.