Inspired by the smoky playing preferences of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, a new cigarette-shaped clip-on tuner has hit the market – and it’s one of the most wonderfully weird things we’ve seen in a while.
Coming in a façade-continuing packet, the Tunerette is a chromatic tuner that satisfies a player’s tuning needs while giving off that classic rock star look without the need for actual cigarettes and their health kick backs. Because, why not?
Keef and co. would often be seen placing their smokes in between the strings and their headstock mid-performance, with smoke billowing out from its end while they unfurled fiery licks further up the neck.
It’s a move that’s synonymous with peak rock ’n’ roll, but in the smoking ban era, the image has become a rarity, and in truth, it wouldn’t look the same with an e-cig. Now, that might be about to change.
The Tunerette comes from the mind of Dave Hinson, best known as the owner of St. Louis store, Killer Vintage Guitars. He’s also the editor of the Vintage Guitar Price Guide and a contributing editor to the Blue Book of Guitars, so he knows his onions when it comes to vintage guitars. He also knows plenty about clip-on tuners, it would seem, and knows where many fail to pull a draw.
“Inspired by the legends of rock, (Hinson) envisioned a tuner that not only paid homage to the golden age of guitar but also addressed all the gripes he had with existing headstock tuners,” says Tunerette. “Add a dash of smokin’ style to your tuning game.”
All jokes aside, the “fast and accurate” Tunerette features a bright LED display that looks clear and intuitive, weighs a little over an ounce, and its lithium battery is rechargeable via USB connection.
It also auto-switches off after 60 seconds to conserve battery power, and there’s a warning when there is about 20 minutes of tuning time left – so players aren’t forced to bum a tuner from a friend or a random person in the smoking area of a venue.
Lastly, it has a handy benefit for the forgetful types. A disclaimer on its vintage cig packet reads: “We advise removing any clip-on tuner before a performance. But with Tunerette, if you leave it on, at least you won’t look like an idiot!”
The oddball tuning has the backing of Norman Harris or Norman’s Rare Guitars, who jokes: “We’re in California, a lot of people don’t smoke anymore, but you can look cool with this up in your headstock.”
Granted, owning one will cost $49.95, considerably more than a pack of smokes proper, but you can’t drop tune your guitar with a Malboro Red – or any brand, for that matter.
Head to Tuning to learn more.
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