Tuning your guitar can be very annoying, especially for beginner musicians. While there are loads of apps out there that will certainly be able to get the job done like Guitar Toolkit, Cadenza and others, there are many situations when the virtual option just won’t cut it. That’s where options like the Roadie Automatic Guitar Tuner enters the picture. It can tune you up in seconds without even touching the tuning pegs.
Today we have a solid deal on the previous generation model Roadie along with news of developer Band Industries returning to Kickstarter with new updated model. Roadie 2, along with the new Roadie Bass Automatic Instrument Tuners sport an updated design a few new key features.
Simply turn the device on, select which instrument you are using, place the device on the tuning peg and then strum away while Roadie 2 does all the work for you. Band Industries says this is the “world’s first standalone automatic guitar tuner”. Which is one of its more interesting features and one of the differentiating factors over the previous generation model. It supports guitars (6, 7 or 12-string), ukuleles, mandolins, banjos and more right out of the box, along with standard, alternate and custom made tunings for each. For low frequency instruments like a bass guitar, you’ll need the more powerful Roadie Bass. Both models last around 1 month on a single charge over the included USB-C cable and feature a small OLED display.
While the companion app is actually quite powerful, the new Roadies can function in a completely standalone fashion. This time around the device doesn’t use the smartphone to analyze and adjust the pitch of your instrument, but rather some kind of vibration sensor tech built directly inside the physical casing. This is great for a number of reasons, including noisy environments like on stage, outside or, most importantly, when the drummer won’t chill for 2 seconds for you to tune-up. Pros might actually dig this thing considering they don’t have to pull out a smartphone on stage, yet still reap the benefits of an app-connected tuner.
The app side of things is actually quite powerful here as well though. This is where you’ll be able to store and create custom tunings/instruments and more. It will even help you keep track of the string health on your instruments and help you wind-up while re-stringing.
We see loads of interesting new products and gadgets hit Kickstarter, and while many of them come to fruition in some way or other, it is always nice to see a company with a previously successful campaign come back for round two. And they have already soared passed the $50,000 goal with more than $74,000 in pledges at the time of writing.
Early bird backers can pick-up a Roadie 2 for $79 before it jumps to $129 or a Bass Roadie for $99 ahead of its eventual $149 MSRP listing. The Kickstarter campaign currently has the new models shipping in October of this year.
If you don’t mind the app-tethered system the previous generation model employs, it is currently available for $15 off via the Amazon Launchpad Store. Simply clip the-on page coupon to drop your total down to $84 shipped, which is the lowest we have seen it go for on Amazon. Still a little overkill for you? The Snark hardware tuners are very highly-rated, affordable (under $20 Prime shipped) and will certainly get the job done
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