Share your favorites on Show & Tell

old musical instrument tuners #1: PETERSON model 400 STROBE TUNER

In Electronics > Show & Tell and Musical Instruments > Show & Tell.
Electronics386 of 1029old musical instrument tuners #2: CONN STROBOTUNER model ST-6Vintage 1960 Sunbeam Mixmaster
9
Love it
0
Like it

iggyiggy loves this.
EJW-54EJW-54 loves this.
AnnaBAnnaB loves this.
clockermanclockerman loves this.
blunderbuss2blunderbuss2 loves this.
elanskielanski loves this.
fortapachefortapache loves this.
Vynil33rpmVynil33rpm loves this.
ToyrebelToyrebel loves this.
See 7 more
Add to collection

    Please create an account, or Log in here

    If you don't have an account, create one here.


    Create a Show & TellReport as inappropriate


    Posted 6 years ago

    AnythingOb…
    (1778 items)

    Introduced to the professional music public in 1967, the PETERSON model 400 STROBE TUNER (and its derivative models in immediately following years) quickly became an "industry standard" tuning device widely used throughout the entire music industry -- literally everything+ from 'in people's living rooms to tune the piano' to 'the high school bandroom' to 'onstage with Jimi Hendrix/Bruce Springsteen/Pink Floyd/many, many others'. Also key to the ultimate success of these machines, they were the first "solid-state" strobe tuners...thus inherently more portable/durable/stable than any other such device of the time.

    In operation, the ASTATIC microphone (shown clipped inside of the removable lid to the tuner along with its power cord) is plugged into the front of it, which would then 'hear' the pitch of the musical note being tuned. The sorta triangular window on its front is illuminated from behind and shows what is in fact a 'spinning disc'...the marks seen on it are calibrated and turn into little 'bars' which appear to be rotating slightly sideways (one way or the other) to indicate whether the note being tuned is "sharp" or "flat" until the note is "in tune", when the 'bar' quits moving. The various knobs and controls allow adjustments of which note is being tuned as well as general "pitch" adjustments of the entire machine.

    It was manufactured by PETERSON ELECTRO-MUSICAL PRODUCTS (then) of Worth, IL, a firm which is very much still in business to this day. I don't know offhand exactly how old this specific machine is (if I called Peterson in the morning I'd bet somebody would be able to tell me?) but its probably on the sorta 'early production' end of things.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterson_Electro-Musical_Products

    It is in a black tolex (I think that's the generic name for the stuff guitar amps and such are covered with isn't it...a textured black plastic-ish coating anyway which is quite durable) box, measuring about 9" x 11" x 5".

    logo
    Electronics
    See all
    APARA Vintage Speaker Stands   Black Powder-Coated Steel  (One Pair)
    APARA Vintage Speaker Stands   Bla...
    $169
    Pioneer Stereo Vintage Logo LED Lighted Sign 16 Color Base High Quality
    Pioneer Stereo Vintage Logo LED Lig...
    $34
    FM-DW 2.2 FM converter module for vintage AM tube and transistor radios
    FM-DW 2.2 FM converter module for v...
    $32
    AM Transmitter - Stream to Your Vintage Tube Radio - Wireless Bluetooth Receiver
    AM Transmitter - Stream to Your Vin...
    $69
    logo
    APARA Vintage Speaker Stands   Black Powder-Coated Steel  (One Pair)
    APARA Vintage Speaker Stands   Bla...
    $169
    See all

    Comments

    1. AnythingObscure AnythingObscure, 6 years ago
      THANKS SO MUCH to Toyrebel, Vynil33rpm, fortapache, Newfld, elanski, Brunswick, blunderbuss2, clockerman, AnnaB, EJW-54, and iggy for stopping by and hitting the <love it> button for me! :-)
      HOW TRUE Thomas -- I too now have an "app" on my phone that I use when I'm at work. Coincidentally, it is also made by PETERSON... ;-) :-)

    Want to post a comment?

    Create an account or login in order to post a comment.