Korg needs no introduction, it’s one of the most successful music companies in the world. Korg are making everything from synthesizers to digital pianos, and guitar effect pedals, to some of the best music production software in existence these days. Today, though, I want to go over Korg TM-60, a handheld tuner and metronome combo.
In a world where most guitar players are using a mobile app as a tuner and metronome, handheld tuners must bring something really special to the table in order to survive in the fierce competition against free apps.
About the Korg TM-60 Tuner and Metronome
The TM-60 electronic tuner is for both guitar and bass, as well as for dozens of other instruments. The tuner has a button that allows you to switch between guitar, bass, or any of it’s other instruments. It helps to properly detect the pitch of every note that you play. The Guitar mode is able to tune to the notes of a seven-string guitar from the range of 7B all the way to 1E. The Bass mode can be used for other instruments as well and can detect notes ranging from low-B to Hi-C. If you don’t know what that means you might want to read about basic guitar and bass tuning. This will help you to properly tune your instrument.
I bought it on Amazon for about $45.00, it came with an additional clip-on mic. There’s a cheaper version without the mic that you can get here. I have officially had my tuner now for about two years and it is still going strong. It hasn’t broken, cracked, or given an inaccurate reading while tuning any of my guitars. The back cover of the tuner slides off by pressing in two tabs on the side, and operates on two triple A batteries. The battery it came with lasted several months before I had to change it. As long as you don’t keep it running for too long or forget to turn it off you shouldn’t have to change the batteries anytime soon.
Tuner’s Functions
The Korg TM-60 tuner has 12 buttons located on the front cover. They are all pretty straight forward, and cover the functionalities of tuners and metronomes. A cool feature that I liked is that it can play a sound you can tune to, if you want to tune by ear.
Every time you press the sound button it changes the note from 7B, to 6E, 5A, 4D, 3G, 2B, and 1E. Each with a different sound to help you tune by ear. The sound is produced by a small built in speaker on the right side of the tuner. It produces a loud and clear sound for you to hear properly. If you press the flatten button the sound will change so that you can hear how the note sounds flat as well. I actually don’t use this button often because it sounds like a 1980s arcade game and it is very loud and can get a bit annoying if you leave it going.
The tuner picks up sound from a small built in microphone located on the front of the tuner and displays the pitch of the note on the LCD screen. But you can also connect a clip-on mic, which I found more convenient. The tuner works by displaying a needle that moves from left to right. It also shows a red light just above the LCD screen to let you know that if it’s either too flat or too sharp.
Other Features of Korg TM-60
Another additional feature that the Korg TM-60 tuner offers is a built-in Input slot for electric instruments and microphones. For example, you could plug your electric guitar cable directly into the tuner. That way, you can tune your instrument without using an amp which I thought was a great idea. The tuner also has an auto power-off function in case you forgot to shut it off. It will turn it off when it’s idle for more than 20 minutes. I have honestly never seen it auto shut off. I only leave mine on for a couple of minutes to tune before I practice, but it’s a nice feature to have. The back of the tuner has a tilt card slot so that you can support the tuner hands-free and keep it propped up on your desk or something.
Metronome Functions
Unlike the tuner, which has a bit more complex features, the metronome is straight to the point. You can set the volume, sounds, tempo, and number of beats per bar and you can use the tap button. Personally, I prefer using the tap feature rather than setting the BPM, but that’s just me. The tap button itself is really accurate and feels well made.
There’s a headphone output jack that can be used to hear the metronome instead of the built-in speaker. I didn’t find it too comfortable, though, but it’s an option you can try.
Overall Rating
Everything you get in the box is the Korg TM-60 tuner, two triple A batteries, and the owner’s manual. I pretty much use my tuner every day and I have had no problems with it. I’ve dropped it a couple of times and I don’t see a dent or scratch on the plastic cover, so it’s pretty durable.
Overall as far as tuners go I’m giving it a 9/10. I would have given the Korg TM-60 a perfect 10 but the tuning sounds can get pretty annoying. Other than that for this price you can’t beat this tuner’s accuracy, size, and durability.
Where to Buy it From?
Korg TM-60 is fairly popular, meaning, you can find it in most music stores, as well as on many online retailers such as Amazon. You can get the model with the added clip-on mic here, and the model without it here.
Finishing Thoughts
This tuner and metronome combo is a great addition to any player, it’s very intuitive and a lot more accurate than any tuning app I tried. The best thing about it is that it contains both a tuner and a metronome, so by taking it with you, you always have one less thing to worry about.
