Intelli Tuner
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reviewed by Todd Stuart Phillips 
I was late coming around to the Intelli stringed instrument tuner but I have finally seen the light of its green screen and been converted. I had purchased so many tuners over the years, expecting each to be the last tuner I would ever need. I eventually decided I would not be wasting time on any more gadgets that did not work as well as my traditional pitch fork. The Intelli IMT-500 changed my mind.
You may have seen this new class of vibration sensitive tuner already. It is made of black plastic and shaped like three-quarters of a diamond. It clips to the end of the guitar's headstock and swivels so it is easy to read. The diamond-shaped screen is about an inch across in either directly and has a bright, green light behind a black LCD display that is very easy to read even in the dark. But where other chromatic tuners become useless in bright sunlight, the Intelli's black meter and large key indicator remain legible.
There are many reasons to like this tuner when compared to others of its kind. But what I like best about it is the fact it can reach down and accurately assess the low E string. I find most chromatic tuners have a problem with notes that low, with some of the more famous ones not even bothering to register an attempt. That is why I continue to return to the old pitch fork and my own ears. But the Intelli not only gives a strong reading on the low E note, it accurately displays the same string when it is tuned down a step to D and even two steps down to C! This is of great help for someone like me who is frequently switching to alternate tunings.
I have been using it on guitars of auditorium and grand auditorium sizes. It is possible that big, wallowy dreadnoughts might give off too many sympathetic undertones in the bass to get an accurate reading. But for me, this tuner gives steady readings of the low E strings on guitars that other tuners failed to read at all. In general I have been unhappy with tuners that use a meter with an arc and needle. They tend to bounce around and have a hard time staying on a pitch long enough to adjust the string. But this tuner zeros in on a note and the needle keeps right at the final reading for several seconds longer than I usually see on an LCD tuner. It also does not need as long a rest before adjusting to another tone. That all adds up to a lot less frustration when tuning a sensitive, acoustic guitar.
The only downside I find with this tuner is found in all electric tuners that are not priced through the roof. Basically they allow too much in the way of slight variations, so the tuner will say all the notes are on target but then one still has to tweak a string or two to get it to sound as good as it should. This tuner is similar in this respect but on the whole it is a minor complaint compared to other electric tuners.
When I look at the Intelli closely it seems to me that its manufacturer took a look at the more-well known Intellitouch brand tuner and asked themselves how it could be improved. The Intelli does not stand as far out from the guitar so it is less likely to knock into things. The swivel that allows the main part of the tuner to be adjusted for viewing moves effortlessly and can turn side to side or be tilted back almost 180°. The clip that attaches the tuner to the guitar's headstock stands a scant half an inch out from the guitar and is ribbed for a good grip. It pinches like a clothes pin to open and has rubber pads on both contact surfaces so it will not harm the wood (unlike the other one, which has an awkward slider, like on a dog leash and no padding.)
The tuner has the usual calibration feature so you can get into tune with vintage keyed instruments made before they standardized tuners to A = 440 Hertz. It also has a cool Flat feature. This allows you to set the tuner so it will calibrate the notes to a half-step flat of concert pitch. But it also allows tuning down to four half-steps below concert pitch. It takes a CR3932 disk battery, which lasts a very long time.
Simply put, this is the best electric guitar tuner I have ever owned. I have seen tuners that were more accurate, but they cost many times more and were not designed to clip on be forgotten until needed. I think the Intelli would make a great gift even for someone who already has a tuner, because they will likely think this is a better one.
Out of a possible 8 Notes on the T Spoon Scale of Guitaracity, I give the
Intelli IMT-500 Chromatic Tuner an accurate and easy to use 7 Notes.
TSP, NYC
