Fender FCT-2 Professional Clip-On Tuner Review

★★★★★★★★★★

“Love this Fender tuner! Clips on easy, battery easy to install, tuning is a piece of cake with the easy to understand read out. I'm using it for my guitar instead of the guitar tunio app. My acoustic guitar sounds SO much better! Got this on the Amazon black Friday sales. It was a bargain, is lightweight and looks like it will hold up well. I am leaving it on the end of my guitar. Used a small phillips screwdriver to install the battery that came with the tuner.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“It's perfect for tuning my guitar and bass. The battery lasts a long time. It is very practical due to its size and its handling is very simple. Nothing complicated.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“SUPER QUICK DELIVERY. THE TUNER IS EASY TO USE AND ACCURATE. BEING COMPACT THE TUNER IS VERY EASY TO USE AND PROVIDES MULTI INSTRUMENT USAGF. GREAT PRODUCT.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“Fairly easy to use. I'm a beginner and was able to tune my guitar”

★★★★★★★★★★

“First of all, this tuner seems to do its job very nicely. Many of the reviews here mention it does a good job, even "very precise". I think this is the most important thing about this cute gadget. The complaints I've seen have to do with other stuff:(Everybody is entitled to their opinion, I guess, but I somewhat disagree with many of the complaints I read.)"Hard to remove battery cover": If you expected a "no tools cap", this is not it. But, as far as having to use a "special screwdriver", no; and I think that's an unfair comment (It makes you think you need something like one of those triangular-shaped screwdrivers that some handheld gaming consoles use. Nothing like that).It's a Phillips screw. That's very standard in my book. Granted, it's not a #2 Phillips size; you need a #1, but come on, that's like the second-most-common Phillips screwdriver size!Plus, as you unscrew it, it will pull the battery holder out. The screw stays in place, so no risk of it falling and getting lost. It's actually a very nice design."The battery dies quickly": I just got it, so I can't attest to this, but I suspect this is actually true. MAYBE that's why the manual says: "Remove the battery from the unit when not in use for extended periods of time.I'd say that's fair game. (You are supposed to read the manual, right?)I suspect what's going on here is that this little unit doesn't have a true power on/off switch (the button is just for turning off the screen). And I think this has to do with the price.Would I prefer it had a proper power-off switch? Of course! But, considering it's already hard to find these kinds of gadgets without an internal battery (see pros/cons below), if that's what I have to concede, it's fine."It uses a rare, costly battery": No it doesn't! The CR2032 is probably the most common "coin" battery nowadays, and it is not expensive at all (I mean, you can look that up here on Amazon)."Insufficient instructions": If you are expecting a "tuning manual" or a QR code to a YouTube video, you'll be disappointed. Again, for the price, this could have come with no manual at all. I find the manual adequate and sufficient: it does provide detailed information on how to operate the device, although it won't teach you how to tune an instrument.(I think this is like buying a guitar, and expecting it'll come with "instructions" on "how to play a guitar". It might come with some information on how to operate the string tensors, but I don't think anybody expects to learn how to use it from "its manual".)"It reads all strings right, except one": I find that REALLY hard to believe. It's not like it has a separate sensor and separate circuitry inside, for each string. If it reads fine 5 of 6 strings, do you really think the unit is defective? If it detects, say, the 6th string as the 5th, but all the others are detected fine, do you think the tuner is the problem?Isn't it much more probable that the 6th string is way out of tune? Or maybe even: a 5th string was mistakenly installed in place of the 6th?I'm not saying you can't get a lemon; it's an electronic device and of course there could be defective ones, but this so very specific kind of defect I find very hard to believe.Maybe I'm wrong, but before returning it for something like that, I think it's worth testing it with another instrument or making really sure the problem isn't the string, instead of the tuner.Pros:No rechargeable battery inside: Yes, this is a pro for me. (If you prefer that, it exists.) I really don't see how having to remember to first charge this with a USB cable (until, eventually, its tiny battery fails, which then won't be replaceable) is better than just keeping a couple of CR2032 and a small Ph1 screwdriver with it. This "convenience", of having an integrated rechargeable battery, I find rather very inconvenient; and it makes the device considerably more expensive. No, thank you. Or rather: Thank you so much for offering the CR2032 alternative.Modes: It offers dedicated modes for Chromatic, Guitar, Bass, Violin, and Ukulele. So far, I have only used it for Guitar, and it worked nicely.String detection: In addition to displaying the note being detected, it will tell you what string it's picking up (number to the left of the note). A feature I really wasn't expecting, but found very useful.Three hinges on the clip: I don't see how some people find it hard to position. I thought it would have only one (2 max) point of adjustment. It's very adjustable.Wide clip: I was sure (by its pictures) the clip would be flimsy and wouldn't open wide enough. I was wrong. Well, I hope it doesn't break, but so far I haven't read anybody complaining of that.Cons:No true switch-off button: This is not a deal-breaker for me, but of course, it would be better to be able to just leave the battery in. Maybe it would cost a bit more if it had it… I would pay for that feature.It comes with the battery: Why is this a con? Because it creates an unnecessary complication (and potential problem) for shipping. As I said, CR2032 are common and not hard to come by. Maybe it would even be cheaper if they left the battery out. Furthermore, the battery is unbranded and probably not a good one.Conclusion: I'll update this review if something goes wrong, but so far, I highly recommend this product.”