FAQ

Q-Tune is the first DIY guitar tuner pedal kit designed for musicians, builders, and tinkerers who want a high-performance tuner they can build themselves. It has a bright 2.8" touchscreen, studio-grade accuracy, and firmware that keeps improving over USB-C.

No. The standard Q-Tune kit requires no soldering at all. The circuit board comes pre-assembled, and the kit goes together with simple hand tools in about 15–30 minutes. If you want the soldering experience, the Q-Tune Solder Kit (Through-Hole) is also available and requires intermediate soldering skills.

Both build the exact same tuner with the same features. The standard Q-Tune kit has the circuit board pre-assembled, so it snaps together with hand tools in 15–30 minutes. No soldering or electronics experience needed. The Q-Tune Solder Kit (Through-Hole) ships with loose components you solder onto the board yourself, for builders who want the full hands-on experience.

Pre-orders for the Q-Tune kit are expected to ship in June or July 2026. We'll email you with tracking as soon as your order is on its way. If we can't ship within that window, we'll reach out with an update, and you can request a full refund if you'd rather not wait. See our Shipping & Returns page for details.

Q-Tune ships as a kit you put together yourself, which is part of the fun. But the standard kit needs no soldering and most builders finish in 15–30 minutes with the included hand tools. Follow the assembly guide and you'll be tuning in no time.

The standard Q-Tune kit includes the two hex keys you need. You'll also want a screwdriver and a wrench from your own toolbox. The assembly guide lists everything.

The Q-Tune Solder Kit (Through-Hole) additionally requires:

• A soldering iron and solder
• Wire cutters/strippers
• A small Phillips screwdriver
• A multimeter
• A headworn magnifier (optional but extremely helpful)

• Pre-assembled, pre-flashed Q-Tune board
• 2.8" Capacitive Touch LCD Display
• Connectorized footswitch and cables (no soldering)
• All mounting hardware and hex keys
• A painted 1590B aluminum enclosure
• Step-by-step assembly guide (downloadable on the assembly page)

Yes. The standard Q-Tune kit is designed so anyone can build it. No soldering or electronics experience required. The Q-Tune Solder Kit (Through-Hole) is best suited for intermediate builders comfortable with soldering and basic electronics.

When new versions are available, you can upgrade your Q-Tune pedal with the web installer using a standard USB-C data cable.

Q-Tune uses an advanced zero-crossing detection algorithm (it's actually more complicated than that). It's designed for fast and accurate pitch detection, optimized for stringed instruments like guitar and bass.

Yes, though it's optimized for standard guitar and bass tuning ranges.

Since Q-Tune is a DIY kit, we cannot offer a formal warranty. However, please join the Q-Tune Builder's Discord and we or other builders may be able to help you troubleshoot.

Shipping can get a little bit tricky, but if you are interested and live outside of the United States, please contact us and let's see what we can work out with you.

We're always looking for improvements and new features. If there's something you'd love to see, please let us know. As newer versions are available, we will post them on the web installer page.

It's rare, but it happens. The assembly guide includes an inventory of parts. If you received the wrong parts, or if something was left out, please let us know as soon as possible and we'll make it right. Fill out the Missing Parts Form.

Feel free to join the Q-Tune Builder's Discord and ask questions. The Third Party area of the Pedal PCB Forums also has a dedicated Q-Tune DIY Tuner section. There are also many great pedal building forums that may help, including All About Circuits and GroupDIY.