Tuning Forks

John Walker tuning forks, made from the highest quality Sheffield steel, are designed for accuracy, not loudness. They are guaranteed for life to deliver perfect pitch if properly maintained.

• made from hardened, tempered (spring) steel
• no welds unlike cheaper forks stamped from wire!
• calibrated to national lab standard 3 times during manufacture
• accurate to +/- 0.05Hz (better than 0.01% for a 512Hz fork)
• manufactured to ISO 9002 standards

Tuning Fork Accuracy: What Does It Mean & Who Needs It?
 

A tuning fork, by definition, produces a nearly pure note that can be used for tuning musical instruments, voice training, physics teaching or calibration. A tuning fork that produces "rich overtones" is not a tuning fork, it is a musical instrument.

All John Walker tuning forks are triple tuned; with a proprietary resonance technique & then checked by a frequency counter.

Why? Because, each fork is milled from a single piece of steel, heat treated & filed. Each step can alter the fork's performance slightly & this attention to detail ensures unparalled accuracy.

Accuracy of +/-0.05Hz means an A440 fork will ring between 440.05 & 439.95Hz; a difference detectable only by electronic means. Cheaper wire forks may start off with +/-0.2Hz accuracy but get worse after use, sometimes after only 3 strikes!

Who needs it? Anyone who requires reliable tones every time, whether you are a scientist, engineer, physician or musician; even high school teachers with limited budgets. Why save 20% for a fork that has no guarantee when you can buy one with a lifetime guarantee? That's no savings at all!

Usage & Maintenance

These tuning forks will last a lifetime with proper use. You can produce the loudest sounds by striking a solid rubber object such as a hockey puck or boot heel using a "karate chop" motion. A softer sound can be made simply by squeezing the tines between thumb & forefinger & releasing.

"New Agers" often prefer loud sounds. This can be achieved by striking the forks against metal or each other. Care should be taken when striking metal as this can nick the fork & invalidate the warranty.

This list is for scientific users where absolute accuracy is important.

• store in clean/dry conditions
• pitch varies slightly with temperature-forks are calibrated at 20C
• condensation due to cold may cause discoloration & corrosion
• excessive force should not be used.
• do not clean with detergent, ammonia or other chemicals
• the blued coating may wear off but does not affect performance 

 Guarantee

Warranty is for frequency specifications only & is voided by improper use. These tuning forks are intended for science, medicine & music; we cannot guarantee their performance for any other uses or for meta-physical expectations. No unauthorized return of goods.

New Agers/alternative health therapists: These tuning forks are precision instruments designed for accuracy and not loudness. Refunds are for defective goods only. If you are unsure of what type of fork you need or how they are used, call or email first. We do not carry large, LOUD, low accuracy aluminum forks