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This article is from the Piano Purchase and Maintenance FAQ, by Isako Hoshino rmmpfaq@yahoo.com with numerous contributions by others.

9.5] What are the pros and cons of electronic tuning? (Piano Purchase and Maintenance)

For technicians who spend the majority of their time tuning
every day, ETA devices can give the tuner's ears a brief
respite from the negative effects of sharp, often loud sounds
emitted by the piano during the tuning process. It also
saves somewhat on the mental process of deciding aurally when
a note is in tune -- less mental fatigue. An electronic
tuning device can be extremely beneficial in institutional
settings where multiple tunings must be performed in rapid
succession. Since the pitches can be stored in some ETAs, it
is possible to have a given piano tuned identically over and
over. In other words, electronically assisted tuning is at
its best if it succeeds in reproducing some previous tuning.

The greatest pitfalls in electronically assisted tuning are
inexperience and in-attentiveness. Historically, "semi-
professional" tuners (a.k.a. "weekend warriors") are
notorious for purchasing electronic tuning devices and
attacking friends', neighbors', and relatives' pianos to
practice their hobby. Because these individuals do not have
a complete grasp of exactly what it is they are doing, they
are completely reliant on an electronic device that cannot
distinguish between pianos and therefore cannot make the
judgments of a skilled technician. Although the risk of a
non-professional ruining a piano is only slight, the
potential of the damage which may result can be costly to
repair (e.g.. twisted tuning pins that eventually shear off
at the plate, broken strings, mutilated dampers, etc.).

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• prev: 9.4] What are the pros and cons of aural tuning? (Piano Purchase and Maintenance)
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• next: 9.6] Which is better, aural or electronic tuning? (Piano Purchase and Maintenance)