Best Autoharp Tuning Wrench: Why the Grover 8020 Is the Standard Choice

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Last Updated on July 15, 2026 by folkstrings

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Autoharp tuning pins are not the same size as guitar tuning pegs. A standard guitar tuner, string winder, or general-purpose tuning tool won’t fit — you need a wrench designed specifically for the autoharp’s square tuning pins. The Grover 8020 is the one that most players use, and for good reason.

Grover 8020 Autoharp Tuning Hammer

Price: $8.55 | Rating: 4.3★ (364 reviews)

The Grover 8020 has been the standard autoharp tuning wrench for a long time. It fits the square tuning pins found on most Oscar Schmidt autoharps and gives you enough leverage to make clean, precise adjustments without risking damage to the pins.

At $8.55 it’s about as inexpensive as a purpose-built instrument tool gets. There are no meaningful alternatives at this price point that have a comparable track record — the Grover is simply what autoharp players use, and 364 reviews at 4.3★ reflects that it does the job reliably.

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A Note on Tuning the Autoharp

Tuning an autoharp takes patience regardless of which wrench you use. With 36 strings, each small adjustment on one string can subtly affect the overall tension balance. Work methodically from the lowest strings upward, and expect a full tuning session to take 15–20 minutes until you get a feel for it. After a fresh restring the strings will need several tuning passes over a few days as they stretch in — this is normal and not a sign anything is wrong.

What About Generic Options?

There are generic zither and autoharp tuning hammers available at similar or lower prices. In practice, the Grover 8020 is so affordable already that there’s no compelling reason to look elsewhere. It’s the known quantity with a solid review history, and at under $10 the price difference with generic alternatives is negligible.

What Else You’ll Need

The wrench handles the physical adjustment, but you’ll need a chromatic clip-on tuner to know what you’re tuning to. And if you’re restringing at the same time, check that you have the right autoharp strings for your model before you start — loop end and ball end strings are not interchangeable.

I have used the Grover 8020 for years. The thing most people don’t mention is that the feel of the wrench matters more than it sounds like it would — because autoharp tuning pins are sensitive and small turns create bigger pitch changes than you’d expect, the feedback through the handle tells you a lot about how much you’ve actually moved the pin. The Grover 8020 has enough length to give you control without so much leverage that you risk overtightening.

What to Watch Out For

The main mistake people make with any autoharp wrench is using too much force. The pins on most autoharps are precision-fitted and over-tightening can cause them to slip or, in older instruments, to enlarge the hole they sit in. Small, deliberate turns — a fraction at a time — give you much more accurate results than trying to make large adjustments in one movement.

If you are buying an autoharp second-hand and the pins feel loose or wobbly in their holes, that is a sign the instrument has been tuned with too much force at some point. A luthier can fix this but it is worth knowing before you buy.

I also keep a digital chromatic tuner on the instrument permanently when I am doing a full tuning session — clip it to the headboard so I can see it without moving. The Grover 8020 in one hand, tuner in eyeline, is the most efficient setup I have found for tuning all 36 strings without constantly losing your place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use any tuning wrench on an autoharp?

No. Autoharp tuning pins are square-headed and a specific size. A generic socket wrench might fit in an emergency but the fit is rarely precise enough for controlled tuning — and a loose wrench risks rounding off the pin heads, which makes future tuning progressively harder. The Grover 8020 is designed specifically for the pin size used on most Oscar Schmidt autoharps.

How long does it take to tune an autoharp?

With practice, a full tuning pass takes around 15-20 minutes. A second pass to check and fine-tune adds another 10 minutes. Beginners should expect 45 minutes to an hour for the first several sessions. The process becomes significantly faster once you know the string layout by memory and can move through the strings without constantly checking the string map.

Author Profile

Daniel Johnstone

Daniel Johnstone — Dániel to his friends back in Miskolc — is a Hungarian folk musician and writer who has been playing stringed instruments for over twenty years. Growing up in northeastern Hungary with a family steeped in folk music, he developed an early obsession with Celtic and Appalachian styles that eventually brought him to the UK. He worked his way through tenor banjo, 5-string banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, mandolin, ukulele, harp and kalimba — most of them acquired through trial, error and more money than he'd like to admit. He founded Folkstrings.com to cut through the noise: practical, experience-based guides to instruments, strings, gear and accessories for folk players at every level.