Quick review: Korg pitchblack
mccreadyisgod
Posts: 6,395
So, as I mentioned in an earlier thread, I've been needing to get a new tuner, as my older Korg handheld unit was finally crapping out after three years on my pedalboard. I had assumed I would end up with a Boss TU-2, since every musician who can perform simple arithmetic seems to use one. I've tried them out and found them acceptable, so why not?
Then came the pitchblack, the successor to the older DT-10 pedal. The DT-10 had a pretty good reputation as a plain-jane tuner pedal, but it was a bit large and had an iffy display. At the same price as a TU-2, it never seemed like it was worth it.
So, when Korg announced the pitchblack, it was hard to ignore the improvements. They added the ability to power additional pedals via a daisychain output, tightened up the size issue, improved the display dramatically, and finished it off with true-bypass. So, I finally bit the bullet and bought one.
It's a great size for a tuner pedal, about the same as my MXR single-wide pedals. The display is huge, much bigger than the TU-2, and the tuning accuracy is amazing. It tracks very well, and picks up notes all the way up and down the fretboard very easily. Sharps and flats are easy to see, making it great for alternative tuning (drop-half-step, anyone?). I scrolled through the four display modes, and found the initial setting the best (typical tuner display, familiar to anyone using a digital-display tuner).
I have my tuner wired to the Tuner Out of my volume pedal, so the true-bypass isn't a direct issue with my electric rig. I may end up sharing this pedal with my acoustic for some gigs, so I'll try to remember to add info if that comes up. Also, since I already have a Pedal Power II, it seems kind of silly to power anything off it (would be like towing your boat with your Volkswagen Rabbit when you have a diesel Dodge pickup). But I can say that I *feel* like it has better tracking as a tuner, has a better display, is easier to read and use, and is $10 cheaper than a TU-2.
If anyone was thinking about buying a tuner, you should at least give it an honest look. I've had mine for less than a day, and I love it. If anyone has any questions for me to try out, lemme know.
Then came the pitchblack, the successor to the older DT-10 pedal. The DT-10 had a pretty good reputation as a plain-jane tuner pedal, but it was a bit large and had an iffy display. At the same price as a TU-2, it never seemed like it was worth it.
So, when Korg announced the pitchblack, it was hard to ignore the improvements. They added the ability to power additional pedals via a daisychain output, tightened up the size issue, improved the display dramatically, and finished it off with true-bypass. So, I finally bit the bullet and bought one.
It's a great size for a tuner pedal, about the same as my MXR single-wide pedals. The display is huge, much bigger than the TU-2, and the tuning accuracy is amazing. It tracks very well, and picks up notes all the way up and down the fretboard very easily. Sharps and flats are easy to see, making it great for alternative tuning (drop-half-step, anyone?). I scrolled through the four display modes, and found the initial setting the best (typical tuner display, familiar to anyone using a digital-display tuner).
I have my tuner wired to the Tuner Out of my volume pedal, so the true-bypass isn't a direct issue with my electric rig. I may end up sharing this pedal with my acoustic for some gigs, so I'll try to remember to add info if that comes up. Also, since I already have a Pedal Power II, it seems kind of silly to power anything off it (would be like towing your boat with your Volkswagen Rabbit when you have a diesel Dodge pickup). But I can say that I *feel* like it has better tracking as a tuner, has a better display, is easier to read and use, and is $10 cheaper than a TU-2.
If anyone was thinking about buying a tuner, you should at least give it an honest look. I've had mine for less than a day, and I love it. If anyone has any questions for me to try out, lemme know.
...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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7/9/06 LA 1
7/10/06 LA 2
10/21/06 Bridge 1
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=fnosoyhQaHs