Tuning pedal pros and cons?

i'm in agreement with pretty much everyone thats posted here. the tuner is the most essential pedal in my arsenal. we play so much stuff in alternate tunings that i have to have one. also when changing guitars it mutes everything so you don't get that "pop" going over the pa when you unplug and plug in the guitar. mine is in the front of the chain and i have never had any issues with it there. i tune between sets, and if i have new strings i will tune between songs for the first several songs of the gig to make sure i am staying in tune, then i should be good for the rest of the set. sometimes i will need to tune during a song if theres a part that i am not playing. a tuner is the best investment you will ever make.

MattyJoe wrote:

Look how Stone does it:

http://guitargeek.com/rigs/img/p/pearljam_stone_1997.gif

Stone also has a guitar tech who tunes each guitar before handing it to him. As does Ed, Mike, and Jeff. If any of them has a guitar go out of tune, the tech can run out and hand them another guitar, even in mid-song. The rest of us, however... we gotta do our own leg work!

I figured I'd mention an alternative to the Boss TU-2:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=Korg+PitchBlack&st=

It has pretty much the same feature set as the TU-2. The one disadvantage: there's no un-muted tuning option (where you can hear the guitar as you tune). The advantages: It's a more accurate tuner, and it's true-bypass. I'm in need of a new tuner for my pedalboard, and the little Pitchblack is the tuner I'm planning on buying.

mccreadyisgod wrote:

Stone also has a guitar tech who tunes each guitar before handing it to him. As does Ed, Mike, and Jeff. If any of them has a guitar go out of tune, the tech can run out and hand them another guitar, even in mid-song. The rest of us, however... we gotta do our own leg work!

I figured I'd mention an alternative to the Boss TU-2:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=Korg+PitchBlack&st=

It has pretty much the same feature set as the TU-2. The one disadvantage: there's no un-muted tuning option (where you can hear the guitar as you tune). The advantages: It's a more accurate tuner, and it's true-bypass. I'm in need of a new tuner for my pedalboard, and the little Pitchblack is the tuner I'm planning on buying.

Having a tech is nice at shows. I've had techs at shows (the bassist of my band was my old tech last year). Still, it's nice to be able to tune during jam breaks or whatever. As for Ed, if you listen to Corduroy or RVM, his guitar usually is a little out of tune, kinda of funny.

ianvomsaal wrote:

I've have the TU-2 on my board for almost 6 years now, but also I have the
Peterson StroboStomp2 (it's one of the most accurate tuners I've ever used).
The Strobostomp is great, but it takes some getting used to (also works great
if you have Buzz Feiten installed on your axe). Unfortunately both of these
tuners are very difficult to read face up in direct sunlight. I haven't found a
similar tuner that's bright enough to be viewed in direct sunlight (I'm always
creating a shadow with my foot so that I can read mine . . . sucks hard).

- Ian

yeah the sunlight thing sucks. i have tried to tape part of my setlist in a way to create some shade. i have also propped the tuner up at an angle so that you have to kind of kick it rather than step on it. its easier to read but much harder to do if youhave been drinking. the same can be said with a red stage light shining directly on the tuner, that makes it unreadable. in that case i just move my board.

Mike_Muse_Rage wrote:

I can't believe there's only been one post about the Korg Pitchblack. It really has surpassed the TU-2, it is far less jumpy and 3 times as accurate as well as being smaller and cheaper (and sexier;)).

That's because, for years and years, the TU-2 was the only practical game in town. Then, slowly, other options emerged that were either less accurate and cheaper, or more accurate and WAAAY more expensive. Not to mention the TU-2 can power other pedals on your board. A lot of musicians got used to the TU-2 being the best tuner pedal for the money.

Korg tried the tuner pedal thing before, and lost. The Pitchblack really is a superior pedal to the TU-2, and it's currently priced $10 cheaper. But it has a lot of market bias to overcome.

Mike_Muse_Rage wrote:

I can't believe there's only been one post about the Korg Pitchblack. It really has surpassed the TU-2, it is far less jumpy and 3 times as accurate as well as being smaller and cheaper (and sexier;)).

Just try to remember that it's a fairly new product, and most players already
have a TU-2, or StroboStomp, or another type of tuner on their board. Why
drop $90 on yet another tuner-pedal when the one you have on your board
still seems to work great, and is functionally sound. Hmmm, I've never really
had any problems with my TU-2 being jumpy - maybe my TU-2 is just far
better at tracking notes than most (or maybe it's just me) :rolleyes:.

So there are a few things about the PitchBlack that I'm like . . . ehhhh about.
1). As I said before, do you really want to drop another $90 on another tuner.
2). There is no pass through option (The Boss TU-2 has this option that allows
you to play while the tuner is engaged (allowing the tuner to always be on).
Now I don't use this option myself, but I know many players that do use it.
3). The standard mechanical stomp-switch it uses is only rated at 5K-10K hits.
Yes these are fairly standard switches (some last for years while others don't).
Many builders (like Fulltone) use these type of switches, and unfortunately
I've already had to replace a few of these types of switches (I hate doing it).

However, pedals like Boss, Lehle, Ibanez, Visual Sound (new versions) all
have something called a momentary switch (which is rated at 10 million hits).
Almost literally a switch to last a life-time, & I've rarely heard of one going bad.
I truly wish more companies would use this type of switch. It would be really
cool if someone came out with a MOD for this type of switch, allowing you to
install it on all other pedals that have the limited mechanical stomp-switch.

Anyhow, maybe this is why no one is posting about the PitchBlack, or maybe
new tuners aren't that big a deal to people if their old tuner works fine.

Mike_Muse_Rage wrote:

Meh, I guess people aren't up-to-date on pedals.

I'm sorta with Ian on this issue, and that's from a guy who plans on buying a Pitchblack. If someone has a TU-2 and it functions, why drop about the same amount on a pedal that does essentially the same thing?

The reason a Pitchblack works for me, and isn't subject to Ian's critiques (which are valid) is that I plan on running my tuner off the tuner output of my volume pedal. That way, I never have to use the switch (again, it's true-bypass, but I agree that it may not last as long). Also, if I want to hear my guitar while I tune (I prefer silent tuning, but hey, it's nice to have the choice) I just use my volume pedal to turn it up.

That said, if I was to recommend a tuner to someone who doesn't already have one, or is replacing one that no longer works, I'd recommend the Pitchblack. The accuracy issue alone is worth picking it over the TU-2. Then again, as the Korg eats away at Boss' market share, don't be surprised if a TU-3 comes along next year...