Any recommendations for a stompbox tuner?

[Eric]

Favorites online seem to be the TC electronics Polytune, Sonic Research ST-200, and Korg Pitchblack. I'll go for anything from those ones to Behringer to Boss to GFS -- I just want something that works well. My tastes, as is well-documented, tend to be cheap. I can't see myself going much over $50 for a tuner, but that still leaves some wiggle room on used stuff.

So...what do you use? What have you heard is good? What's worth skipping over?

 

[markb]

I use the Pitch Black and I had a Korg DT10 before that. A used DT10 would be pretty cheap, It has huge leds that you can see from the far side of the stage and a really tough aluminium casing.
The PB is smaller and has a nice pseudo strobing display (three variants iirc). For some reason I always seem to end up with a Korg tuner except for the Boss TU12H I use for intonation adjustments and acoustic instruments. A swinging needle tuner seems best for that job, it's fast enough to tune a banjo. If tuning a banjo is possible at all

 

[Jimi75]

Skip the Fender ones with the small LEDs. On stage you can barely see what the LEDs indicate. If I was you, I'd get something with a rather dark display where you can clearly read the note, like for e.G. "A#" or "C". I've heard the TC Poly suffers from the "hardly readable on stage" thing, too.

 

[Monkus]

Korg PitchBlack: http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Korg-pitchblack-Chromatic-Pedal-Tuner?sku=210087

Its the only one I use, I gave the rest away.

 

[Robert]

Another vote for the pitchblack.

 

[mainestratman]

I love the look of the Pitchblack.

I have a Fender tuner.. it was cheaper, and a name I trust. I like it just fine, except when I stop on it to tune I get a really odd hum coming through my amp.

 

[riverrick]

I have the Boss TU-3. Works for me.

 

[Spudman]

I discovered the Ibanez LU20 a while ago. I like it a lot for a stand alone tuner. It's real consistent, the chasis is heavy so it stays put pretty well and is pretty easy to read and fairly cheap. I think I got mine delivered used for around $20-$25.

 

[deeaa]

I've had the classic Boss stage tuner, but since I got the Pitchblack, well, all I can say it's a really really good tuner. Very easy to tune accurately, the leds are very informative & change brightness unlike on the Boss, and the note indicator is huge, so it's a breeze to use and very easy to see onstage too. Also tunes to D# etc. without any adjustment - well in short I'm sure it won't disappoint you. I also have a Korg needle tuner (chromatic) for home use.

 

[otaypanky]

I have the ST-200. It's about the most accurate and fastest tuner around. It's quite solid and very small which is good if you decide you are going to mount it on a pedal board.
I also have a Boss, I forget if it's a TU-2 or TU-3. It works fine but if I could only have one pedal type tuner, it would be the ST-200. The accuracy of it will become more important as your ear improves and when you want to set up the intonation on your guitars.

 

[Kazz]

I wanted the boss tuner but I set a price limit and could not find one inside my limit so I went with the Behrenger....it works very well.

 

[MichaelE]

Peterson.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I have the Behringer also. Mine has a bit of noise to it sometimes, and also seems to be a bit slow to register at times. Maybe I got a bad one, as Kazz likes his. But mine has always been good enough, and I have not seen any real reason to replace it. The price is right, it does the job, and is easy to see with very bright LEDs.

 

[Kazz]

I second the very very bright LEDs.....mine however makes no noise whatsoever.

 

[Jimi75]

The pitchblack looks interesting, think I have to check it out.

 

[Kestrel]

I used the Korg PitchBlack for a while. It's a good tuner, but I love the TC Electronic Polytune. It allows you to check the tuning on all your strings at the same time or you can check them individually, plus it has an ambient light sensor that automatically matches the brightness of the LEDs to its surroundings. Retails for a few more dollars in the States than the PitchBlack, but it's worth it.

 

[Tig]

I have the ST-200. It's about the most accurate and fastest tuner around.

After reading this thread, I did a bunch of tuner research, including other forums, the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200 appears to be the king of stomp box tuners. Quite a few Pitch black owners were more than happy with the move to the ST-200. I think I've found my next stompy tuner.

For the acoustic, I have a Korg AW-2G on order.

 

[Eric]

I bought the Pitchblack and it arrived yesterday. Very nice indeed. Thanks for all of the input!

 

[Duffy]

Tuner

Congrats dude!

I have the pitchblack and have been loving it. I can get real close to perfect all the time and I get it the way I like it with relative ease.

I have to use an old analog one for my acoustics, but this is no problem because it works great and I even have a backup for it.

But the pitchblack is my best tuner yet. The Boss, I must say looks great.

 

[6stringdrug]

boss tu2. has never, ever failed me. havent eventried anything else. its a tank and keeps perfect tune.:zzz

 

[deeaa]

boss tu2. has never, ever failed me. havent eventried anything else. its a tank and keeps perfect tune.:zzz

It's a good workhorse, ayuh, used one for a decade almost, but I still recommend you check out some of the new competition...you might be amazed how much they've improved.

 

[6stringdrug]

its funny, as much of a gear whore I am, my tuner is the one thing I have yet to consider changing. Now I feel tortured. This calls for a field trip to GC for some test drives. Any you recommend?

 

[deeaa]

I've only seriously tested the pitchblack, and that is a very nice one and not too expensive. There's not much difference to how the boss works basically, but there's a bigger display and way more leds and they don't just blink they light up very sensitively in various degrees of brightness, plus it has a strobe function...it's very easy to even set intonation with accurately or tune up from complete slack and find the right note.

 

[6stringdrug]

My other guitarist uses one of those, I've never thought of switching for a rehearsal, just as an experiment. we tune up seperatly and have yet to have an issue where we start off out of tune from each other. He has the floyd rose system and seems to stay in tune all night long, I dont use my trem on my strat and my other axe is a LP, i have to retune every other song. Food for thought for me, ill chew on it next rehearsal. Thanks :hungry

 

[otaypanky]

I made a post in favor of the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner a few weeks ago. Within a few days of that I entered a contest to win a new T.C. Electronics PoyTune and won. While I would never have gone out to purchase one since I had a few pedal tuners around, I did think that the concept was pretty interesting. I got it last week and it's pretty cool.
Besides reliability, basic appearance, and footprint size, I think most people compare tuners based on speed and accuracy. Regarding accuracy, while the Turbo Tuner and Peterson strobe tuners are considered the most accurate, I think most tuners will get you close. Your ears are the final criteria. Some folks will hear when a string is slightly out and some won't.
So that leaves you with speed to consider. Again, the Turbo Tuner is considered about the fastest. But that's tuning by checking each string, one at a time. I have found that when using the PolyTune at home it's really fast, because I pick up my guitar and strum once across the strings and see instantly that maybe only 1 or 2 strings need a tweak. So I only fine tune 2 strings instead of checking 6 and adjusting 2. Is it faster than other tuners when tuning 1 string at a time? No. But total time given to checking the tune of a reasonably well tuned guitar is definitely less.
So what I had thought what was probably a 'gimmicky' product before having first hand experience of it is actually at first impression a pretty cool tuner ~

 

[oldguy]

I tried out a Digitech Hardwire the other day. Well lit and fast.

 

[kidsmoke]

boss tu2. has never, ever failed me. havent eventried anything else. its a tank and keeps perfect tune.:zzz

+1

When I played my first open mic, years ago, dude showed me how to use the tuner, for tuning as well as for "muting" the PA between acts. It was a TU-2. He said get one. You'll never need another.

I found one on CL for $50, and it's served me well. This discussion of course throws everything into question.

but to the dude's original point, it has been bombproof and reliable for years now.

 

[Neal]

You might as well get yourself a peterson. They're is none better,