# Really Dumb Noob Question - Pedal Tuners



## Samurai (Mar 31, 2008)

Hey all,

Alright, I have what is probably a really dumb question, but I thought I would ask it anyway. I have been intrigued by the idea of a pedal tuner, mainly because I am lazy. I have a handheld Korg tuner right now, so if I am playing, and feel like I am out of tune, I have to unplug my guitar from my amp, then plug in the tuner, tune, then plug back in. Something about a pedal tuner just seems like a better idea to me.

That said, I am still pretty new to this, and I am no where near being a gigging guitarist, so I see that the true purpose of a pedal tuner is wasted on me...

Is it better to not spend money just for the sake of spending money, and stick to my handheld device for now?

Thanks...and sorry for the dumb question!

Mike


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

If you were judged purely on spending money on equipment you dont need, then you would be held in high regard on here. Its a desease in this business. Having said that, you can get some reasonably priced tuners that wont set you back a lot and it is a little better than having to use the hand held one.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

GuitarsCanada said:


> If you were judged purely on spending money on equipment you dont need, then you would be held in high regard on here. Its a desease in this business.


.

Too true !!...LOL



GuitarsCanada said:


> Having said that, you can get some reasonably priced tuners that wont set you back a lot and it is a little better than having to use the hand held one


.

Which tuners are being recommended these days?

Mike...I'm considering the same thing. I don't think a tuner is wasted on anyone....learning what your guitar sounds like "in tune" is a good thing to develop and train your ears to......and is essential for playing as it it is. 

Cheers

Dave


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## axestronomer (Mar 1, 2007)

There is a Boss TU-2 tuner on the forum here for a good price.
http://www.guitarscanada.com/effects-pedals-units/32271-fulltone-barber-ehx-harman-wilsonfx.html


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I used a TU-2 forever (and still do) but I really like the Peterson Strobostomp. My guitars have never sounded better. I agree with greco that it's VERY important to know what your guitar sounds like in tune. Helps to train your ear as well. A no brainer. Go buy one. NOW!


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## Samurai (Mar 31, 2008)

Thanks for the replies! I currently do have a tuner, as I have a Korg GA-30 tuner, but I was specifically wondering about Pedal tuners, and if they would be worth it for me right now, as a beginner with no skill or opportunity towards gigging...

The tuner I have works for what I need...but I just feel like something is missing!


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## gearalley (Oct 23, 2009)

TC PolyTune! The purpose of a pedal tuner is to check your tuning in between songs or when switching guitars.


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## corailz (May 1, 2008)

gearalley said:


> TC PolyTune! The purpose of a pedal tuner is to check your tuning in between songs or when switching guitars.


Did you recieved them???


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

Speaking from experience, when tuning your guitar is as simple as just stomping on a pedal and tuning it quickly as opposed to the longer process you described - you tend to tune alot more. And that's a good thing, because playing with an out of tune guitar because you're too lazy to get the pain in the ass tuner out just sucks. It's a great purchase, and definitely not a waste.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

I'm pretty happy with this Fender one.









can't got too wrong for $40ish bucks.
It's just so convenient to not have to unplug everything to tune up.


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## gearalley (Oct 23, 2009)

corailz said:


> Did you recieved them???


No - I don't carry the TC stuff. I just can't promote my own stuff outside the dealer section.


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## rev156 (Mar 2, 2008)

I find the Korg pitchblack great. It's fast and accurate with a small footprint.
Cheers


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## dino (Jan 6, 2009)

I use the planet waves strobe tuner. I agree about learning to tune the guitar by ear but to have the guitar in perfect pitch and also using different tunings a tuner is a must. I would suggest tuning the low e or high e to pitch then tune the rest of the strings to it without the tuner. 

Good Luck , Dino


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

IF yer going to get a pedal tuner - and - man - even for just convenience - spend the cash - some very inexpensive but very effective examples shown in this thread....BUT - try to make sure it cuts the signal to the amp while you're tuning.....it might not mean much now playing in the basement - but should you even decide to play out....there's nothing more irritating than having to hear the guitarists plucking away at strings between songs for tuning.....my 2 cents....I think I picked up my beat up dirty old nasty (don't even remember the brand name) pedal tuner second (or 3rd or 4th - who knows) hand for like $20...works like a charm.....OH - and try to get a chromatic tuner too...those sharps and flats might come in handy.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

greco said:


> I don't think a tuner is wasted on anyone....learning what your guitar sounds like "in tune" is a good thing to develop and train your ears to......and is essential for playing as it it is.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Dave





Peter said:


> Speaking from experience, when tuning your guitar is as simple as just stomping on a pedal and tuning it quickly as opposed to the longer process you described - you tend to tune alot more. And that's a good thing, because playing with an out of tune guitar because you're too lazy to get the pain in the ass tuner out just sucks. It's a great purchase, and definitely not a waste.


Samurai, both these guys are onto something.

Learning to recognize what a guitar _should_ sound like is an important thing. Any device that will make you stop to tune your guitar more is a good thing. I used to never tune my guitar when I was first starting out because I was way too lazy to do the exact same thing you're describing. I got my TU-2 waaaay before I ever started gigging and used it all the time. It's definitely worth the money. 

I bought mine new at the time for $125, which seemed like a really high amount to spend on a pedal that didn't "do" anything, but it's still one of the best purchases I made. I've had it for years and it still works great. If you can find one used for $75-ish dollars, go for it!


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## monty (Feb 9, 2009)

I played for 25 years before ever buying a tuner.
My advice-buy one. Not only did I buy a tuner but I changed the way I tuned my guitar and it was a big change really. At first my axe sounded out of tune because I was so used to it being tuned a certain way.
I use both the PitchBlack and the TU-2 on dif. boards and they both work great.


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

This one

Strobe Tuners by Sonic Research - Turbo Tuner Home Page

Hands down the best and most accurate I've ever used. You can save the money back by doing your own intonation as well.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

i got the KORG DT-10 dirt cheap...i mean dirt cheap, brand new on ebay...if you want to look at it this way...with the floor tuner...you can always turn the tuner on to cut the signal to your amp if you want...i find it works better than rolling the volume on your guitar back...


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

ezcomes said:


> i got the KORG DT-10 dirt cheap...i mean dirt cheap, brand new on ebay...if you want to look at it this way...with the floor tuner...you can always turn the tuner on to cut the signal to your amp if you want...i find it works better than rolling the volume on your guitar back...



yes...exactly.........but be careful - not ALL pedal tuners cut the signal.....


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## Samurai (Mar 31, 2008)

Wow, thanks to everyone for the response! Any excuse to spend more money on gear is good to me! 

I will start the research on the different options, and what I can find in my area!

Thanks all!


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

lbrown1 said:


> yes...exactly.........but be careful - not ALL pedal tuners cut the signal.....


correct...the DT-10 has the option to cut the signal...or...run straight thru the pedal so that the pedal is always on/checking the tuning as you play...i never use that


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## infinitemonkey (Jan 20, 2008)

I've been thinking about trying one of these.

Seems to me somebody around here has used an N-Tune, but I don't remember who. I think there's a thread, but I couldn't find it with the search.

For the lazy, who can't be bothered to click, it's a tuner that goes under your volume nob or toggle switch. It's sort of like the Gibson Robot guitar, but without the robotic tuning machines, you still have to turn the tuners by hand.


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## fret15 (Feb 17, 2006)

I've been using an Intelli IMT500 tuner for a couple of years now, and I can't play without it. It's a tuner that clips onto your headstock and senses the vibrations...best of all, it cost a little bit less than 20 bucks! No cables, works on every guitar, and it's silent tuning whenever you want.

Worth checking out!


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

J S Moore said:


> This one
> 
> Strobe Tuners by Sonic Research - Turbo Tuner Home Page
> 
> Hands down the best and most accurate I've ever used. You can save the money back by doing your own intonation as well.


+1 I totally agree with Jon. I have a Strobostomp, Pitchblack and the Turbo Tuner. And the Turbo Tuner is the best one of the lot in terms of accuracy and ease of use.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Chito said:


> +1 I totally agree with Jon. I have a Strobostomp, Pitchblack and the Turbo Tuner. And the Turbo Tuner is the best one of the lot in terms of accuracy and ease of use.


Yeah, same here. I have a TU2 that I leave at the jam space and I bought myself a TT for home use. I do recording at home, so I keep the handier, more accurate tuner around. Plus, like Jon said, doing intonation adjustment with the TT gets much better results than the TU2.

I still think the TU2 is a great box for on-stage-tuning and for general tuning requirements, but the TT is a step above.


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## jmb2 (May 18, 2009)

Korg Pitchblack. Got one recently and it is a very welcome addition. When I was gigging, I always had one of those hand-held units .... woulda been nice to have a pedal tuner.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

The TU-2's aren't as good as some of the competitors as far as speed or accuracy, but they can be bought for really cheap used and from my experience are pretty reliable. I have had the same one for years. It takes a fair amount of abuse and never has issues. which makes it great for jamming and gigging because I don't have to worry about it. I think I bought it used for $50 from a forum classifieds.


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## paraedolia (Nov 26, 2008)

I have a true bypass A/B pedal and an old TU12. I don't like the idea of having something extra inline all the time, and it's silent. Works fine for me.


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## stratman89 (Oct 13, 2008)

J S Moore said:


> This one
> 
> Strobe Tuners by Sonic Research - Turbo Tuner Home Page
> 
> Hands down the best and most accurate I've ever used. You can save the money back by doing your own intonation as well.


I saw a thread on TGP yesterday about the Turbo Tuner. After researching various threads and polls I became convinced that this is one cool tuner and ordered it. I have the Peterson Strobo Stomp 2 and after seeing how fast the TT tracks I knew this would be a great asset when used for gigging.

[YOUTUBE]8bY9H7ec6_0[/YOUTUBE]


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## -mbro- (Apr 3, 2010)

The turbo tuner is very impressive. Like the ferrari of guitar tuners! A beginner will find just as much use from a trusty tu-2. Dont forget to buy an adapter for it.


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## Samurai (Mar 31, 2008)

Thanks for all of the suggestions! Actually, I was keeping my eye open for used TU-2's, but haven't been able to find any, so I think this week I am going to head to my local music store and pick up a Korg Pitchblack, as it is a reasonable price for my needs so far.

Thanks again!

Mike


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