Product: Boss TU-2 Stage Tuner
Price Paid: US $100
Submitted
12/28/1998
at
06:41am
by
Mike Tatro
Email: mtatro<at>concentric dot net
Ease of Use
:
9
Key features for me are:
1) Doesn't suck tone or inject noise into my signal chain
2) Mutes signal when tuning
3) Chromatic tuning (needed for various open slide tunings)
4) Locks onto note VERY quickly and is extremely accurate (best I've tried so far)
'Wish it had true bypass, but analog I/O section seems to be very high quality; I tried to get it to misbehave but couldn't.
Sound Quality
:
9
Most tuners I've tried are absolutely horrible because they inject RF noise into the signal chain, either when they are powered by the same power supply as the other effects (in my SKB pedal board) or simply because lighting LEDS, etc. inherently generates ambient RF noise that is all too easily picked up by other effects.
This pedal solves all these problems. It goes completely dark when not being used so it's not lighting LEDs (and creating ambient RF noise) when you don't need it. Also, the metal case and mute feature does an excellent job of ensuring silent tuning between songs. I could get it to bleed a tiny bit of signal if I turned my Fulldrive 2 all the way up in boost mode (I'd never do this in a live setting) but otherwise, it was dead quiet.
Although it lacks true bypass, I couldn't detect any degradation in tone (and I'm pretty picky).
Reliability
:
10
It's a Boss, what more do you need to know?
Overall Rating
:
10
Prior to buying this unit, I thought the Sabine XT1100 was the fastest most accurate tuner out there, this one is better. It also integrate more easily into pedal boards.
All in all, a well thought out offering from Boss that, for me, solves a multitude of problems. I don't award "10s" very often but here it goes - my highest recommendation.
Product: Boss TU-2 Stage Tuner
Price Paid: US $100.00
Submitted
11/17/1998
at
01:03pm
by
Chuck Smith
Ease of Use
:
10
Plug it in and use. It tunes in standard mode with the two arrows or has a strobe tuner mode. It is very easy to read. It has a multi-segment display which tells what note is being tuned and an arc of LEDs to show tuning state. It goes dark when bypassed so there's never any confusion or surprises while you're playing. It also has a power out which allows you to daisy chain effects from a single power supply. Like all BOSS pedals, you can change battery without removing it from the board, good for those nights when you run out of outlets.
The nicest thing about it is how sensitive and fast it is. Hit your string and it almost instantly reads out, even with the volume below full.
The manual is fine.
Sound Quality
:
10
It has a bypass so you can tune quietly. No detectable effect on signal chain.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Wouldn't gig without it just because it works so well.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I called to get the daisy chain cord and they: 1)answered the phone 2)knew what I was talking about 3)sold me one over the phone
Overall Rating
:
10
I play out 2 to 4 nights a week and with different bands. This tuner is in my pedal board and just makes life easier and lets me get going fast. I don't need to tune before I play. I just plug in, tune up while the tubes get warm, and go. I can bend with a lot more gusto because I can frequently retune between (and during) songs. I also am using the whammy more. The bypass is nice since you cut the signal to the amp. This means I can change guitars without snaking through mike stands, symbols, bass players, cords, etc. to reach around the back of the amp to get the standby switch.
This is the only stage tuner you should consider buying. Its heads aand tails above the others.
