Danelectro DJ-11 Pedal Tuner

Bad form - Bad Function. The pedal puts a black square around the note that it thinks you are tuning.. You can't see the "square" note indicators when you are standing up. You cannot see the the black needle on the little greay/black LCD screen either. You can't really see anything except the red and green LED's which are meaningless if you cannot verify the string that you are trying to tune.

I doesn't tune very well. When you get within a half step of the proper pitch, the reg & green LED's go insane with random blinking. You can't fine tune your guitar.

I have a Dano Tremolo and EQ that have been great; this pedal is the stinker. Ny Tremolo and EQ have been great.

These are throw away pedals. What customer support??

There's a reason that MF.com is selling these tuners for $9.95; these are really poor tuners. Dano did great with many of the mini pedals but this one is a stinker.

Plug in the guitar, stomp the button. Pretty easy, right? If you are tuning standard it is. It's a royal pain trying to tune down to E flat.

Tuners make sounds? My gripe is it doesn't mute the signal while tuning. But for the price, would you really expect that?

It works fine for standard tuning. I have to have a backup for when I need to tune down to E flat.

Dano has kicked butt every time I've had to contact them.

Okay, so it looks like I don't like this pedal. No biggie, it came free in my mini-case when I bought four other mini-pedals. So, if I don't like it why do I keep using it? Because it fills a hole in my mini-case and Dano doesn't have another mini-pedal that I need/want.

It's pretty straight-forward. Plug into guitar. Hit switch. Pluck strings and tune as required according to the green lights on the display and where the LCD has highlighted the appropriate string.

If you can't use this tuner, then you have some serious issues, but having said that, it's got a small display which can make tuning a bitch from standing height. I mount it on my amp and activate it by hand, works well enough.

Makes no noise, doesn't affect the sound quality as such, but it definitely could of used a mute option. Tuning in front of an audience is kinda off-putting.

It's okay. Wouln't gig without backup.

Danelectro's website is pretty helpful.

As a novelty, this thing is pretty good. It's got a kitsch look and the orange backlighting is quite bright.

However, it's only fairly accurate and I virtually never use it now as my Seiko handheld can be run into my effects chain and is far superior in every aspect save convenience.

I only bought this because it was so cheap and the rep at the store I got it from threw it in for me at next to nothing because I'd bought a couple of hundred dollars worth of stuff. It might be alright if it was more accurate, but I'd rather have a Boss TU-2 (so accurate!)if I'm going to have a pedal tuner.

It's okay to ballpark tune on stage (it should get you within about 20% of being accurately tuned) but don't make it the only tuner you own.

It IS easy to use.
You watch the lights and when the green one comes on and the pointer is centered, the string is tuned.......supposedly.
If nothing else, it's entertaining to look at.

It would be better if it had a mute circuit for tuning on stage.
It doesn't seem to affect tone at all...that's a plus for it.
The biggest negative though is that you cannot tune with it.

I wouldn't use it again....anywhere, any time.
I honestly tried to tune several different guitars with this thing. I'd follow the procedure, pick the strings.....BLECH! In any given tuning session at least 3 strings were not even close to being in tune with the rest. Not once have I been able to tune a guitar solely by using this pedal. Mine doesn't even get things into the ballpark very well so I can finish it by ear. Very very disappointing.

I have no idea.....but if I hadn't bought it on eBay, I'd see if Danelectro would take it back!

I really really tried to give this pedal tuner a fair shot.
The best thing about this thing is that I only paid $10 for it new on eBay. I'm not out much for something that is worthless to me. I don't even want to put it back onto eBay as I'd hate to stick someone with it....I just couldn't honestly sell it as a "tuner".
Perhaps it's a quality control issue? As I see some people have had good luck with theirs. Mine simply will not give accurate tuning.
After a few days of trying to work with it, I put my inexpensive Fender AG-6 back into the pedal chain until I can get the BOSS TU-2.
I only bought the Danelectro to see if it would suffice on my pedalboard until I got the TU-2.....I should know better and it's no great loss really.
If you are looking for an accurate and reliable tuner that is inexpensive, get the Fender AG-6 for around $15. It is accurate. Using it to tune is quick and easy. And when you are finished you can actually play the guitar.
Let's see, details details; I've been playing guitar for 34 years. I used to tune via an A-440 tuning fork....electronics are easier and quicker. I currently play a Fender Strat, a '78 Starfield Les Paul Custom, a Les Pul Junior, an Ibanez AFS75T, a Washburn D-10M accoustic, and an ancient Gibson Co-Classical accoustic. The electrics are Amp'd through a '77 Peavey Classic 212, with BOSS pedal chain.

I must admit that it is a cool looking device....makes a good retro-style paperweight.

Easy to use, just plug it in and turn it on and off with the foot switch.

Well, mine makes NO sound.. It's a tuner....
Not the most accurate, but you can ballpark tune with it.

It works.

N/A

Not the most accurate and you have to really spend a lot of time tuning, or just ballpark tune your guitar.

It is nice that it is in-line with your effects, but it could be improved.

First, when you click it on, it takes quite some time to let you know it's on. I though it was broken at first. Like everyone else, I hate how it is backlit only with the power supply.

One feature that I think should be a must for this tuner is that when you hit the button, it should cut output so you can tune silently. At a gig, you don't want to torture your audience with your tuning antics.

Also not draining the battery when it is plugged in.

does not seem to affect tone, plug and play.

n/a

use a power pack and 9v batt. as a backup. this thing does not appear to be sensitive, or is too sensitive, you have to ballpark it when readings flucuate. typical problem when high e shows up as an a, some of the low strings don't come in. needs better sensitivity! buy a quik tune for 20.00 at media play, it's better.

n/a. but ya screwed up again dano!

don't trust it for a gig. if you are home drinking alone just humping around then use this. but don't play a song for anyone.

Well it's not rocket science. You press the button then play an open string and tune your guitar until the green light comes on. The actual tuning feature is very acurate but is not backilghted enless powered by a 9v supply.

I have two main guitars a yamaha RGX121s and fender re-issue jazzmaster, neither have floyd-rose or similar trem systems. Even so they have stayed pretty much perfectly in tune throughout hour long gigs. So basically i do not use this pedal to a great extent. I have however noticed no sound when the pedal is turned on/off so whey!!

It's a cheap piece of plastic poop. I have a backup (korg GA30 tuner). It has pretty poor construction and i can imagine an agressive stomper could crack the body in half. Electrically i have had no problems.

Never delt with danelectro.

not that great but worth what you'd pay for it at a reasonable store.

You step on it.

Doesn't effect the sound. I'm giving it a 10 because this little thing lets me get rid of (or try to) my ZOOM 505II, which sucks tone like hell and fights like a bitch with my DL4. I hate that piece of poop so much that I just forfeited any chance of selling it on this site...maybe.

I have no idea, I picked it up out of the bargain bin at GC today. But the switch wiggles around a little. But it seems to tune pretty well. I don't know about other people's models, but mine seems to go straight to the right note. I'm just lucky I guess. In fact, this little thing gets the note so fast that I use it to perfect my accuracy when playing slide. The POS 505II never did that! HA!

The Guitar Center people were entirely unhelpful. They made me pay $17 for a little purple used thing with no box. Those bitches.

After reading the other reviews, I now know that I need to purchase a pedal power supply, cause I want that LED to light up. I'm giving it a ten cause with my Aramat Effects Mojo Fuzz on the way, I can boot the ZOOM. Now if I can just find somebody that'll buy it...

Hmmm... plug in a 9v power supply, plug in your guitar, tune. Simple. I don't know why others here have said it's worthless, mine works just fine.

N/A- it's a tuner, and I won't leave it in the effects chain. It's run from my Ibanez stereo volume pedal, which has a tuner output. I use a Gibson L6-S (stock p'ups), an Ibanez RG470 (DiMarzio FRED), a Jackson RX10D (DiMarzio X2N), a Washburn BT-2 (DiMarzio Evolution), and a cheap strat copy (DiMarzio Tone Zone). I use a Randall RH200 head (Musicians Friend), a 4x12 cab, and a 2x15 cab. I use DiAddario EXL120 strings, exclusively.

So far, so good. Use the little gem with care. The only backup I have is a tuning fork (E).

Haven't dealt with them yet.

I have been playing since 1984, mostly for personal enjoyment. I have all sorts of gear, some good, some not. I play heavy metal (Metallica, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc), and I like to play some blues, too. This is a tuner, and mine does its job. Maybe you folks who are having problems received a defective unit??? I bought mine in a pack which came with two other Dano pedals, which came with little guards to protect the knobs. Cool. What would you expect for under $14? Also, since I make sure I stretch my strings properly upon installation, my guitars stay in tune, for a long time. I was using a tuning fork, but the pedal is quicker and easier.

terrible terrible terrible.
I want my money back.
It's awful to use, wont track , false readings...simply awful

n/a

I would never use this in a live situation, it would be extremely detrimental to my career.

n/a

Do not even poke this pedal with a stick, it's possibly not only the worst tuner in existence but also the worst pedal ever designed.
AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL.

An exremely inaccurate tuner. It has a simple on off button but this tuner has up to a 1 second lag before it aquires the note and then doesn't seem to consistent. You tune once, and then check and it reads as out of tune.

Fender frontman, Epi Les paul Studio w/ Gibson PAF Classic 57 plus pickups, V-amp 2, Boss BD2, and CS3. No sound quality, it's a tuner

No reliability because it doesn't tune the guitar . I check its tunijng with my cheap Seiko ST737 tuner the Dano is waaay off, and not the whole guitar, just two or three strings. Low E is a joke on this thing

The misic store, Elite Music in Toronto refused to exchange or refund or let me trade up after I had this thing for three days. Now that's a way to grow a business. Tried to give the small guy a chance despite the fact they are 15% higher. Guess I have to stick to the big stores from now on.

Worst piece of crap I've used, Been playing on an off since 1975. Should have sprung for the Boss pedal tuner. Can't understand how this design ever made it into production.

Step on it with a battery = NO BACKLIGHT
' ' ' ' ' Power supply=BACKLIGHT
not hard to step on

I actully hear the needle make little farts into my amp while it sways back and forth like a drunk sailor. WHAT IS THAT!!??

A fat kid could break it with his big toe. Have a backup!!

I bought this b/c i like spending money on pedalsbut not tuneres. I will buy a nice tuner. this thing sucks. It Never catches the pitch, always going bizerk and makes noise. I deem this pedal USELESS!!!!

LCD is TINY. Not easy to see at 5' (eye to floor). Virtual center needle is useless unless you pick the unit up.

Does not effect sound

Seems to be rugged.

You get what you pay for. My Korg ($22) and Fender ($45) tuners are far superior.

For $17 you get it and lend it to someone.

It's a tuner...no brainer. But this thing is just a poor piece of equipment. It lags enough in picking up the note to make it kind of worthless. I compared it to my little BOSS tuner (which doesn't have a shutoff switch, which I wanted) and it really shows how useless the Danelectro pedal is. I want to tune quickly between songs and this tuner doesn't help me. You get what you pay for, I guess.

n/a

don't know...I'm taking it back.

A breeze of course, it is a tuner. If you don't understand the concept of a tuner I am sorry for for.

A tuner does not effect the sound, so no comment!

Mine is the full size, not the mini- so it is made of metal, and I love it for that! If you don't like the plastic of the mini- find the full size pedal! It will hold the test of time!

Never had to deal with them!

I usually play lighter music, more of a Dave Matthews style, an acoustic sound. I would probably buy it again, mainly for the price. If you have the money buy the Boss Chromatic tuner. It works 10 million times better. My only complaint is the "laziness" of the pedal. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 minutes to find the signal and tune it. The Boss is instant. Great for personal gigs, not good for a band setting!

You should ignore the few negative comments you hear about this unit. For example, one person said that it did not respond right away after plucking the string. A tuner requires a little bit of time to frequency sample, so I'm afraid a teeny delay is unavoidable. Also, I suspect some people may be experiencing problems due to not providing a strong enough signal for the unit to work with. Usually if you can activate all your pickups you will have better results. Furthermore, you can save a lot of grief by using a 9 volt adaptor. Not only will you have less problems, but the display will also light up. The Dano batteries are pretty well worthless, except for the great retro styling. May as well save it in it's wrapper as a nice art object. As someone else noted, they often are practically run down right out of the box.

n/a

COULD USE GREAT IMPROVEMENT

When I bought this I didn't realize that it had an LED that lit up when you hit the right pitch, and also little arrow leds to indicate whether you needed to tune up or down. These are a welcome addition to the familiar needle indicator. I also have a fender tuner, and this is much easier to read than the fender, and I also think it is more accurate. Plus, you get the great retro styling, although I kind of like the transparent fender tuner's looks as well.

At first, i couldnt get it to work, but since it was my first experience with a dano pedal, so i didnt know you have to push the button so hard to get it on. It was a little confusing at first, but that doesnt mean it will be that way for everyone. once you figure it out, its easy. It kinda laggs though.

Its a tuner, so i dont expect it to make noise. but it had a very very slight noise. Almost non existant, so dont worry at all about it.

I can depend on it. I wouldnt need a backup i dont think. Of course, the batteries may run out, so always keep a spare battery with you.

I think this is a good tuner. I could do without the purple color, a lighter purple at that, but thats no problem. color is not an issue. Expect to hit the strings more than a few times to get the guitar in tune. As i said, it does get lazy. To see in the dark, get an adapter. I like it. Remember, this thing can tune to e, a, d, g, b, and e so dont think standard is the only thing this thing tunes. So if you want to do drop d, a, or even b or g, this is good to go

Easy to use; IF IT WORKS!!!

This section is N/A.

ZERO RELIABILITY! I owned it for 6 weeks. Plugged it in at a gig and it DIED! I use it with 3 other mini dano-pedals in the new pedal board w/factory power supply.

The pedal lights up but the button does nothing. The tuning indicator does not work. I did not have a backup & I was stuck, thanks to poor quality.

You could call this pedal, "China's revenge."

Came without a warranty card. I'm up the perverbial creek without a paddle. It's past 30 days so I can't take it back to guitar center.

I used these pedal fo about 1.5 months. Then without warning, it died. I will never, repeat NEVER, buy another Dano pedal. Period.

I threw it down on the cement floor REAL HARD after it failed. Mechanically, it fared quite well. So, it's pretty rugged.

Still; What a hunk of junk!

This unit does what it's supposed to do. It's easy to use like most tuners, with a digital-analog display to help let you know how close you are to having a particular string in the tuning you want it. Mine did not come with a manual, but you really don't need one other than to show you where the batter is (you have to remove the bottem plate to get to it). A battery is supplied, but mine was almost dead and caused very inaccurate readings.

I cannot hear any loss of sound quality when I have this pedal bypassed or not. I only use it to tune, and then I remove it from the signal path completely. It is not noisy at all - hasn't made a sound yet. I use it on my Kramer Striker 424S/D with a Line6 Spyder 112 amp. Both the amp and the guitar are VERY quiet (almost no audible noise ever) so I can tell easily if the effects are making unwanted noise, and the Danelectro Dj-11 does not make a sound.

The majority of the unit is plastic with a metal plate for the bottem and a metal bypass button, but I think if you take decent care of it it shouldn't break. I would rather have it made of a strong metal because this is a pedal and it is ment to be used in a live setup where care can't always be taken of your equipment.

I've never dealt with Danelectro.

It's a tuner. It works well, even with the 9V battery. It is very accurate too... I was surprised at this (compared it inline with a line6 POD 2.0 tuner....worked better and was easier to find the right tunings). To use the backlight (for use in a dark setting, like a live show) you have to buy the AC-Adapter which is around $19...otherwise the battery works fine, and it doesn't take very long to register notes (about half a second until the needle finds where you are). It's not made of metal, though, and I think that is its only drawback as a pedal.