Active Band Man Chats - Tuners Edition

So, the theme this time is… tuners!

Tuners? Didn’t we already cover that?

You’d think so, right? But we haven’t. This is our 94th discussion, and I checked the archives.

You’re right... We’ve mentioned them briefly when talking about pedalboards and such, but never made it the main topic.

Exactly!

Maybe we overlooked it because it’s such a basic thing.

Let’s go back to the history of tuners, then.

Sure. The most primitive would be the tuning fork, right?

Ting... Yeah, I’ve hardly ever used one myself. But they’re still being made! I’ve heard they’re good for ear training.
K&M (König & Meyer) / 168/1 Tuning Fork

Yep. Even I haven’t really used one myself. After that… maybe the radio time signal? (laughs)

Yeah, the time signal plays an A! (laughs) I think my tuner journey started around that time with the BOSS chromatic tuner, TU-12!

Ah, that was the go-to back then! I had one too. I mean, everyone did.

Right? That’s so nostalgic with the analog needle that moved back and forth.

That was back before tuners had mute functions when you stepped on them…

Exactly. I did a quick search and found that there was the TU-12H, which had an extended pitch range—

The white one, right?

Yeah, and also the high-performance updated version, the TU-12EX!
BOSS / TU-12EX

I’m not too familiar with that one… Did it have the Accu-Pitch feature (that beeps when you're in tune) and auto power-off?

The TU-12 series had a long run, but it looks like they’ve all been discontinued now!

...I guessi t’s just the times, huh. Speaking of which, I played in the school concert band back in high school, and we used tuners there too. Pretty bulky ones... (searches) I think it was the AT-12? Most school bands back then probably used those.

Never heard of that one… But yeah, when it comes to tuners, I really want that footswitch mute function!

Totally. And the pioneer of stomp-style tuners has got to be BOSS, right?

For sure!

The BOSS TU-2. I jumped on it as soon as it came out. It’s been around so long and became such a staple that it doesn’t even feel outdated.

Right? It still feels totally current! ...Or so I thought—wait, what’s this?

What?

BOSS’s official website says it’s been discontinued!

Ahh, so the TU-3 is the current model now. That’s a clean break.

I’ve been a loyal TU-2 user…I think I bought it twice over. I used it for so long that when I finally switched to the TU-3, the difference in the way the lights blinked felt kind of weird.

Makes sense.

Another game-changer was the built-in power supply function.

Right. I used to carry a separate power supply myself. But, having it built in is super convenient. The only other BOSS pedals with that feature were... the Line Selector and... what was it? The Master Switch? Something like that.

Yeah, the red one. These days, for my board with The Captains, I use the BOSS TU-3W.
BOSS / TU-3W WAZA CRAFT Tuner

Ah, that’s part of the Waza Craft series.

When I tried it out...

Trying out a tuner! That’s pretty hardcore.

I really liked how it sounded when it was bypassed.

So it’s got a good buffer, then.

I guess it is! With this, I’m totally satisfied when it comes to tuners.

I see. I’ve honestly never thought that much about the quality of a tuner—maybe I only thought of just the response speed, at most. Speaking of which, I remember a guitarist once saying that overly precise tuners never finish tuning, so it’s actually better if they’re a bit forgiving. Have you used anything else?

I used the KORG Pitchblack for a while. The limited edition gold one!

The color doesn’t matter! (laughs) But yeah, the Pitchblack is super popular.

Yeah, it’s really well-made. I also tried the Pitchblack Plus, which detects pitch even more precisely, but I didn’t like the metal footswitches, so I went back to BOSS.

Metal footswitches are the standard now… even BOSS has started using more of them.

I know, right…

Anything else?

Let’s see… Some of my acoustic guitars and ukuleles have built-in tuners.

Yeah, a lot of acoustic instruments come with tuners these days.

And… I also use the tuner built into my Zoom R8 MTR when I’m doing demo recordings.

I use the R8 too, but I’ve never actually used the tuner on it.

I also use the BOSS tuner app on my iPhone.

Ah, the times we live in…

Yeah, seriously…

What else?

I use Polytune on my board when I play with the Showers.
TC ELECTRONIC / POLYTUNE 3 MINI Pedal Tuner

The one that lets you tune all the strings at once!

That’s the one. It feels like it shortens tuning time…that is once you get used to it.

Makes sense with a six-string guitar and it feels worth it. I’m not great with polyphonic tuners myself, though… Wait, what about clip-on tuners?

I haven’t used them much, to be honest. But, they’ve become a lot more common, right?

Definitely.

I do think it’s kind of cool to just slap on a clip-on tuner and run one cable from guitar to amp—there’s no tone loss and no gimmicks!

Yeah, I’m not really much of a minimalist anyway (laughs).

Right? So, what’s your tuner history like, horry?

For me, it definitely started with the BOSS TU-12. I think that was the only real option at the time.

Yeah, maybe there was something similar from YAMAHA, but that’s about it.

I think I ended up using it for over ten years. I might have bought a replacement once. Oh, and when I was using rack effects, I had a half-rack tuner from BOSS.

Half-rack! You don’t see many people using rack tuners these days. I kind of want to try one of those huge ones—you know, the super wide ones.

Instead of going smaller?

Yeah, why not go all out? One that stretches from one end of the stage to the other!

At that point, it’s basically a lighting rig… (laughs)

This! (laughs) When the tuning hits perfectly, the applause goes wild!

Ummhmmm. After that, it was definitely the BOSS TU-2. The mute function was revolutionary.

For sure.

I’ve been using this one ever since. I took it everywhere with me… I think I even replaced it once. The current TU-2 is my second one.

Right on.

Eventually, I got a KORG Pitchblack too… not the limited color version, though.

Classic horry, sticking to the regular color.

Then for my small board, I got the mini Pitchblack… from you, Kizuhiko. What was it? Some kind of payment? (laughs)

What was it again…?

You don’t remember? (laughs)

Just a little token of appreciation for your everyday kindness!

You’re welcome. Eventually, I bought a Pitchblack Mini for myself too… Now I have one built into each board. No particular reason for switching between them, though.

It’s easy to use and easy to integrate, huh.

Also, I have a portable Pitchblack for home use, plus a clip tuner. The portable one even has a cable checker, so it’s really handy.

Oh, nice.

I found a photo I took earlier…It shows all the tuners I currently own. Tuners sure do have a way of multiplying… though I haven’t added any more since this shot! (laughs)

To everyone: enjoy your tuning life by tuning your instruments correctly, comfortably, and with ease! And remember, everything is…

For Love!