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  #1  
Old 06-08-2010, 03:26 AM
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TC Polytuner quick review

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Been using this lately and what a great tuner. The polytune function is great, as are the on board features of chromatic tuning, drop tunings, light sensitive display, choice of stream or needle view, true through by pass but to name a few.

I am using it for standard and drop tunings ( semitone flat), set to polyphonic, and on needle view. You can view it as a needle or as a stream when it is in the chromatic mode of single string tuning which it does automatic for you.

For me its asset is the polyphonic function. Quick strum of all the strings and the display shows all strings and their tuning.
If one is out as soon as you target that string the tuner goes to chromatic mode and shows you that string and that string alone. After tuning a quick strum shows all the strings again, great tuner, fast and accurate.

Changing tuning parameters is easy a basic one switch to open up the options and plus minus to your choosing option. Its standard default pitch is 440Hz but will calibrate between 435-445 Hz.
It handles extended ranges with ease, and even the fretless had an intonation problem on the D string which was picked up and correct with a slight adjustment of the saddle.
It can re-set the polytune mode to read E, D#, D. C#, C, or B then when you look to tune a single string it reads as a standard chromatic tuner.
The great thing i like is when in chromatic use in any drop tuning its give you the correct note pitch not the altered one. So when i play a drop tuning like semitone down and set the tuner to this, the polytuner recognises this, but when i go chromatic it read my bass as D#, G#,C#, and F# it true reference to standard not an altered reading of E,A,D,G.

That might seem a trivial thing but it does get confusing sometimes when guitarists give out dropped tunings according to the fretboard position not the pitch.
If i have a five string on then i do not re tune or drop tune i have the extended range to handle it from standard.
The amount of times guitarists have given me the wrong "keys" at jams because they are dropped tuned well.......tuning a guitar a semitone down means you are a semitone down on fret position.
When they say A and we start to play, they then seem to want to mention the fact they are a semitone down..........mmmmm then that's not A is it?

So as it tunes guitars and basses this might remind a few guitarists that all they do is change the position of a note on the neck of the guitar when they retune, a minor thing but one that will develop good habits.

All in all it handles extended range easy, i even re-tuned my standard to B-E-A-D with no problems it reads string intonation great.

Battery access is easy from the bottom using a coin to unscrew the single big screw that holds the plate in place. The battery is easy to install and the compartment easy to access. Screw back up and continue.

Metal case construction is solid as is the button, a single pole type, easy to press off and on very solid feeling.

The display is light sensitive so its brightness is adjusted to suit the conditions and help save battery life.

Changing the parameters is easy done with the two small buttons, left and right of the power inputs on the front side...does exactly what it says...changes values up or down, very simple to use.

With true bypass, it is hard wired across the input and output so your signal when not using the tuner does not cross any of the circuits or boards, so it is a purer sound and better connection as the circuits do not take any part of the signal.
Now i must admit i would never really notice this with my set up, but if used in a multi pedal board it is a useful feature. Also as a little extra you get a velcro strips to attach to it and your board, so that saves a bit of messing about.

DC power in and out so it can be in-line to daisy chain other pedals. Battery low warning appears on the main display in clear large letters as BATT so easy enough not to miss.

Instructions very straight forward and enough examples to guide you on a single page op info rather than War and Peace to wade though.

In all its a great option to consider (£75 approx) and will give any tuner a run for its money and more because of the polytune function which is no gimmick. After using one i feel it will become a standard thing on all tuners to be polyphonic...it just makes sense.
  #2  
Old 06-08-2010, 04:27 AM
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I'll add to this review instead of writing my own thread.

Price paid: $85 with shipping.

First impressions with the PolyTune:

I really like the one-screw on the backplate. It makes battery replacements (if that's how you roll) easy and fast.

The internals are covered by a black plastic shield of mystery, or it's just there to cover up the elves inside that are forced to listen to each of your strings in unison and give you the readout of their pitch. Personally, I like this as the internals can't be damaged by a battery coming loose in a freak accident and wreaking havoc (I felt this way with a past Peterson Strobo Stomp 2).

The Polyphonic mode is indeed cool, and I feel would really be a benefit to people that own a floating bridge instrument (tuning up my Strat has never been easier).

I did find that the velcro that is provided with the pedal wasn't so great. The adhesive stuck on very well to the pedal, but not so great to the velcro itself. After the pedal had been on my board for about a day, the adhesive backing let go of the velcro and stuck to the pedal. This left the pedal to flop around on the pedalboard with the velcro pieces still firmly stuck to the board. Save yourself some time and cut out some 3M Industrial Strength Velcro to use on this pedal if it's going to be living on a pedalboard.

All-in-all, the features and build quality of this pedal are great and are worth the extra space that it takes up on the board (it's slightly wider than a standard MXR pedal, and has top-mounted power jacks instead of side-mounted which I would have preferred). I'm thinking of getting another one (the current one lives on my guitar board) to stick on a larger bass board that I will eventually put together. For now though, I still like the smaller size and extreme accuracy of my Turbo Tuner that is on my Mini utility board.
  #3  
Old 07-27-2010, 10:13 AM
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I got mine yesterday and I am hearing a noticeable pop when it is activated. It's pretty loud. I think I'll go back to the store and try some others incase mine is faulty. Does anyone else get a pop?
  #4  
Old 07-27-2010, 10:22 AM
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I had a hired in SVT in Luxembourg a couple of weeks back and it did indeed make a pop when i used it for that show. I have not had it since but i use a TC head and a transceiver so it maybe an intermittent thing but it was an annoying on that show.
  #5  
Old 07-27-2010, 10:46 PM
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True bypass pop perhaps?
  #6  
Old 07-27-2010, 11:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DerHoggz View Post
True bypass pop perhaps?
Most probably. Perfectly normal.
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  #7  
Old 07-28-2010, 03:11 AM
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Ive got the Polytune app on my ipod touch and it is indeed a great idea and a good tuner but i dont have much use for the poly bit, and while i can see how useful it is for quick tuning i much prefer the Peterson tuner app, or the single string mode for more precise tuning.
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  #8  
Old 07-28-2010, 09:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KarateKid25 View Post
Most probably. Perfectly normal.
Pop should always be intolerable.

I don't get this - I don't hear any difference between buffer and TB - but buffers suck and TB pedals are fantastic? A pop trough a 500 watt bass amp should give the whole audience a heart attack!
  #9  
Old 07-28-2010, 12:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tony_clifton View Post
Pop should always be intolerable.

I don't get this - I don't hear any difference between buffer and TB - but buffers suck and TB pedals are fantastic? A pop trough a 500 watt bass amp should give the whole audience a heart attack!
I agree that pops are intolerable, but your post would seem to suggest that all true bypass pedals cause a pop when you engage/disengage them. Simply not true.
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  #10  
Old 07-29-2010, 03:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by silky smoove View Post
I agree that pops are intolerable, but your post would seem to suggest that all true bypass pedals cause a pop when you engage/disengage them. Simply not true.
I know. My only pedal is a TB one. But I wanted to make a point
  #11  
Old 07-29-2010, 03:14 PM
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I did a few tests and it turns out that I had a bad cable on one end. Switched cables and no more "pop". Absolutely silent switching. It is now my favorite tuner.
Al
  #12  
Old 08-04-2010, 08:35 AM
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Been using my own rig again and no pop. Nice to know it can be caused by a bad/cheap cable.
  #13  
Old 08-15-2010, 08:26 PM
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I love my Polytune. The poly feature is great for a quick check of your tune. Hit the button, strum the strings, and if you see all green, then there is no reason to tune.
  #14  
Old 08-15-2010, 08:35 PM
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it ain't gonna knock the turbo-tuner off my pedalboard, but it's a good piece of gear.

one detail which is important for accuracy fanatics but TC seemed to forget to mention is that the "needle" mode is only +/- 3 cents accurate, the same as a tu-2. that's fine for ballpark live gig use, but they advertise it as being +/- .5 cents accurate, which approaches peterson territory.

turns out that the "stream" mode is the only setting where you get the actual half-cent accuracy.
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  #15  
Old 08-19-2010, 10:22 AM
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Just got a Polytune last week. Besides the Polyphonic tuning which is great the responsiveness is very fast. I like the size and weight as compared to my Planet Waves tuner which I thought was built like a tank and it's not just weighs as much. The light sensing display is a plus in bright outdoor gigs. hopefully it will last as long than my TU-2
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  #16  
Old 09-03-2010, 08:31 AM
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Just a few question. I tune half step down (open E becomes Eb) Is there a way to lock it into half step down tuning or will it revert back to standard 440 tuning after each time you turn it on and off? Also will the Polytune feature work if your tuned half step down? (indicate what strings are in and out of tune)
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Last edited by Paullee01 : 09-03-2010 at 08:37 AM.
  #17  
Old 09-03-2010, 10:35 AM
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High tech toy... no pops for me.

I love mine!
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  #18  
Old 09-21-2010, 08:05 AM
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iv just got my polytune today, its great takes abit to get used to but its quick for tuning not too keen on the switch thou feels so loose
  #19  
Old 09-21-2010, 08:55 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dave_bass5 View Post
Ive got the Polytune app on my ipod touch and it is indeed a great idea and a good tuner but i dont have much use for the poly bit, and while i can see how useful it is for quick tuning i much prefer the Peterson tuner app, or the single string mode for more precise tuning.
+1. I have the Polytune and Peterson apps on my iPhone.

I like the TC's Poly mode, which is great for mid-set confidence checks, but I always do my initial tuning with the Peterson.

The Peterson software gives the impression of longer-lasting tuning, because each string starts the set more accurately centered on the target pitch.

I find the same thing when I use them for g****r...
  #20  
Old 09-21-2010, 10:16 AM
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hey so i have definately had one problem with this pedal that no one has mentioned.
So for all you polytune owners out there:
-Check your tuning with the polytune function
-without changing your tuning, check the tuning of each individual string

When I do this, the polyphonic and monophonic modes give me DIFFERENT READINGS which means that the polyphonic mode is NOT always 100% accurate for bass!!

Anyone else get this?
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