BOSS TU-3 tuning a half tone to high

[Kiiaan]

i have a problem with my boss tu-3 tuner... when i tune one of the strings in E my tuner said F and it's driving me crazy. why dos it that and what can i do so it tunes correctly.

sorry my english

[wshines1892]

It's probably calibrated incorrectly. It should be calibrated to 440hz for standard pitch. I also understand that the TU3 has tuning modes where it changes its calibration so that you can drop or raise your tuning while still thinking in E.

[Riff1forme]

The TU-3 is reading two or three cents too high. Can't find anything on their website for calibration. Anyone? (kind of a bump)

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

What other tuner are you using that's telling you its not right?

[Riff1forme]

Peterson strobe tuner as well as an iphone app for the TC Electronics Polytune as well as a Korg DT-10.

[Riff1forme]

Thank you very much for the reply, by the way!

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

Id contact Boss and ask about swapping it out under warranty. I use the same tuner and love it.

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

I only use it in the chromatic mode though. It seems slower and jumps around too much on strobe mode

[Riff1forme]

Yes, I like the chromatic mode as well. I will. Or, I may take it back to where I bought it less than a month ago. Thank you again!

[Riff1forme]

Also, so as not to discourage anyone from buying a TU-3, the Peterson is a PITA and the Korg is slower. I played with the new Korg Pitchblack Poly and it is VERY difficult to see in the sun and the display is annoying to me.

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

I've heard good things about the pitchblack, but never used one. let us know how the return goes.

[Riff1forme]

Bellevue American Music - they won't blink!

[Riff1forme]

Thank you again, Lowactnstsfctn! (Cool handle, btw!)

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

Thanks. Is Bellevue in Tennessee?

[Riff1forme]

I WISH! Very interesting you'd ask! I'm from the Tennessee Valley (north Alabama) but am in the Seattle, Washington area for work. Hate it here, miss there! Bellevue American Music is in Bellevue, Washington. They are awesome folks. Reese (owner), Jim (mangager), Johnny (guitar and bass guru - of Culprit and Stonebender fame), Nick (lighting), Phil (keyboards), and on and on are all really great people that know their stuff. I swore off GC and the like a while ago. I'd rather pay a few more bucks and deal with good people that know their stuff than save a buck and be given a sales pitch from someone that doesn't know the difference in bass strings and guitar strings. They're just strings for a guitar, right? No, friend, they aren't....

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

i guess there is a Bellevue in every state. Seattle is a cool town. My Girlfriend and I were in Puaylup (spelling?) a few months back for a wedding, seemed like a cool place to live.


It bothers me when the salemen dont know the products they are pushing. Like when you say,
" Im looking for really Bright strings"
Salesman " Have you tried the Boomers?"
Me " I mean bright, like Hi beams bright, like Blue steels bright"
Salesman " Oh, than you want these" points to Boomers again
Me " um.... Dude, don't talk to me anymore" and walks off

[FJBass82]

My TU-3 is doing the same thing. Just noticed it today, and I bought it a month ago. I have a Peavey Max 115 II combo amp with a built-in chromatic tuner (although for some reason the signal's not getting through from the G and D strings, but it picks up the A and E strings fine).

Anyway, the tuner on the Peavey amp shows the E string being in tune just fine as E, as it should, but the TU-3 is showing that my E string is in tune as F.

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one with a defective tuner. I called Guitar Center where I bought it and they'd never heard of a TU-3 doing this. They said to bring it in so they can look at it and give me a new one.

[Febs]

Are you sure you didn't change the reference pitch?

From the manual:

Changing the Reference Pitch
You can adjust the reference pitch over a range of 436-445 Hz. (440 Hz
is the factory default.)
1. Press the MODE button and STREAM/CENT button
simultaneously.
The lowest digit of the current reference pitch (e.g., “0” when set to
440 Hz) blinks in the Note Name/String indicator.
2. Press the MODE button or STREAM/CENT button to
change the reference pitch.
MODE button: Raises the reference pitch by 1 Hz.
STREAM/CENT button: Lowers the reference pitch by 1 Hz.
* If you allow several seconds to elapse without pressing the MODE
button or STREAM/CENT button, the TU-3 will return to normal
operation.
* When you turn on the power, the current reference pitch will be
displayed for several seconds.
* This setting remains stored even after the power is turned off.

I would try following the reset procedure in the manual before doing anything else:

Restoring the Original Factory Settings
(Factory Reset)
The TU-3 retains the following settings in memory. If desired, you can
restore these settings to their factory-set condition.
1. While holding down the MODE button, turn on the
power (insert a plug into the INPUT jack).
The green light at the center of the meter lights up.
2. Press the MODE button again.
The green light at the center of the meter flashes three times, and
the TU-3 returns to its normal mode, with the
original default factory settings restored.
* If several seconds elapse without the MODE button being pressed, or if
you press any button other than the MODE button, the TU-3 returns to
its normal state without restoring the factory settings.