how do you guys feel about these tuners?

[carrythetradish]

Fender pt-100
Behringer Tu300
Sabine STX-1100

how do they compare with each other and other more expensive tuners?

[Geist]

I have the Sabine. I run it from the tuner out of my EBVPjr, so i have no idea what it's like when it's put in the chain, but it's a great tuner. tracks all my strings just fine, and is very accurate.

[carrythetradish]

Yeah. I have the Sabine too. She definitely gets the job done and she's cheap too. I'm curious about how the cheaper pedal tuners compare with it though.

[jamesdudley]

It may be me, but dude a tuner is a tuner. I would just go for the cheapest.

[frankieg]

I have experience with the Behringer. I wanted a pedal tuner and this was the only one available at the store I was at with a gig that night so I bought it. It did a really poor job picking up the b and e strings for me on my 5'er. I emailed behringer the following Monday and told them of the problem. The response I got back was, "Any self-respecting bass player should know that you can't tune an electric bass just by plucking a string with your finger. You have to use a plectrum and tune by the harmonic at the 12th fret".

[carrythetradish]

Originally Posted by frankieg

"Any self-respecting bass player should know that you can't tune an electric bass just by plucking a string with your finger. You have to use a plectrum and tune by the harmonic at the 12th fret".

haha. wow. their customer support seems friendly.

[fishtx]

Originally Posted by jamesdudley

It may be me, but dude a tuner is a tuner. I would just go for the cheapest.

It may be me, but a tuner "ain't" just a tuner...and going cheap usually isn't the best option...

[()smoke()]

Originally Posted by carrythetradish

haha. wow. their customer support seems friendly.

that's really pretty sad

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by frankieg

The response I got back was, "Any self-respecting bass player should know that you can't tune an electric bass just by plucking a string with your finger. You have to use a plectrum and tune by the harmonic at the 12th fret".

That's awesome. You know, the funny thing is there are lots of people who think that's true, too, because they've spent their lives using crappy tuners and they think the 12th fret deal is the normal and even "manly" way to do things, and they post here that anybody who complains is somehow ridiculous.

But the fact is that well-designed tuners do not require that workaround, and that is one of the big reasons a bassist may choose to buy the more expensive units which can actually track the lowest strings just fine.

Now I'm super-picky, so I choose a $140 tuner which tracks perfectly to the lowest possible frequencies. But there are even tuners much less expensive than that which do a fine job even on the low B for many users, without BS like a plectrum and harmonics at any fret.

[katri]

people say behringer aren't too bad but when they say stuff like that it makes me loose all confidence in them.

[carrythetradish]

Originally Posted by katri

people say behringer aren't too bad but when they say stuff like that it makes me loose all confidence in them.

I agree. I don't want to buy a product unless i know the brand is going to stand behind it and not be d-bags about questions they get.

[fishtx]

Originally Posted by frankieg

The response I got back was, "Any self-respecting bass player should know that you can't tune an electric bass just by plucking a string with your finger. You have to use a plectrum and tune by the harmonic at the 12th fret".

They didn't charge extra for the sarcasm did they?...

Unbelieveable...a company that manufacturers "crap" products and then degrades it's customers that call in with questions...

[JanusZarate]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Now I'm super-picky, so I choose a $140 tuner which tracks perfectly to the lowest possible frequencies. But there are even tuners much less expensive than that which do a fine job even on the low B for many users, without BS like a plectrum and harmonics at any fret.

Plus, you can't do a proper setup if your tuner can't track an open note. Your 12th fret note could be in tune while the open note is out of whack.

[takfar]

A friend of mine had a fender tuner pedal (not 100% sure it's the one you're talking about) and he pretty much hated it... Thing just fell apart at the seams, crappy build quality

Me, I use a Korg Pitch Black, and it's fast, accurate, and mutes the sound when tuning. Tunes the low B perfectly, too.

[dannybuoy]

I think the top 3 are:

Ibanez LU20 - massive display, true bypass, very cheap, dual outputs
Korg Pitchblack - mid-priced, very small, awesome stealth looks
Sonic Research Turbo Tuner - expensive, very accurate, good strobe mode

I've owned the Ibanez and moved onto the Korg. Not been tempted to move onto the Turbo Tuner as it does the job for me!

[bigchiefbc]

Originally Posted by takfar

A friend of mine had a fender tuner pedal (not 100% sure it's the one you're talking about) and he pretty much hated it... Thing just fell apart at the seams, crappy build quality

Me, I use a Korg Pitch Black, and it's fast, accurate, and mutes the sound when tuning. Tunes the low B perfectly, too.

Not sure which Fender tuner he had, but I've had the PT-100 for 4 years and counting now and never had a problem.

I play a 5-er, usually tuned ADADG, and it catches the low-A fine. I will suggest that the opposite of what that extremely well informed behringer rep says is true for me. Tuning the lowest notes works better WITHOUT a pick. Sometimes the harmonics introduced by the pick can fool with a tuner for a second or two.

[scottbass]

Originally Posted by takfar

Me, I use a Korg Pitch Black, and it's fast, accurate, and mutes the sound when tuning. Tunes the low B perfectly, too.

+1. The Korg Pitch Black is the best tuner available for less than $100, IMHO.

[TimmyBoomBoom]

I have a Sabine, but I usually use the tuner/bypass function on my Pandora. But, I still have a problem. The leader of the band I play in uses some kind of tuner which clips onto the headstock of his guitar. We are never in tune with each other. I'm in tune with the lead guitar player and sax. But no matter how often I ask him to check he always says he's in tune. At the last gig even the singer noticed!!!!! I ended up putting my Jag bass between him and lead in pitch. So bottom line, if you go cheap, try to get everyone to go with the same brand. Also, the Sabine does have the ability to calibrate to a different pitch, but I've never done that.

[Davecg2]

First off, I definitely wouldnt go with the cheapest, itll probably break in a few months. When i was researching tuners for use on stage i looked at the first 2 you have listed. From what ive read the fender pt-100 has a plastic pedal that breaks pretty easily. I ended up going with a boss tu-2 which works great and is sturdy as hell, plus i haven't really heard any negative stories with any of boss' pedals yet. I recommend adding the Boss tu-2 to your list, its $100 so more expensive, but youll only have to buy it once and it has a 5 year warranty, i would guess the ones you have listed will end up needing replaced within a couple years.

[dmrogers]

I have had two Sabine tuners for many, many years. They are great tuners, work well.

One travels to gigs and plugs into the tuner out, the other stays in the music room.

Get the best tuner you can afford.