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Rack Tuners

notenslaved

notenslaved

I survived the 80's only to see it return.
Feb 13, 2008
69
1
Connecticut, USA
#1
Currently, I'm using the good 'ol Boss white tuner pedal. I've hung onto it for a couple of years because it's reliable and effective - but I'm done with pedals and it would be nice to have a tuner in my rack for sanity purposes.

I guess the <$300.00 range is reasonable - these things all seem similar in terms of price and features and honestly it seems like overkill to drop $300 or more on a rack tuner.
After reading reviews, it really seems like one is as good as another. Sometimes I wonder if these reviews are written by sponsors or manufacturers...

What are people using?
What's great?
What sucks?

My priorities on this item are:
1) Performance - can it tune well? Does it take forever to pick up a note or is it responsive? Can it pick up a low B or is it just a glorified guitar tuner with funny lights in a rack shape?
2) Reliability.
3) Low noise. I really hate that "*** IS THAT HUM COMING FROM" journey we all have to embark on from time to time.
4) Price
 
#2
I have a Korg DTR-1000 rack tuner at home but don't use it live (I use Peterson strobostomp for gigs).

I think you can get the DTR-1000 for under $200. It's a decent rack tuner.

Fender makes a rack tuner for under $200 as well...
 
#4
I also own one of these, and I believe it's pretty accurate.

I tune all my instruments with it and it picks everything rather quickly from below the B to high up on a guitar neck.
Besides, it's always fun to stare at the pretty lights!
It has two inputs, mute, mic, several modes (cent, strobe, Hz) and you can change the calibration, for more exotic tunings.

[edit] From what I can tell, the DTR-1000 is pretty much the same thing without extraneous stuff (guitar, bass and open tunings), so I'd recommend that one and save a few bucks!
 
#5
I had a Sabine rack tuner for a spell, it was very quick, easy to see, and almost too accurate. I think it was $180 or so brand new, RT-7000 I think. Never had it in my signal chain, so can't comment on the noise. The input and ouput jacks seemed a bit cheap if I recall correctly.

I'm no longer a Rack Dude, so I went back to my Sabine handheld, which is probably 15 years old at this point. It doesn't tune anything below my A-string, and I yell at it incessantly, but we have a good time. :)
 
#11
To be honest, I have not used any of the ones already mentioned. I had a Furman PL-TUNER that I lost in the Katrina flood. I used this unit for years. It is a tuner/power conditioner with the pull out lights on the front. Great unit. After the flood, it was one of the 1st things I replaced. It is a single rack space, that does 2 things. A no brainer for me. Unfortunately, these are no longer available new. If I were to lose this one, I would definately replace it with another. Again.
 
#12
Big Hungry said:
DTR-1000 :Thumbs down: Can't offer an alternative but it won't tune my low D so I have to use harmonics. Sometimes, at shows I have to guess because the venue is too loud to hear.
Click to expand...
:confused: Need to get it fixed dude.
MysticBoo said:
That's odd... my DTR-1000 tunes the low D just fine.
Click to expand...
Same here, hell it tunes my B just as well as all of my other strings including and going up to my guitarist's high E.
 
#14
Great advice, thanks everyone!

The Petersen tuners seem very accurate, but their rack model is in the $350 range. Damn fine looking, great specs too.
Maybe the Korg's are a better idea for me.

The Furman PL-Tuners I guess aren't made anymore, but that's such a good idea on their part. I saw a couple forum threads in the archives mentioning them, but they were pretty old threads. Seems like it would be a miracle to find one used.
Any other companies make a product like this? Saving a rack space means better airflow for my MPulse 600 :D and it likes to breathe.
 
#17
Mainly, the DTR-2000 has a built-in mic for tuning acoustic instruments, and features built-in lights to illuminate rack gear below it. It can also display in hertz (as well as the usual cents and strobe modes), and has a few convenient tuning modes for guitar, bass, etc. (if you already know what tuning you want, then this is hardly necessary, IMO :p). In addition, it has a button to select a different input for tuning, and can use an external sound source for the reference pitch.

As far as I'm concerned, the only real advantages are the mic-based acoustic tuner and the lights. The rest are overkill for most users.
 
#20
I'm not how long you've had it but you could send it back to Korg if it is still under warranty or even if you talk to the mand they say they will repair it.

I payed $130 for mine brand new so I think I would get it repaired for less money than trying to find a new tuner.
 

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