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$19.95 tuner as good as TU-3

Thir13teen

Thir13teen

Silence = Deaf
Supporting Member
Feb 12, 2012
1,530
1,434
USA
#1
So far I'm stumped, but I'm trying to figure out why I would spend $149.99 on a Boss TU-3W pedal when I just got the Monoprice Chromatic Tuner for $19.95 delivered? The Monoprice even came with a 9v battery and the box itself is made of metal. I am really impressed with how brilliant the blue & red is on it's display.

I only got the pedal today but so far so good - I'd recommend it :)

monotuner.jpg
 
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#3
Yeah, the Boss TU-3W is pretty new and is a pretty souped up pedal, most tuners are not that expensive. I'd just say that I trust the tried-and-true professional brands (namely the Korg Pitchblack, TC Electronic Polytune series, etc.) you can get uber cheap used, there has to be some component trade off for the $20 pedals out there. I could be wrong, but for me that peace of mind is worth a bit more so I can get accurate tracking in the middle of a show.
 
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#9
Well, I wouldn't spend $150 on a tuner. You can get a good name brand tuner for a lot less especially if there's a sale.

I use the Korg Pitchblack currently, and I've used other tried and true tuners in the past with good results. I've also tried a couple clones that belonged to friends and I found they weren't as accurate as the name brand tuners that I've used. The clones seemed fine for tuning a guitar and they track reasonably well on the A D and G strings on a bass. But I found the clones didn't track well on the bass E and B strings nor did they track well on a DB. Even my cheap Korg pitchclip does as well as some of the clone tuner pedals.

My advice for the clone tuners is try before you buy. Whereas, you don't need to try before you buy with the name brand tuner pedals.
 
#10
Ben B said:
Well, I wouldn't spend $150 on a tuner. You can get a good name brand tuner for a lot less especially if there's a sale.

I use the Korg Pitchblack currently, and I've used other tried and true tuners in the past with good results. I've also tried a couple clones that belonged to friends and I found they weren't as accurate as the name brand tuners that I've used. The clones seemed fine for tuning a guitar and they track reasonably well on the A D and G strings on a bass. But I found the clones didn't track well on the bass E and B strings nor did they track well on a DB. Even my cheap Korg pitchclip does as well as some of the clone tuner pedals.

My advice for the clone tuners is try before you buy. Whereas, you don't need to try before you buy with the name brand tuner pedals.
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I'm a Pitchblack fan too. Used one for awhile, liked it real well.

Joyo JT-305, half the price, exact same build quality and performance.

https://www.amazon.com/JT-305-Guitar-Chromatic-Bypass-Display/dp/B006498LWU

This is the case with *many* clones IME. Try before you buy, if possible. Otherwise, find someone you trust and read/watch demo's and reviews.
 
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#12
electracoyote said:
I'm a Pitchblack fan too. Used one for awhile, liked it real well.

Joyo JT-305, half the price, exact same build quality and performance.

https://www.amazon.com/JT-305-Guitar-Chromatic-Bypass-Display/dp/B006498LWU

This is the case with *many* clones IME. Try before you buy, if possible. Otherwise, find someone you trust and read/watch demo's and reviews.
Click to expand...

Actually that was one of the clones I was referring to. I tried a friend's JT-305 about a couple years ago side by side with my Pitchblack. The Joyo was okay on the A D and G strings, but took longer to track than the Pitchblack. The Joyo didn't track the E and B strings very well. When you plucked the E or B string, the tuner's red bars on the left and right of center danced on and off, but the red sharp and flat arrows didn't light consistently and the green center light would not come on even if the bass was in tune.

In general, I like Joyo pedals, but I didn't like their tuner. Now if Biyang made a tuner pedal, I would try it out.
 
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#13
Ben B said:
Actually that was one of the clones I was referring to. I tried a friend's JT-305 about a couple years ago side by side with my Pitchblack. The Joyo was okay on the A D and G strings, but took longer to track than the Pitchblack. The Joyo didn't track the E and B strings very well. When you plucked the E or B string, the tuner's red bars on the left and right of center danced on and off, but the red sharp and flat arrows didn't light consistently and the green center light would not come on even if the bass was in tune.

In general, I like Joyo pedals, but I didn't like their tuner. Now if Biyang made a tuner pedal, I would try it out.
Click to expand...

What a different experience from mine.

I sold my Pitchblack after using the Joyo clone.

Read the reviews, yours seems to be a minority view.

I guess that's why they say YMMV!
 
#15
fourstringdrums said:
Well why would you spend $150 on a Boss, when the Turbo Tuner is incredibly accurate and highly regarded around here and is $130. Just saying.
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I've had the same Boss tuner for 19 years- it'd be kind of a no brainer to just buy a newer model if it ever decided to stop working. It probably won't, though!
If I were to pick up a TU-3 tonight, on a whim, and got the same mileage out of it as my TU-2, I'd literally be 57 years old!
 
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#16
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#17
I'm using an ancient Boss TU12H bought in the 80's I think. Still works so if / when it dies I will buy another Boss or maybe a Korg.
I can't fault Boss build quality :)
For what it costs and how long they last ( for me anyway ) I would stick to tried and true.
 

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