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Sonic Research Turbo Tuner new ST 300 model

#41
Jim C said:
I should have bought a new ST-200 when I had the chance.
The 300 unit is absolutely useless for me without being able to run off of a 9-volt battery.
Smaller is not always better as I think MOST bass player do not have pedal boards and who wants to carry a wall wart for just 1 or two pedals?
Click to expand...


Thanks for pointing that out! I didn't realize this. And you're right: quite often I'm not using pedals at the gig and it's nice avoiding extra wires on the ground. I think I'll cancel this for now and deal with it later.

P.S. I spoke with the tech guy and he said there's no room inside the enclosure for a battery. Physically impossible to make a 9v fit.
 
#42
Jim C said:
I should have bought a new ST-200 when I had the chance.
The 300 unit is absolutely useless for me without being able to run off of a 9-volt battery.
Smaller is not always better as I think MOST bass player do not have pedal boards and who wants to carry a wall wart for just 1 or two pedals?
Click to expand...

Use a battery clip to barrel connector adapter and strap/velcro/zip tie the battery to the pedal.
 
#43
Wow!
I just got a near instant email response from Roger at Turbo Tuner.
They are making a ST300 (not the mini) that will take a 9 volt!
Expected shipping time is about 3 months.

Now I'm glad I didn't buy the ST200:)
 
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#44
Jim C said:
Ironicaly, I was just on ebay!
How much better do you guyls like the Turbo over the TE or other floor pedals.
(Asked the guy who still has a Conn Strobtuner from back in the day).
Click to expand...

I've got my ST-200 up in the Classifieds section, going to wait to order the 300m until it sells.

The Turbo offers the best accuracy and flexibility in a chromatic tuner (never liked strobe-style) for my money, though I'm also fond of the Hardwire Polyphonic Tuner and the good ol' Korg Pitchblack.
 
#45
speedball3 said:
Thanks for checking up on this... I've been looking for an ST-200, saw they were out of stock (have been for a couple months now), and was worried the company was going out of business. Glad they are just gearing up for more awesomeness! :) Guess the sellers on Amazon hawking the ST-200 for $346 will be disappointed.
Click to expand...
Wait, the ST-200's are going for $346 on Amazon? (Checking...) Sure enough... LOL! Amazing!


speedball3 said:
Regarding switch noise... do you mean it's an audible noise due to the switch actuation (the typical "clack" of an effects pedal) or does the pedal actually insert noise into the signal chain?
Click to expand...
As @Ukiah Bass posted and as you put it, it's an audible click-click sound.

N. Kentucky Bass said:
Yes, an audible click-click sound. Not a big deal, especially at a gig. Not even annoying in a quiet studio unless you're simultaneously recording other mic'd instruments that might pick up the sound.
Click to expand...
Playing at church, there are times when I can check tuning between songs if the need arises. During some of those times, it's very quiet (usually silent prayer) and the click of the foot switch is indeed audible and (at least to me) irritating.
I know, I know...

Patient: Doc, it hurts when I do this.
Doctor: Then don't do that.​

However, I'm not calling the shots in a church/worship setting and have to take advantage of the opportunities when presented. ;)


Jim C said:
Ironicaly, I was just on ebay!
How much better do you guyls like the Turbo over the TE or other floor pedals.
(Asked the guy who still has a Conn Strobtuner from back in the day).
Click to expand...
Am I the one you are referring to in the underlined portion of the quote above?
If so, I'm very used to the strobotuner display type and have no trouble reading and using them.
I like my Sonic Research ST-200 better than my StroboStomp for setting/checking pitch on my electric bass guitar for the following reasons:

  • The ST-200 is better built, more solid.
  • The ST-200 is smaller than the StroboStomp (and the ST-300 mini will be even smaller :)).
  • The St-200's display (LED) is easier to see and read at a quick glance. The StroboStomp's display looks like an LCD display (not sure if it is) that can vary in terms of brightness and definition (viewing angle, etc.). People have experienced issues with the earlier StoboStomp's display fading/dimming and/or failing. Check here for 2 example threads:
    Peterson Strobostomp II problem: SOLVED! :)) | TalkBass.com
    Peterson Strobo-stomp VS-S: failing display | TalkBass.com
  • I've had trouble with the StroboStomp's battery compartment door/housing coming off of the unit. At best, it's fiddly. On the other hand, one must unscrew (4 screws) the bottom plate of the ST-200 in order to change batteries, so for some people this point may be a wash. For me, it's more of a peace of mind thing. StroboStomp - poor battery compartment design. ST-200 industry proven design.

Those are a few of the reasons I prefer the ST-200 over the StroboStomp--when I play bass guitar.

Now don't get me wrong, I am indebted to Peterson for many years of help with intonation as a student, a musician and as a teacher. They most certainly have been responsible for moving this segment of music performance forward for many years.
 
#46
Actually, I was referring back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
The ST11 was the newer, hipper, more portable 2nd generation tuner from Conn.
Invalid Link Removed
 
#47
Jim C said:
Actually, I was referring back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
The ST11 was the newer, hipper, more portable 2nd generation tuner from Conn.
Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...
Yes, I own an ST-11 as well.
Since you own one, you already know this, but I'll post the following for those that don't know.
Here's how you use the Conn ST-11:
  • Plug the power cord into an AC outlet and into the back of the ST-11.
  • Plug the microphone cable into the jack on the front of the unit and set up the mic to pick up the sound from an instrument.
  • Calibrate the unit (turn on unit, turn Function knob to CAL., turn CENTS knob until the disc seen through the indicator window stops rotating).
  • Set Selector knob to the desired pitch (that's right, you must manually select each pitch you want to tune).
  • Play the note and adjust pitch to stop the rotation of the disc.
  • Turn the Selector knob to the next pitch to be tuned, etc.
It was an incredible tool in its day and I got lots of good use out of it, but as can be seen from the steps above, using something like the Sonic Research ST-200 or 300 is a lot faster and easier and works far better on gigs. :thumbsup:
 
#49
Jim C said:
I read somewhere that the ST-11 is still considered to be a very accurate tuner.
Do you how it fairs in accuracy to new units like the ST300.
Click to expand...

I assume the 300 is the same as the 200, and the 200 is accurate to (if memory serves) +/- .01 cent
By comparison, the "industry standard" Boss TU-2 is only accurate to +/- 3.0 cents
 
#50
Sorry, I meant the how accurate is the old Conn unit.
The new 300 unit from Turbo Tuner is accurate to .02 cents.
Fond an online manual for the ST11 which is accurate to .01 cent.
I think it's pretty cool that an antique all mechanical unit is still the most accurate (assuming all claims are true)
 
#51
Re: Tuner accuracy
Well, you can only go so far before things become an exercise in futility.

There was a thread on The Gear Page a couple of years ago talking about the Peterson Strobe tuner vs. the ST-200. Of course, the accuracy of each unit (and the resultant comparisons) arose as well. Then someone decided to equate pitch variances to physical distance on a guitar neck and the futility (not to mention the absurdity) became easy to see/comprehend.

Here's the message (as part of the thread) in case anyone is interested:

Invalid Link Removed
 
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#53
Testing123 said:
Re: Tuner accuracy
Well, you can only go so far before things become an exercise in futility.

There was a thread on The Gear Page a couple of years ago talking about the Peterson Strobe tuner vs. the ST-200. Of course, the accuracy of each unit (and the resultant comparisons) arose as well. Then someone decided to equate pitch variances to physical distance on a guitar neck and the futility (not to mention the absurdity) became easy to see/comprehend.

Here's the message (as part of the thread) in case anyone is interested:

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

Thanks for this; a very interesting read.

A typical piece of notebook paper is 3 thousands of an inch thick; based on the article, .01 cent is equal to 1/2 the thickness of notebook paper.
I just think it's cool that the old mechanical beast was designed so well.

In reality, if you push slightly harder or slightly bend the string will result in a MUCH greater variation which certainly happens when a human plays a bass.
 
#59
LSMFT6 said:
I was wondering when they would start shipping. When did you preorder yours?
Click to expand...
@LSMFT6 ,
Thank you so much for your question! Because I wasn't sure exactly when I called, I had to look back on my Sonic Research receipt email to check. I then noticed they had listed my city name incorrectly--WHAT? UH OH!
A call to USPS on a Sunday evening (just now) proved fruitless, so I'll have to call in the morning to talk with a live person.
It could be that they pay attention only to the zip code; not sure.
So, at this point I may not be getting my ST-300 Mini tomorrow (sigh).

BTW - to answer your question, I ordered on July 6th.
 
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#60
Sonic Research--On The Ball!

I just received Email back from George in sales at Sonic Research (I sent him email about 10 minutes ago just prior to entering the message above). He said Sonic Research's software had caught the issue and corrected it and the unit should arrive at my door tomorrow.

And, George checked on this and sent me a calming email message on a warm summer's Sunday evening!
Pretty great customer service if you ask me. Thanks, guys!
 
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