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Which Tuner for Stage and Setup?

J Posega

J Posega

Cat Dad and Dingwall Enthusiast
Inactive
Suspended
Jul 16, 2005
11,796
17,172
38
Portland, OR
#1
I'd like to invest in a better tuner than the handheld Korg thing I have. It's great for at home, just need to tune up to practice, but it's been dropped a few too many times and doesn't cut it for setting intonation.

While I'd love one of those Peterson tuners that costs oodles of money I don't have, my fiancee and I are getting ready for our wedding, and I want to spend less than $100.

It doesn't have to be a pedal. If it's got an in and an out and can be carried around easily, I'd like to hear about it.

I had the Boss TU2 for a while and traded it away foolishly. Before that, I had a Korg DTR1000 rackmount which I sold with the rack. Both were good, but I never used them for intonation if I recall.

What tuner, under $100, do you suggest I get for gig usage, as well as for intonating my basses when doing setup?
 
#4
Pilgrim said:
Boss TU-2. It's a standard, it's nice and visible, it works great, and it offers muting when you need to set the instrument down or change basses. It's pretty hard to beat.
Click to expand...

+5 !!!!!! I've owned one of these for 8 years now. The thing has survived years of abuse and spilled beer. Not to mention I'm OCD about checking my tuning between every song. It must have the best switch ever in it. It is the one pedal I absolutley will not go on stage without. Plus, IMO a pedal tuner is far and away better than a rackmount version since you don't have to stop and turn around to see it. You can just stomp on it and look down, which makes tuning during a song possible if you have a rest.
 
#7
i use a rack tuner in the studio and don't really like them for stage use as you have to turn your back to the audience and some rack units make distracting independent light show you don't really need.

For stage use I have either a korg or a fender floor unit, the ones where you can see the letters in aphanumeric LEDs and have some kind of scale for reference. I tap the tuner output off my vol pedal. (Always gig with one). Muting my volume pedal mutes my feed to my amps and I can tune quickly, face the audience, and still be part of the 'show'. With a rack tuner, you have to mosey back to the rack, and tune up as if there was something wrong with the rig. If you play tunes in quick succession this may affect the show. I've done many shows where I don't have time to change basses between tunes, even if a battery died on the bass (once) the band carried on and I had to swap as quickly as I could. YMMV and your situation will be different.
 
#8
Although eventually I'd like to find a "better" rack tuner- in my rack I have a Korg DTR-2 which I don't like very much.

I've also got a Boss TU-2 which I really like for most live, rehearsal and "practice" applications. I've also got a Boss TU-12 which was my wishlist tuner for years. I use the TU-12 for setting intonation and stuff. I don't know which is "more accurate" out of the bunch- I don't like the Korg much at all, but it's rack mounted. The TU-2 is rugged and dependable and has great features. The TU-12 has been my standby for years...
 
#13
Spend a little more money and get a Peterson Stobe Tuner.
Like the Strobo Flip or Strobo Stomp. Both run around $199. New - $150 Used. These are great for intonating your bass as well as extremely accurate tuning. Has different settings as well. Check them out!
 
#15
#16
Joeykun said:
Spend a little more money and get a Peterson Stobe Tuner.
Like the Strobo Flip or Strobo Stomp. Both run around $199. New - $150 Used. These are great for intonating your bass as well as extremely accurate tuning. Has different settings as well. Check them out!
Click to expand...

+1. That's what I'm using for set-ups and gigs. Mine's not a pedal, though. It has a flip-out stand so I just leave it on top of the rack box.

Riis
 
#18
I used to have the Boss TU-2 and many other tuners, Korgs both cheap and expensive, etc. I was tired of tuning up, and then discovering I was still out of tune. The Peterson Strobostomp ended that. I also got the Strobosoft which is great in my home studio. I can route any input to it and have everyone tune up to the same tuner.

The only other tuner I've found to be as accurate is the one built in to the Lexicon G2.

If you don't mind being slightly out of tune, by all means, use a Boss or Korg. They definitely are cheaper and get you in the ballpark.

Edwin
 

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