TU-2 or Pitchblack?

So I am finally going to be buying a tuning pedal of my own, and was wondering if anyone had any major pros or cons for either of these. I have seen so many people with TU-2s, and only recently have I started to see Pitchblacks.

I have both ... love the pitchblack. Nothing wrong with the tu-2, but the pitchblack is easier to read, starts the display a little sooner and seems more accurate. It might just be personal preference. They both work well.

I really like the Korg.

Between the two, the pitchblack. Though I went with the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner:

http://www.turbo-tuner.com/

I have both too, they're both good.

only recently have I started to see Pitchblacks.

That's because the pitchblack just came out last year. It's a lot more accurate than the Boss, a lot better looking, and it's true bypass. I'd go with the pitchblack.

Thanks guys. I had been leaning toward the pitchblack anyway, just because it seems like the TU-2 is the cliched pedal to have.

Well, the TU2 has been around longer, that's why you'll see it on pedalboards more often - but the Pitchblack beats it in almost every aspect...

How is the Pitchblack in terms of durability? Are the jacks as solid as the Boss? (Which I have already).

Accuracy and bypass on the Korg are intriguing.

I have only used the TU2... if you play an outdoor gig in the daytime you can not see it... other than that I like it.

How is the Pitchblack in terms of durability? Are the jacks as solid as the Boss? (Which I have already).

Accuracy and bypass on the Korg are intriguing.

That was another one of my concerns. I know from past experience that I feel confident stepping on a Boss pedal in steel toed boots, but the Korg looks kind of fragile.

Don't let the looks deceive you - the Pitchblack has a metal case...

Awesome. Thanks. And I apologize if I come across as a noob. haha

I have the Digitech Hardwire Chromatic Tuner. Of all the ones mentioned, only the Boss isn't True Bypass.

If you want the best pedal tuner imaginable, get the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner, as someone already mentioned. Look at this comparison with the Strobo Stomp and how it mops the floor with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bY9H7ec6_0

Korg Pitchblack

I have the Digitech Hardwire Chromatic Tuner. Of all the ones mentioned, only the Boss isn't True Bypass.

If you want the best pedal tuner imaginable, get the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner, as someone already mentioned. Look at this comparison with the Strobo Stomp and how it mops the floor with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bY9H7ec6_0

:shock: Mops the floor???

Apart from the smaller footprint they both did a great job of tuning the guitar. Plus the Strobo Stomp can be used as an Active DI box as well.

I'm going to give another vote to the Sonic Research ST-200 Turbo Tuner. It replaced the TU-2 on my own board.

I was looking at the Pitchblack and the Peterson Strobostomp as well, but the Turbo Tuner beat them both out.

I've been considering both of these as well, I've decided on the PB. Korg is offering a $10 rebate on the PB if purchased in October, that might make a difference to you.

+1 on the Pitchblack--I don't have any experience with the Boss but I can say that the Pitchblack is extremely accurate and easy to use and it has performed flawlessly for over a year. In fact, it's so accurate I can easily intonate my guitars with it--using the Korg DT-10, I had to fine-tune the intonation by ear and trial and error after getting it close with the tuner.

The Pitchblack is hard to see in bright sunlight, though.

Does anybody have real-world experience as to which of the two is easier to see in direct sunlight?

Also, the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner is much better, but at a significantly higher price point (especially with a $10 rebate from Korg). If accuracy is very important to you (setting intonation, etc.) then this is probably the best choice, but the Pitchblack is more than good enough for most guitarists.

I've had my BOSS TU2 for a few years and its a great workhorse, also provides a signal buffer on the pedalboard otherwise populated with true bypass pedals.
BUT... if you're ever playing an outdoor show, you can kiss it goodbye as you can't see a thing in direct daylight. This one minor but significant item (for me as I check tuning lots) is enough to look seriously at the PitchBlack.

Well, I played an outdoor festival in August, and in glaring sunlight (we played at 2:00 PM) the Pitchblack was a bit hard to read, too...

They say you can read a TU-1000....

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I actually find the old workhorse BOSS TU-2 to be easier to read in direct sunlight than the KORG. I bought the Pitch Black because of its small size and because I had gotten the idea somehow that it was easier to see at outdoor shows.

I've long been a fan of KORG tuners, and I do think that they are capable of better intonation than are BOSS tuners. The deal breaker for me on the Pitch Black was that it was extremely unpredictable with my mandolins. It didn't seem to want to track, so it got booted from the working board.

I have a Peterson Strobo Stomp. It's great in direct sunlight, and the accuracy is second to none. The size presents an issue on my small board, so I've relegated it to use for sessions. The Turbo Tuner is appealing to me, but whenever I've asked pointed questions as to how it fares in direct sunlight vs. the Peterson, I've not liked the answers.

Whenever I do outdoor work, I always carry a clip-on tuner as a backup. My current fave is a little Tune Tech TT-1000. I paid about 20 bucks for it, and it has a bright green back-lit display that's easily visible under most conditions. I keep it nearby, or in a pocket.

I did an outdoor festival set yesterday at 3:00 in the afternoon, and the venerable TU-2 really didn't fare badly under the sun at all. And it tracks very quickly and predictably across a wide variety of stringed instruments. I keep trying to replace it, but all things considered, it has remained my workhorse for many years. Re-configuring my board to accomodate the Peterson means that I've got to build a board and a road case that's one inch longer than what I've been using for quite some time now. Not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but the prospect does require effort on my part, and therein lies the problem.

Am I the only one that has the Hardwire Tuner? It's pretty damn bright if that's an issue. Nice blue color.

I replaced my TU-2 this year with a Korg PB. I like it a lot.

Peterson Strobostomp is the best and most accurate stompbox tuner out there. It's pricey, but accurate enough to do intonation work......plus it has sweetened tunings built in and also tuning specific for Buzz Feiten tuning etc....

On the other end of the spectrum..... try the incredibly simple and small clip-on tuner: The Intellitouch PT-10. Senses vibration thru the headstock, not sound... so you can tune with others playing near you. The whole display turns from red to green when you achieve desired pitch...very cool.

I have both. The Strobostomp is on my pedalboard and what I gig with. I use the clip-on tuner for my acoustics, lapsteel.... anytime I don't want to plug into anything..... very convenient.

PB.

I like the bypass output on the TU-2 which is always left on since I have vol pedal post-tuner, I just roll that back to silent tune.

what about the korg dt-10, very solid metal case and pretty accurate.

I like the pitchblack, not in the last place because it feels very heavy and indestructible.

Still using a Seiko ST-727 which I've had for an age, been looking at a pitchblack or maybe one of these for just under 40 squid from Imuso, true bypass blah blah:

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/world/accessories/tuners/L/LU20.jpg

Forget about the Ibanez one - I tired one of those for a while: really bad tracking, quite a bit of lag between when you hit the string and when it shows the tuning; also, you absolutely have to mute all the strings before tuning the next string, as it won't track at all with even the smallest vibration from another string (unlike the Pitchblack).

How about Digitech Hardwire HT-2? I'm more interested in that one....

They say you can read a TU-1000

I must say the TU-1000 is the biggest waste of space, materials and working man hours. It must be designed for the geriatric rocker.

I really like my Pitchblack, but haven't tried it outdoors. I know it would be a challenge because of the red LED & my red-green colorblindness, but inside it's great. If they made one with blue LEDs, it would be perfect.

I'm a solid fan of the Strobostomp. I've had mine for, 3-4 years? now. Easy to see in sunlight, I can tune more quickly than with TU-2 style tuners; and so on. Expensive and worth it.

steven

I guess I'm the other person using a DigiTech Hardwire tuner. Tracks very quickly. Very accurate. And the display is exceptionally bright. We play a lot of outdoor festivals over the summer and it is bright enough to handle it.

Forget about the Ibanez one - I tired one of those for a while: really bad tracking, quite a bit of lag between when you hit the string and when it shows the tuning; also, you absolutely have to mute all the strings before tuning the next string, as it won't track at all with even the smallest vibration from another string (unlike the Pitchblack).

I'll cross that one off the list then, thanks for the heads-up.

Forgive me if I sound like the devil's advocate but I really don't understand the need for a tuner in the pedal chain.

I use a few pedals with no board so I can't justify it, but for those with pedalboards I could see including one if you've got the real estate.

Maybe I'm lucky...but my MIM Tele stays in tune pretty darn well in almost any situation.

I guess I'm the other person using a DigiTech Hardwire tuner. Tracks very quickly. Very accurate. And the display is exceptionally bright. We play a lot of outdoor festivals over the summer and it is bright enough to handle it.

There are actually 3 of us in the thread.

I love my Turbotuner. Tracks fast, accurate enough for intonation, MXR-size housing. Shipped fast, durable as all heck.

I play guitar. I don't always go out of tune, but when I do go out of tune, I prefer the Turbotuner.

Forgive me if I sound like the devil's advocate but I really don't understand the need for a tuner in the pedal chain.

I use a few pedals with no board so I can't justify it, but for those with pedalboards I could see including one if you've got the real estate.

Maybe I'm lucky...but my MIM Tele stays in tune pretty darn well in almost any situation.

It's non-essential convenience that's all...I just whip the lid off my board, connect guitar, amp, amp footswitch and power, quick tune up and I'm away.

vjf1968 brought up a good point about the DI XLR-output of the Peterson Strobostomp pedaltuner. I had a issue with my amp at a gig and ended up running a microphone cable out from the XLR jack of my Peterson Strobostomp directly into the mixer-board. Played the whole gig running direct into the PA. A lifesaver.

The other cool thing is the Strobostomp has a power-pass-thru jack and can assist in easy daisychaining of power thru the rest of your effects.....

Both the Sonic Research and Peterson tuners are accurate enough for good intonation work. The Sonic Research has 0.02 cent accuracy, which is better than the 0.10 cent accuracy of the Peterson.... although at that accuracy, that's like splitting hairs.

I like all the "sweetened" intentional de-tuned programs for different instruments on the Stobostomp, although I wish the menu was easier to select from.

I still think the Strobostomp has more performance-oriented utility and flexibility....

Forgive me if I sound like the devil's advocate but I really don't understand the need for a tuner in the pedal chain.

I use a few pedals with no board so I can't justify it, but for those with pedalboards I could see including one if you've got the real estate.

Maybe I'm lucky...but my MIM Tele stays in tune pretty darn well in almost any situation.

Twangpunk,

Luck has nothing to do with it. Every week, I have to tune at a jazz rehearsal where all the horns are already warming up. It would be totally impossible without a pedal.

A pedal allows me to tune silently, and check my tuning as the guitar changes temperature.

Also, I can tune quickly between songs, particularly if I've been doing alot of string bending.

The tuning of a telecaster may not bother you, but it's my most out-of-intonation guitar. All my other guitars tune much, much better. You may think you're in tune just fine. You're probably wrong.

You may think you're in tune just fine. You're probably wrong.

That is amazingly true......

Besides, if you play outside gigs or when there's changes in temp and humidity, your tuning is gonna change..... You'd be surprised how far you can drift.

I like the silent tuning option of the Strobostomp.... not sure if the Sonic Research unit has the same feature.....

The Pitchblack+ is accurate to +/- 0.1 cent, two LED meters.

It has two input jacks (very useful for two guitars with different tunings) and can power out up to 200ma.

I'm gonna get me one of the Boss TU-1000 models. If it works as well as my TU-2 but with a giant display, then it will be worth the $$$.

I play guitar. I don't always go out of tune, but when I do go out of tune, I prefer the Turbotuner.

Couldn't resist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Bc0WjTT0Ps

vjf1968 brought up a good point about the DI XLR-output of the Peterson Strobostomp pedaltuner. I had a issue with my amp at a gig and ended up running a microphone cable out from the XLR jack of my Peterson Strobostomp directly into the mixer-board. Played the whole gig running direct into the PA. A lifesaver.

He did indeed, and I'd agree, it IS a lifesaver in the grand tradition of Swiss Army Knives. It has saved me on more than one occasion. That said, I do feel that the DI function is like a spare tire. Players that use DI's regularly and that are finely attuned to such will likely not find the clarity of signal and headroom to be on par with superior dedicated DI's. But man is it convenient. It's among the best of the best of stomp tuners and the DI feature is gravy and icing on the meat and cake.

I think the perception some people have that their guitar 'never' goes out of tune is because even on the best guitars each string will go flat or sharp in cold or hot temperatures all to the same degree... so your songs sound normal even if every string is a 1/4 step flat or sharp.

That is amazingly true......

I like the silent tuning option of the Strobostomp.... not sure if the Sonic Research unit has the same feature.....

The Sonic Research TurboTuner has silent tuning. Now, I don't play out - at all. I probably don't need a pedal tuner. But as others have said, it is nice to have.

1) I have a guitar plugged in at all times. Plug in the master power strip, turn on tube amp, while the tube amp is warming up I'm all set to tune.
2) When changing guitars - no need to reach over and turn down the amp. Engage tuner, unplug first guitar and plug in second guitar, and I'm ready to go.
3) Handy mute feature for when the phone rings.
4) When I'm jamming with friends and I forget to drop the low and high E strings to a D in order to play one finger chords for a Neil Young song, I can easily correct the situation.
5) It looks cool.

I haven't used a TU-2, but I used a Pitchblack and I like everything about it... all pros no cons.

Zoppotrump,

I have the Korg DT-10 and the Pitchblack and the Pitchblack is way, way way more accurate.

After you see this review you should have figured it out:

fnosoyhQaHs
:lol:

And about that TU-1000:
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/6250/tiananmenze2.jpg

Twangpunk,

Luck has nothing to do with it. Every week, I have to tune at a jazz rehearsal where all the horns are already warming up. It would be totally impossible without a pedal.

A pedal allows me to tune silently, and check my tuning as the guitar changes temperature.

Also, I can tune quickly between songs, particularly if I've been doing alot of string bending.

The tuning of a telecaster may not bother you, but it's my most out-of-intonation guitar. All my other guitars tune much, much better. You may think you're in tune just fine. You're probably wrong.

Well you're....you're...You're probably right!

I'm just trying to talk myself out of one (and a pedalboard).

Now I'm not so sure; And that's O-Kay...

Well you're....you're...You're probably right!

I'm just trying to talk myself out of one (and a pedalboard).

Now I'm not so sure; And that's O-Kay...

Well, do you play live, with a band? Then it is essential (of course a less expensive option would be one of those clip-on tuners on the headstock...)

If you're only playing at home, a pedal tuner is convenient - but not absolutely necessary!

I'm just trying to talk myself out of one (and a pedalboard).

Now I'm not so sure; And that's O-Kay...

If you're only using one or two pedals, you don't need a board.

The TU-2 is really easy on batteries...I had one pedal tuner that would waste a 9v in 4 hours. The Tu-2 will go several times that on a battery. That said, I usually power it externally, so that I reserve the battery fo when I need it.

And about that TU-1000:
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/6250/tiananmenze2.jpg

The video convinced me I don't want a Pitchblack.....and if it will stop tanks, I'm ordering a TU-1000 next week! :shock:









.....actually, I'm pretty sure the tanks would win, but I'm gettin' one anyway! :twisted:

Believe it or not I play live with two very different bands. I plug into a little Korg tuner and throw it back in the gig bag before each show and for the prestigious gigs that we play I can stay in tune well-enough I suppose.

And though I'm beginning to use more pedals than I'm comortable with for various reasons I'm fighting the pedal board tooth and nail for some reason.

I'm at the point where I need to scale back the stomp-boxes or give in to the madness and get "on board".

@Twangpunk - I want to use a tuning pedal just so my tuning can be spot on for some things, because I often play solo acoustic stuff, and if I have to stand up there and judge pitch 100% on my own the crowd will get bored. Most of my guitars are good at staying in tune, but the way I see it, I would rather be safe than sorry.

Korg.

And about that TU-1000:
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/6250/tiananmenze2.jpg

Well, I put one on order today. I'll let you know when it comes in.

I have only used the TU2... if you play an outdoor gig in the daytime you can not see it... other than that I like it.
Pitchblack is the same in that regard.

I think of these two I will probably go with the pitchblack, but I don't know. I just saw a TU-2 on Craigslist for $35, and I am gonna pick that up, and if it is worth it I will keep it, if not I will sell it because I know I can get more than $35.

I have a TU-2 now, and I use it all the time. There's nothing wrong with it. I need another tuner so I can have two set-ups for different gigs. The Tu-1000 caught my eye, and I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I just read that Boss is coming out with a new Boss TU-3 which will feature an extra-bright mode for daylight operation; still not true-bypass, though.

I'd go for the Korg. The Pitchblack is more compact. In my experience the note detection is very sensitive, and the accuracy is superb. The type of switch which Korg used seems more durable than a 3pdt switch. Plus it's true-bypass. =)

The TU-1000 is true bypass. It also has a buffered output.