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Post by seaking on Oct 14, 2006 13:12:09 GMT -7
Anybody use the planet wave chromatic tuner? I keep loosing the hand held types, so I'm finally considering getting a pedal tuner. I think it’ll be easier to remember to take a pedal home at the end of the night, as well as being easier to use.
Don't want to spend big money nor would I want an appreciable loss of tone. The Boss TU2 was looking pretty good, but I just tried out a Planet wave tuner, which seems pretty fair. I've not used a TU2, but I’m thinking the two might be in the same class... yes...no? The planet wave is a little cheaper, is daisy chainable and is true bypass. That said, the tone seemed to be a little thinner with the pedal in line, not much mind you.
Any experience with these anyone...?
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Post by tjstrat on Oct 14, 2006 15:51:44 GMT -7
I've heard really good things about the Planet Waves. I use a Fender PT10 off the B channel of an old Loooper A/B switch myself, but by the time you paid for a good AB switch and an average tuner you'd have paid as much or more than the PW unit.
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Post by rhythmeister on Oct 28, 2006 3:03:52 GMT -7
Just saw this. I was looking for a pedal tuner this week. First took home a Boss TU-2. Man, what a tone-sucker! This thing is terrible with a capital T. Wow, I can't believe so many pro musicians use this. It was readily obvious that this thing was draining tone from my Z amps. I'm not about to have a stupid $100 tuner detract from a $1500 amp, so...back it went.
And in its place I got...the Planet Waves. This thing makes me really happy. True bypass - I believe it! Head and shoulders above the Boss. And cheaper. And easier to read display. And super-heavy construction. Love it.
Cheers, Blair
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Post by seaking on Oct 28, 2006 4:35:17 GMT -7
I finally got around to picking up a PW tuner this week. Very please with it also rhythmeister. The true bypass was a big selling point, although i was very impressed with its function and solid construction. When I tried it out at the store (through a small Kustom amp) the tone got a little brighter then when it was not in the chain. I noticed the same issue through my Maz Jr yesterday, when trying the tuner out for the first time at home. After playing for a few minutes and i was wondering why i had to turn the cut down more than usual. Then remembered what happened at the store and it all made sense. This is a very small issue that can be compensated for by a slight eq adjustment. Afterwords, that complex Dr Z tone remains intact in all its richness. Don't no how i could play without a pedal tuner now! Makes life so much easier without compromising tone:) Thanks for your earlier comments tjstrat. Bill
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Post by ruger9 on Oct 28, 2006 5:46:56 GMT -7
Just FYI, the Planet Waves "true bypass" is actually called "true hard bypass" and is not the same thing we know as TB. I can't explain the difference, and it doesn't matter anyway as long as the PW isn't a tone-sucker. The only truely TB pedal tuner I know of is the Strobostomp. Alot of $$, but no tone suckage. I've almost resigned myself to buying the Strobo, despite is exorbitant cost, for 2 reasons:
1) TB/no tone suck 2) accurate enuff to set intonation with.
So, at least I can kill 2 birds with one stone...
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Post by seaking on Oct 28, 2006 8:27:30 GMT -7
Ruger9, You are correct, the PW is true hard bypass, which i also cannot not explain the difference. I figured it may be some less technical/expensive way of achieving a bypass. They advertise it as a feature that will not impede your instrument's tone, but as previously mentioned I did experience a change in tone. Nothing that couldn't be easily dialed back. Thats said, i feel it competes very well with the Boss TU2. Comparisons with the Strobo Stomp would be unfair in my opinion, owing to the fact the its about three times the price of a PW. That said, the SS drew my attention and i found myself quickly doing balance calculations before i even had it in my hands . But for my needs and practicalities it had to go back in the display case.
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Post by skydog958 on Oct 28, 2006 8:28:50 GMT -7
its also usuable as a DI for acoustic, works with the Feiten system, and you can program in tunings. I don't use mine for any of that but I still love it ;D
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Post by foxx on Oct 28, 2006 9:19:52 GMT -7
I love my Strobostomp. It's the only pedal I will always use. I have sold all other pedals but that and my Budda Phatman.
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Post by rhythmeister on Oct 28, 2006 12:18:13 GMT -7
Just FYI, the Planet Waves "true bypass" is actually called "true hard bypass" and is not the same thing we know as TB. I can't explain the difference Are you sure there is a difference? Here's what one Harmony Central user said about the Planet Waves pedal tuner in response to the question about "Sound Quality": "There is no sound quality. It is true bypass. This is why I bought this tuner. I was skeptical at first, as many product advertised to be true bypass are actually not. I tested this one with a couple of dummy 1/4" plugs and an ohm meter. With the tuner engaged, the signal resistance goes up, indicating that there is something in the signal path. When the tuner is bypassed, the signal resistance went to zero, indicating that there was indeed a true hard bypass conection between the input and output when it is bypassed. I haven't had a chance to open it up to see exacly how it's wired, but it does actually appear to be true bypass. The accuracy of this tuner is advertised as +/- 3 cents, same as the Boss TU2. It's not perfect, but then again no guitar will ever tune perfectly across all strings and frets. It's the nature of the beast. It gets pretty darn close though. I tune up each string with this thing and hit a big chord and it sound good and in tune. Most likely not as good as the peterson strobe tuners, but thats $80 vs. $200 now isn't it. So far it seems to be accurate enough for me." I thought true hard bypass was just another way of saying true bypass. Another comment from me. Some guys on HC have a serious complaint about noise from this pedal tuner when it is engaged and supposed to be muted. I have thoroughly tested mine looking for this and my pedal is dead silent - no hum, no buzz, no sound at all. Anyways, like ruger9 said, the main thing is no tone suckage. That is the key! Cheers, Blair
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Post by ruger9 on Oct 28, 2006 12:46:04 GMT -7
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Post by seaking on Oct 28, 2006 13:35:02 GMT -7
Thanks for the info ruger9. Sounds like there could be some marketing motives in their use of terminology. I'm very happy with it nonetheless. Bill
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Post by dongiesen on Oct 28, 2006 15:54:55 GMT -7
What company makes the Strobostomp?
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Post by ruger9 on Oct 28, 2006 16:05:37 GMT -7
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Post by dongiesen on Oct 28, 2006 17:56:38 GMT -7
Thanks for the site. I sure feel stupid though as the 2 names are one in the same
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Post by seaking on Oct 28, 2006 19:52:03 GMT -7
Played around with the PW tuner a little tonight and found that it does impart some noise when operated without the battery installed (running on AC). Quiets back up when the battery is put back in (still powered by Ac). Perhaps this is the cause of the noise they were refering to on HC I made up a jumper to daisy chain the PW and Boss DS1 and found there was an annoying hum when i clicked the distortion on. It was quiet while the DS1 was off. The hum went away with the jumper removed and the DS1 running on DC. Tried removing the battery from the DS1 and running on AC, but no change in the hum. For now, guess I'm just going to run the DS1 in DC mode only. Any suggestions?
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Post by rhythmeister on Oct 29, 2006 0:46:45 GMT -7
Hey ruger9, Thanks for finding these threads, which I read with interest. So I take the summary to be that many people doubted that this was a "true bypass" unit, mostly because of the insertion of the word "hard" and also based on speculation and the lower price point. However, when a couple people doubted the true bypass claim in print, Planet Waves contacted them to say that in fact the pedal is true bypass. And nobody on these forums seems to be able to say with any certainty one way or the other from a first hand knowledge perspective. It would be valuable if someone who really knew what they were doing (not me) opened one up and reported for sure... Cheers, Blair
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Post by mudskipper on Oct 29, 2006 8:41:30 GMT -7
i've often seen "hard bypass" used to express "hardware bypass", meaning that a device uses either a footswitch or a relay to connect the input and output directly.
i've been meaning to get a PW tuner as well. i'm currently using a TU12 with a loop box and it works well enough for me to be lazy about getting anything new.
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Post by ruger9 on Oct 29, 2006 10:37:06 GMT -7
I think with ME, I'm just sick & tired of trying to find a true bypass tuner, especially one that is affordable. I'm tired of trying to "decipher" which ones ARE and are NOT TB. I've come to the conclusion I'm just going to bit the bullet & get a Strobostomp. Way more money than I was looking to spend, but at least I KNOW it's TB, is all I'll ever need in a tuner (it's so accurate I can use it for setting intonation), and it's likely the last tuner I'll ever need.
Kind of like buying a Z (or any "boutique" amp) over a PCB Fender or whatever: more money, yes. Better product, yes. Will you regret it? NEVER.
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Post by Shannon on Oct 29, 2006 20:43:28 GMT -7
You won't regret the Strobostomp. Mine went down a while back (sent it back and they fixed it FAST. Great customer service) and I had to go back to my old TU-12 and AB box. I felt naked. Don't know how I made it without it for so long.
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Post by ke4unr on Oct 30, 2006 9:36:11 GMT -7
I'm glad to read the positive responses about this tuner. I just ordered one today. Found it for $59 at Guitar Trader on the net. I've been using a Boss TU-12 for several years, and still like it. But, while I can see the LED's fine, that needle is getting smaller every year. So, I've been on a search for a suitable replacement for my pedal board. The StroboStomp sure looks like a nice piece of gear, but I can't justify the expense right now. If the Planet Waves doesn't float my boat, I'll probably bite the bullet for one. But, I'm expecting to like the new tuner. The TU-12 will come in handy on my "bench" for setups/intonation. Btw, I run my tuner off my volume pedal, so it's out of the signal chain. So True/Hard Bypass isn't critical to me. Ray K.
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Post by johnnyl on Nov 28, 2006 13:50:58 GMT -7
Just picked up a PW today. I have a SS but I needed something for jams/gigs where I just take a few pedals. From just tinkering around with it (haven't fired up the amp yet) it seems like a very cool pedal. Really easy to read and built like a tank. I'll report back more after I run it through the amps.
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Post by seaking on Nov 28, 2006 14:43:01 GMT -7
Johnnyl A SS and a PW...Cool. I'm really satisfied with the PW to date. Soooooo easy to read and like you say "built like a tank". Having both tuners, I'd love to hear your impressions of the PW. I can guess the SS is going to be far more accurate by looking at the specs, but any insight would be nice. Bill
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Post by Don on Nov 28, 2006 21:50:52 GMT -7
I am very happy with my Boss TU-2 tuner .... BUT .... the first thing on my pedalboard is a Keeley looper into the TU-2, so I can bypass it before going on to my other true bypass pedals.
Ah yes, the good ole Japanese apartment saves the day!
Thank you Robert.
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Post by nathan38 on Nov 29, 2006 14:48:39 GMT -7
another vote for the strobostomp....really is the best pedal tuner you can get, they thought of everything....the be all end all for pedal tuners......it makes every other tuner on the market seem like a toy.
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Post by johnnyl on Nov 29, 2006 16:42:12 GMT -7
Yeah, the SS is quite a cool pedal but I have to say that after using the PW last night I can honestly say that it will do the job and doesn't suck any tone. It's not as accurate as my SS maybe but I find that I waste too much time trying to get all rows to line up on the SS at times. Another thing that annoys me - the jacks on the SS are crap. You'd think for $200 they could upgrade the damn jacks...
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Post by rhythmeister on Nov 29, 2006 17:53:22 GMT -7
...after using the PW last night I can honestly say that it will do the job and doesn't suck any tone. This is my finding as well. And I've used it at stage volume both with a 9V battery and an adapter (multi-purpose Radio Shack type rig) and I've never experienced any noise whatsoever when the pedal in active (...this is a complaint some others have noted). Cheers, Blair
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Post by real oldster on Nov 29, 2006 23:46:17 GMT -7
The more experience you have with the StroboStomp the better it works. You learn to tune up quickly by tapping the notes lightly, etc.
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swampstomper
Full Member
The only thing that really worried me was the ether.
Posts: 136
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Post by swampstomper on Nov 30, 2006 3:37:14 GMT -7
The more experience you have with the StroboStomp the better it works. You learn to tune up quickly by tapping the notes lightly, etc. The Strobostomp is a little finicky with input level. That's one thing I think could be improved on this device. It would also have been nice if it had a built-in mic. As far as getting all the bars to line up, you don't have to. You only line up the bar that correlates with the octave you are playing. For the open strings on a standard tuned guitar it's the second bar from the left. The other bars may still move some which means that the string is not producing perfect harmonics. If they are really wacky you should probably change strings. I have an old Peterson mechanical strobe tuner and it behaves exactly the same way.
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messenger
Full Member
life is good!
Posts: 194
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Post by messenger on Nov 30, 2006 8:30:58 GMT -7
don't mean to highjack thread, but CHORAL/FLANGE finally arrived, & its a KEEPER! very nice! any oppinions?
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Post by ke4unr on Dec 4, 2006 8:38:27 GMT -7
I'm glad to read the positive responses about this tuner. I just ordered one today. Found it for $59 at Guitar Trader on the net. I've been using a Boss TU-12 for several years, and still like it. But, while I can see the LED's fine, that needle is getting smaller every year. So, I've been on a search for a suitable replacement for my pedal board. The StroboStomp sure looks like a nice piece of gear, but I can't justify the expense right now. If the Planet Waves doesn't float my boat, I'll probably bite the bullet for one. But, I'm expecting to like the new tuner. The TU-12 will come in handy on my "bench" for setups/intonation. Btw, I run my tuner off my volume pedal, so it's out of the signal chain. So True/Hard Bypass isn't critical to me. Ray K. To follow up, I got the Planet Waves Chromatic Tuner about a month ago. Cool looking pedal and very easy to see! It locked onto the notes quickly and tuning was easy. BUT, I kept noticing that I had to fine tune using 5th fret harmonics. Sure enough, I hooked up my Boss TU-12 for a side by side comparison. The Planet Waves was off by as much as 1 cent at times. Maybe I got a bad unit, but I have my doubts. I really wanted to like this tuner! So, I decided to bite the bullet and go with a StroboStomp. I saved $30 by buying a clean used one off eBay. I have not been disappointed with it. It's a keeper, and should last me probably a life time. Ray K
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