SeriesBoss TU

In the days before guitarists could step on a pedal and tune their guitar on the fly, their best option was either an expensive model from the Peterson 400 Strobe series, or the small needle-based Boss TU-12. Neither were a very convenient option for a variety of reasons. The strobe tuners were difficult to read unless one was educated in how to use them, plus they were bulky, and setting them on top of your amp would still have you turning your back to the audience to tune your guitar. The TU-12 needle tuner was an improvement in simplicity and size, but compromised in accuracy. Another downside to these tuners was they didn't have the capability to mute the guitar signal coming from the amp while the player tuned. As a result, the unpleasant sounds of a guitar being tuned could be heard by everyone. The Boss TU-2 revolutionized stage tuning by placing the tuning solution on the guitarist's pedalboard where, with a step of the foot, mute their guitar signal, and tune the instrument utilizing a series of LED lights and Digital note readout. Pretty soon the TU-2 became standard equipment in every guitarist and bass player's pedalboard. The TU-3 was designed to be everything players had come to love and expect from the TU-2, while addressing common complaints about the TU-2. Boss succeeded beautifully in making the classic TU-2 design even better. The TU-3 sports a 21 LED readout, as opposed to the 12 LED readout of the TU-2, allowing a much more precise readout of microtonal deviations from the note. The display is also considerably brighter than the TU-2, allowing it to be read even on bright outdoor stages. Another improvement is response. The TU-3 tracks the signal pitch considerably faster than the TU-2. It also has a wider Vernier range than the TU-2, allowing a reference range of A436 to A445. All of these improvements are housed in the same familiar aesthetic and functional design of the TU-2. It still sports the mute/bypass jacks, mode change, and stream/cent switch of the TU-2. With these updates, The TU-3 is destined to become the new standard in pedal tuners.

I bought the TU-8 a LONG time ago, easily more than 10 years ago. It probably was my 1st tuner ever! It has seen a lot of use, first just at home, then I had it on a board, it resided in my cable bag etc. It has gone thru a lot, it's been kicked, dropped etc. Although it is plastic, no issues whatsoever. These days, I have it on my workbench where I restring guitars, I use it for quick tuning when re-stringing, works flawlessly. You can use it for bass and guitar and it has a manual mode but I always have it in auto-mode, you can alter the pitch from 428 to 445 Hz and it has a 9v DC input. I never ran it "in-line" because it will suck tone but always had it on an a/b-switch or the tuner out of a volume pedal. My first gear-tinkering happened when I wanted to get the tuner out of the signal path and have the ability for silent tuning. I got a Boss Line Selector and that was perfect. It performed flawlessly all the time. After all this abuse, the needle has stopped working but other than that, I still use it at home a lot. There are more accurate tuners out there but the TU-8 is great for a quick tune or check up. I won’t recommend this for doing setups and intonation as you will need something that is more accurate but for everything else, it will suite you just fine. The Boss tuners are industry standards and that didn't happen because of luck. The TU-range has something for everybody and plenty of pros are using them. Nothing but good can be said about this tuner! Most tuners these days are in pedal-form but if you need something at home, for acoustic guitars etc, the TU-8 is a great choice. Straight-forward in use and the battery will last plenty of time.

The Boss TU-12EX is a chromatic tuner for electric, acoustic, and bass guitar. The tuner has both 1/4" inputs and outputs, so unlike most tuners of this kind you can actually plug through it. It can be powered up by a nine volt battery or power supply, and has an auto off mode that will power it down to save battery when it is not being used. The TU-12EX has separate modes for guitar and bass guitar, each with the ability to choose your tuning type and if you want to use it as a chromatic tuner or as one specifically for bass or guitar. The tuner also has reference tone for tuning by ear in stead of with the needle. However, the needle is quite accurate and the tracking is great on it. The Boss TU-12Ex is overall quite small and fits in my hand easily. While I enjoy using the tuner since it is user friendly and pain free generally, there are a few things that I don't like about it - mainly the price. For this price you could get the Boss TU-2 pedal tuner and save some money! In my opinion the TU-2 is a much more useful tuner because you can use it with your other pedals and it will also power up other pedals. I guess I can see why you would want something like the TU-12EX rather than a stomp box tuner, but common logic should say that these kinds of tuners should cost less money, not more! Don't get me wrong, the Boss TU-12EX is a great tuner that will get the job done and do it while looking great and offering up a good amount of features, but I just couldn't justify a tuner like this at this price considering what else is out there on the market...

The Boss TU-2 has been a great tool for tuning on the fly in gigging situations. Before this unit, I was using handheld tuners with little or no functionality built in for drop tunings. Playing both classic and modern music means you either carry way too many guitars around or you have a versatile tuning device such as the TU-2 to help. The features such as cent and stream make tuning in darkly lit venues a bit easier than using it in chromatic mode. It also has flat and double flat tuning which is great but for today's modern music, that is not totally sufficient which is a bit of a downside to this unit. I have manual handheld tuners that can be set for five flats to accommodate some of the crazy down tuned stuff out there today. Yes you can tune to a note but it’s a bit of guess work unless the unit is set exactly for that tuning as other units can accommodate. I think Boss has addressed this in the TU-3 but not sure but it is definitely worth doing the research as this feature would entice me to make a move. This unit also seems not to affect tone or suck bass too much but maybe slightly. True bypass would be a great addition if possible. All in all this has been a great asset to me thus far and I've not had any reason to want to replace it yet so thumbs up for the most part. If I were to jump to a modern rock band I might seek out something else but until then, this is doing the job. The output and by-bass jack are also a nice feature of this unit so you can use it based on the situation.

The TU-80 is the latest model pocket or case tuner from Boss. It is slim, lightweight and can be used as either a tuner or metronome. I found this at Best Buy for $24. I didn't know they sold music gear. I can plug into the tuner to tune or it has a built in mic. It makes a beeping sound when my note is in tune. This feature would appeal to setting up the intonation of your instrument, new guitarists or well anyone that has trouble hearing notes. The tuner has a chromatic mode, so say I want to tune to a C note I can do that. The unit runs on 2 AA size batteries. I prefer this over AAA as double AAs last longer and are easier to find when they die. The buttons are a little stiff, but I assume they built it this way so the tuner doesn't go on and off all day inside your pocket or gigbag. I guess you don't want your bag to start ticking either if you want to board a plane! The tuner is slim and fits easy into my hands. I'd compare it to the feel of a smart phone or remote control for a cable box. The buttons really take some effort to press, but I can live with that. I have nice a few fine scratches have formed. I have only had this tuner for a year. Oh well it keeps on working just fine. A very accurate and portable tuner metronome combo. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com