All user reviews of 5/5 for the Peterson StroboStomp Virtual Strobe Tuner / Active DI

My had a somewhat long history with Peterson. I originally found an old Peterson lunch box style tuner really cheap. I purchased it with the intention of reselling it, but after using it for a while I realized that my guitar sounded out of tune when using a normal tuner. I sold it anyway and regretted it. I ended up buying a Peterson 490 rack mount tuner with the proceeds. I used it for a few years despite its huge size. Once Peterson released their VS-1 hand held tuner, I replaced the huge and expensive 490 with that. I was happy with its functionality, however it was clunky for a guitar player (which I knew probably wasn't their target market anyway). I ended up dropping it off my amp and breaking the screen. I emailed them to get it fixed and I asked why they didn't make a ruggedized floor model for guitar players (also a rack mount version for rack users). They thought the idea was interesting and asked for more information. Some time later this pedal was released.

So, it's basically the same functionality as the VS-1, which is similar to that of the 490 or any standard strobe tuner except it's digital. Being digital, it allows for a lot of other functions that a physical strobe tuner simply cannot provide. Tuning via the strobe takes a little while to get used to, but I don't think anyone would have a real issue with it. It tends to be sensitive, so it will take you longer to tune up, but that's the point.

It is fairly rugged and I've never had an issue with it. I know that some people have had issues with the jacks, which had been addressed on the second silver model. Sometimes it has a hard time registering the notes, but that can usually be fixed by adjusting the volume of the instrument.

If you play a lot of chords and find them sounding off or if you like to set up and intonate your own guitars, a strobe tuner is a must.