Tuner Pedal

PBJ

I'm going to get one. So, here's the situation:
Playing live with everything going through a mixer desk. 
I press the tuner and it cuts out my guitar to the amplification, I think that's correct.
Does that then give me a chance to change guitars without any drama? Turn tuner back to off and seamlessly play the other guitar?
Thank you. 

Snags

Yes, as long as you have the tuner cabled/configured to mute on activation.

I got caught out somewhere recently where the guy who'd put the tuner on the stage had deliberately cabled it so that turning the tuner on didn't mute the signal. Which was ... awkward

drofluf

So essentially using as a mute switch whilst you unplug one guitar and plug in the other? I’d say yes. 

EricTheWeary

I have a Boss TU2 ( these days it’s the TU3) and it does exactly that. I think most tuner pedals will. 

I used to alternate a little bit between guitar and harmonica so it meant as well as silent tuning I could have noises off from the guitar when playing the harp. 

Greatape

TU3 will last forever. I'd recommend that one. 

Lestratcaster

Have had my TU-2 since 2008. Rugged and built to last. Also got the Polytune for home use. Both very good and will mute the signal for silent tuning and guitar changes.

simonhpieman

A TU-2 was really expensive so I saved myself £20 and got a Zoom MS-50G instead. Tuner plus 100 effects! Boom! Best £70 I ever spent - I had 3 of them at one time when I thought they'd stopped making them.

Edit: and yes, you can set it to mute signal.

TheBigDipper

Yes, but - just in case it's only the muting you want - you can buy or make guitar cables which have plugs which cut the connection (silently) when you unplug the guitar. 

crunchman

TheBigDipper said:

Yes, but - just in case it's only the muting you want - you can buy or make guitar cables which have plugs which cut the connection (silently) when you unplug the guitar. 

I've had problems with the switches in those, and given up on them.  A Tuner pedal is going to be more reliable, and it's good to have a tuner anyway.

I had a Planet Waves one in the past that made a high pitch noise so I had to get rid of it.  That was a long time ago, and the power supply I was using at the time might not have been isolated, but I'd steer clear of Planet Waves to be on the safe side.

I've not had problems with my Polytune Mini, but I have had reliablity problems with other TC products, and I don't really trust them any more.  If pedalboard space isn't an issue, then the Boss TU2/TU3 is probably the way to go.  If pedalboard space is an issue then get a Polytune Mini and hope it doesn't break.

EricTheWeary

crunchman said:

TheBigDipper said:

Yes, but - just in case it's only the muting you want - you can buy or make guitar cables which have plugs which cut the connection (silently) when you unplug the guitar. 

I've had problems with the switches in those, and given up on them.  A Tuner pedal is going to be more reliable, and it's good to have a tuner anyway.

I had a Planet Waves one in the past that made a high pitch noise so I had to get rid of it.  That was a long time ago, and the power supply I was using at the time might not have been isolated, but I'd steer clear of Planet Waves to be on the safe side.

I've not had problems with my Polytune Mini, but I have had reliablity problems with other TC products, and I don't really trust them any more.  If pedalboard space isn't an issue, then the Boss TU2/TU3 is probably the way to go.  If pedalboard space is an issue then get a Polytune Mini and hope it doesn't break.

Based on his other posts I think this will be a sole pedal so would be easiest to run it off a battery rather than with a PSU. So, I think that probably discounts most mini pedals as they won’t be able to take a battery and would be a bit small and flimsy off a board. 

Jonathangus

Here you go.  Pedalboard for a rhythm player in a rock band: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/165486/

If you're running off batteries only, a true bypass tuner might be the way to go.  A buffered pedal like the TU-3 uses power even when it's off, and when the battery runs out - no sound.  I'd still go for the Boss and a simple PSU, though.

InactiveX

Boss TU-2 here as well.

Solid as, and really quick to use.

I've also recently been using the 9V power output it provides for when I want to add a pedal to what I usually use. Very handy for that.

Voxman

My mfx have tuners built in (Vox TLSE, TLLE, Pod Go), but on my conventional pedal board (Boss BCB60) I use a Boss TU12H which is excellent - but as it's not a stomp pedal there's no muting function.  However, when I was gigging with it I'd add a Carlsboro volume pedal that I'd heel down, so muting was never a problem.  As I now use MFX it's not an issue anyway.  

EricTheWeary

I had a TU 12 which sat on top of my amp, it went in the FX loop and I could use the loop blend knob to give me silent tuning. Bit of a faff so I bought a TU2. Then a tremolo pedal. Then a wah. Then an overdrive. Then a phaser. Then a delay. Then a chorus. Then a fuzz. Then a compressor. Then a...tuners may be the gateway drug of pedals. 

I mentioned Buddy Whittington in the Discussion that, I think, lead to this one so I'll use this as an excuse to post a clip. I think you can just about see that his rig is guitar - Boss tuner sat on top of amp - amp. If he needs silent tuning he walks over to his amp and hits the tuner with his hand.

   

TheBigDipper

crunchman said:

TheBigDipper said:

Yes, but - just in case it's only the muting you want - you can buy or make guitar cables which have plugs which cut the connection (silently) when you unplug the guitar. 

I've had problems with the switches in those, and given up on them.  A Tuner pedal is going to be more reliable, and it's good to have a tuner anyway.

<snip>

Fair enough. I've had a couple of guitar leads with Neutrik Silent plugs at one end for 10+ years and all is well, but maybe I've been lucky. They're silent, but they don't help you tune the guitar! :-)