Best tuner for bass

[ASW]

I've predominantly been a guitarist over my playing life but did have a few years not so long ago playing bass. I used a clip on tuner which was fine, but I did occasionally forget to bring it to gigs.

 

My bass holds tuning very well and I can tune by ear if needs be. But I like to be able to check the tuning between songs as sometimes, I find that hearing the pitch of the note is quite difficult in some venues and depends on where you are set up.

 

So I'd like to go down the route of a pedal tuner. I've owned the Boss TU2 in the past, but never used it for bass.

 

Are there any tuners I should avoid that are not particularly good for bass? I like the look of the TC Electronic Polytune.

 

I don't need super accuracy, just something quick, reliable and easy to read even in sunlight (if I ever get a bass gig again!).

[PaulThePlug]

Big visability? Maybe Korg Pitchblack...

[Jack]

I've used plenty and they all seem to tune well enough, so the choice comes down to other features. I currently own both a Korg Pitchblack Advance and a Peterson Strobostomp HD. Both are superb, especially for visibility. Similarly a while back on here I bought 3 of the cheap Harley Benton CPT20 as a job lot for pennies, just to leave in my gig bag as spares and go on my home board etc, and they work great too.

 

I don't gig with any of them though as I just use the 'free' tuners in my Shure wireless units. They're all the same.

[wrinkleygit]

I use the TC clip on, had mine for years, works well on guitar or bass and is easy to read even in bright sunlight, battery lasts for ages, if it ever dies I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another.

[Lozz196]

I’ve used both the Boss TU2 and the TC Polytune, stuck with the TC due to it being both smaller and with what to me is a better display. But for most of my gigs I just use the TC Unitune Clip, I don’t need the Poly function so the Uni version is fine, no issues with it at all.

[MichaelDean]

Another vote for TC products. 

 

I had a TU2, that for years did the job until it died on me. Replaced it with a TC Polytune mini and it's got a much brighter display and seems to be more accurate. 

 

On the back of that I also got a Unitune Clip, which has been great and so much better than the Snark it replaced. 

[Moose]

I used to own a Snark but it died. I then bought a TC Polytune and when I lost it, I replaced it ASAP with another Polytune. It has never let me down and works much better than the old Snark.  

[chris_b]

I've used a Korg Pitchblack since they came out.

 

I'm also looking for a clip on tuner. I've been recommended the Korg Pitchclip. Does anyone have experience of this tuner?

[ASW]

Thanks all. I'm avoiding clip on tuners as I tend to forget to take them to gigs whereas I've never forgotten a pedal board, so a pedal tuner is preferred. Also, the clip on tuners have ruined the decal on one of my Fender custom shop guitars so I'd rather like to avoid that problem! I've also owned about 5 Snark clip on tuners and all have failed. I have quite a few of the cheapest Korg clip on tuners and all are still working (albeit I forget to take them to gigs)!

 

It looks like the Korg pitchblack, TC Electronics, Peterson and Boss are all worth checking out then. I'll have a look at them 'in the flesh' to see which I prefer.

[Matt P]

I have a Polytune on my main pedalboard (one of the first gen ones) and a polytune mini on my tiny second board, i've had brief experience of the TU-2 and didn't get on with it for some reason.

 

the polytune wins for me as i can check all the strings very quickly with one strum (excellent for a quick check between songs)

 

Matt

[Bigguy2017]

Peterson Strobostomp HD is excellent and can be seen across a room

 

Good deal at Scan.co.uk   Peterson StroboStomp HD LN100117 - PT-STOMPHD | SCAN UK   £117.00 + P+P

[CameronJ]

Any version of the Polytune is the answer - I have the mini pedal and a couple of clip ones. All are excellent - and the “poly” function can be easily turned off so it only ever “looks” for single notes. Incredibly accurate and stable tuners, worth every penny. I wouldn’t use another tuner tbh.

[Chienmortbb]

On stage I use the tuner in my Zoom. It is very accurate and fast. When I am intonating a bass, I use the Peterson Strobo app on the iPhone or iPad. I did not realise that Peterson did a pedal tuner I feel GAS coming on.

[ASW]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm leaning towards the polytune, but the Peterson does look good. Is it so accurate as to be annoying to tune with though i.e. it takes ages to get the strobe to stop?

[Jack]

Line most strobe tuners you settle for 'close enough'. The only time I try and get it to stop is when setting up for intonation etc. 

[msb]

Somehow wound up with a bunch of clip ons. I put two in the top pocket of my usual gig bag , and there’s more in my two practice spots.  Mine are Son of Snarks ,and Danelectro badged ones that are really Snark Supertights. 
I like the convenience. And have a little stock of fresh batteries.

 

edit 

 

I still have a pitchfork! Just in case of technology failure …

Edited September 14, 2022 by msb

[ASW]

On 13/09/2022 at 20:59, Jack said:

Line most strobe tuners you settle for 'close enough'. The only time I try and get it to stop is when setting up for intonation etc. 

I see, so you get used to how slow it is to be close enough.

[Mudpup]

I've been using a D'Addario pedal tuner for years and really rate it 

 

[three]

On 15/09/2022 at 16:24, ASW said:

I see, so you get used to how slow it is to be close enough.

I use the Peterson Strobostomp HD and frankly, apart from the old reference Conn and Peterson, it's the finest tuner I've experienced.  Great for super-accurate set-up work, and as a general board or floor tuner.  Slow is certainly close enough in most (all for me) gigging circumstances and the tuner is really easy to use in real world settings.  Visibility is excellent in both bright and dark environments.  A very robust unit too.  I'll be using mine later for a set-up job - the Peterson excels for pretty much anything. 

[Greg Edwards69]

Another vote for the pitchblack.  I had one and it I found it to be excellent. Highly visible and accurate, especially in strobe mode. I only sold it because I needed to sell a few redundant pedals when I bought my Helix.

 

I sometimes wish I had kept it for home use such as setups. However, I use the Peterson iStroboSoft app on my iPhone/iPad for setups that works just as well as you would expect a Peterson tuner to work.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Greg Edwards69

[fretmeister]

I like the TC Polytune a lot.

 

BUT - every tuner brand behaves a little differently and sometimes even shows accuracy a bit differently.

So if the rest of the band are all using the same model - then get whatever they are using.

 

The Peterson Strobostomp is probably the elite level pedal though. If you play guitar or other instruments that need tuning as well, then that's probably the one to get.

[Greg Edwards69]

I meant to add. I've used a couple of clip on tuners in the past when they first started becoming main stream and couldn't get on with them. The cheap one just didn't work very well on bass and I replaced it with an intellitouch model. This one worked fine in the shop and at home where it was quiet, but was rubbish at gigs.  It would pick up vibrations in noisy environments and fail to read the lower strings.  

 

I don't know if clip on tuners are any better for bass these days, but past reliability experience has put me right off. I'd rather plug directly into a tuner any day.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Greg Edwards69

[msb]

I’ve been fine with the Snarks , if I had issues they would be gone. 
I rarely try and tune while the stage is noisy , I generally tune before we start , and sometimes do quick checks between songs . My usual bass holds tuning well. 
No real issues or complaints.

[BigRedX]

I used to have a Peterson Strobo Rack and while it looked great in the rack, it never seemed to be any more accurate than the tuner built-in to my Bass Pod. When I upgraded my rig to a Helix I sold the Peterson. I'm currently using the Helix tuner in Strobe mode. 

[LeftyJ]

I'm really happy with my TC Electronic Polytone 3 Nano. I bought the Noir edition, to match the black of all other pedals on my small board. I also have two TC Unitune Clips that I use at home a lot.