Boss TU3

130
&
£79
£110
Boss TU-3
O
ut of the four pedals
in this month’s test,
the Boss TU-3 has
the most right to be
eying up the crown before it
even gets started. We’ve seen
its predecessor, the TU-2, on
more big-name pedalboards
than we care to think of, and
the TU-3 is its smarter, updated
replacement. Expectations are
high, but we’re not going to let it
stride home on reputation alone.
According to Boss, its main
improvements are the High
Brightness mode (for enhanced
visibility) and Accu-Pitch Sign (to
indicate your note is steadily in
tune). If you obsess over seeing
an unwavering green light before
moving on to your next string,
the TU-3’s Accu-Pitch Sign will
help. Once the green light shows,
the display sweeps towards the
centre from either edge, helping
you to draw a line under each
note. Boss has also added six
flat tuning modes that let you
down-tune your guitar by string
number (rather than note name)
by up to six semitones.
Conclusion: The TU-3 works
very well. The main display is
bright enough for use in dim light,
and the High Brightness mode
makes this even better. But if you
want to run it at full brightness
constantly, we’d suggest using
a Boss PSA adaptor (optional).
Our only other complaint would
be that the display is rather
cluttered, making mode-shifting
more fiddly. Ultimately, the
TU-3 does everything you want
from a tuner pedal well and at
a competitive price. The only
problem is, it’s among some
equally capable competition.
For: Well spec’d, good price tag
Against: Display is a bit cluttered
✮✮✮✮✮
SUMMARY
TG says: Not the Boss of this test
Planet Waves Tru-Strobe
…Tru-see you, nice
A
s its name suggests,
this is the only pedal in
the test to feature true
LED strobe technology.
It's based on Planet Wave’s
desktop strobe tuner, so if you’ve
used one like this before, you’ll
know it's the most accurate way
of tuning, getting you to within
0.1 per cent of a semitone.
The note your guitar is being
tuned to is displayed clearly in
the centre of the backlit display
(perfect for dimly lit stages
but you can turn it off if you’re
playing outside). The pedal also
has a range of modes for drop-
tuning and guitars equipped with
the Buzz Feiten system.
The guts are housed within
a reassuringly heavy die-cast
casing that should have no
problems living up to life on the
floor. It’s very well designed, with
two outputs (one that’s silenced
while tuning), but if you’re used
to a meter-style tuner, you might
find the technology too finicky.
Conclusion: If the Tru-Strobe
was a human, it’d be a traffic
warden – anally accurate, always
right and extremely good at its
job. Thing is, this jobsworth’s
impeccable efficiency can also
be counted as a downside
because, while its level of
accuracy is the best in this test,
you might find it to too laborious
for speedy onstage tuning. If you
need a pedal to provide great
features and flawless accuracy
(particularly for studio use),
this is it. If you’re in a hurry for a
green light, keep reading.
For: Precise, built like a tank
Against: Too accurate for fast tuning
✮✮✮✮✮
SUMMARY
TG says: It’s very good, but fussy
Display ■
The High Brightness
mode makes viewing
the screen even easier
■฀TU-3
We’ve seen Boss tuners on
countless pedalboards –
the TU-3 is the latest
Buzz Feiten Presets ■
The Tru-Strobe offers
tempered tunings for Buzz
Feiten equipped guitars
■฀Build quality
It’s a heavy little brute
that’ll withstand the
punishment of regular gigs
At a glance
TYPE: Tuner pedal
DISPLAY MODES: Stream/
Cent
TUNING PRESETS: 14
TRUE BYPA SS: No
SOCKETS: Input, Output,
Bypass Output, Power in/
daisy chain out
POWER: Battery, PSU
(optional)
C O N TA C T: Roland UK
01792 702701
WEB: www.roland.co.uk
At a glance
Planet Waves
Tru-Strobe
TYPE: Tuner Pedal
DISPLAY MODES: Strobe
TUNING PRESETS: 11
including Buzz Feiten
modes
TRUE BYPA SS: Yes
SOCKETS: Input, output,
bypass, power in/daisy
chain out
POWER: Battery, PSU
(optional)
C O N TA C T: D’Addario UK
01913 003000
WEB: www.daddario.com
■฀Accu-Pitch Sign
Fixated with seeing a
green light? This gives you
closure on each string
Strobe ■
True strobe tuning is the
most accurate method,
but it does take a bit
more persistence
Boss TU-3
Nice TU see you…
TGR199.gear_test 130 2/2/10 5:01:5 pm