Boss TU3

131
£97
£75
GIGGING TUNER PEDALS GROUP TEST
D
igiTech’s HardWire
series has built up a
solid reputation for
itself since its launch in
mid 2008. The HT-2 is probably
the most straightforward in the
group of “extreme performance
pedals”, lacking any of the fancy
branded technology of the
others. That’s not to say it isn’t
well stocked, though.
Like the rest of the HardWire
range, the HT-2 unit is equipped
with true bypass, as well as a
choice of standard meter or
strobe-style display modes, and
two preset tunings that can take
you down by a tone.
There are fewer preset tunings
on the HT-2, so it’s simple to get
going. The display consists of a
seven-segment LED display that
tells you the note you’re tuning
to, and 11 single LEDs that show
how far in/out of tune you are.
The HT-2 is one of the quickest
pedals to use in the group, but
the note display always reads
at a standard guitar pitch, not a
string number. If you’re in either
of the flat tuning modes, it can
be confusing to still see the sixth
string referred to as E when it’s
actually sounding as a D or Eb.
Conclusion: Much like the
other tuners on test, the HT-2 is
more than accurate and stable
enough to use onstage without
fear of it failing you. We’d have
liked to have seen a few more
options for drop-tunings, but
being chromatic it will still tune
to notes outside of standard
tunings – you’ll just have to
know which note you’re aiming
for. As such, this is best suited to
someone who wants a fuss-free
workhorse tuner onstage.
Display ■
The display reads in
standard pitch, even if
you’re using the drop-
tuning presets
DigiTech HardWire HT-2
Turn on, tune up, rock out
For: Easy to use, clear display
Against: Less features than some
✮✮✮✮✮
SUMMARY
TG says: The blue-collar tuner
TC Electronic PolyTune
T
C Electronic is no
stranger to digital
wizardry, but the
PolyTune sets out to
do something unique. The idea
is that, in polyphonic mode, you
can strum all six strings together
and let the pedal work out which
ones are out of tune. If it works,
it’ll be as triumphant an upset as
last year’s Christmas No 1.
The brains of the pedal offer
six preset tunings to choose from
before tuning. Like the rest of
the pedals here, the PolyTune
remembers your settings, so
if even if you’re tuning to B
every time you won’t have to
reconfigure the pedal. When you
strum more than one note at
once, it detects the pitch of all
incoming signals and displays
each string as a short, horizontal
green line. Red lines denote out
of tune notes: sharp, above; flat
below. At this point, you can
choose to adjust the strings
while strumming in PolyTune
mode or tune each string
individually using a meter or a
simulated strobe display. Either
way, it’s quick, accurate and very,
very clever.
Conclusion: Polyphonic tuning is
the sort of brilliant idea everyone
hoped for, but nobody actually
created. Until now. The PolyTune
tunes up quickly and accurately,
with the minimum of fuss, which
is exactly what TG was looking
for. If its sleek design doesn’t win
you over, the innovative features,
solid build quality and great price
tag certainly should.
✮✮✮✮✮
For: Innovative, simple, great price
Against: No selectable output
SUMMARY
TG says: Poly, put the tuner on!
■฀LEDs
The simple display
makes tuning a
doddle on the HT-2
PolyTune ■
Accuracy, build quality,
visibility and innovation
– TC has delivered
■฀PolyTune mode
Get lightning-fast
onstage tune-ups of
all your strings
“POLYPHONIC TUNING IS THE
SORT OF BRILLIANT IDEA
EVERYONE HOPED FOR”
■฀True bypass
You get the same true
bypass wiring as the rest
of the HardWire range
Design ■
If it’s possible for a
guitar tuner to be
sexy, this is it
At a glance
TYPE: Tuner pedal
DISPLAY MODES: Strobe
(virtual), normal
TUNING PRESETS: 3
TRUE BYPASS: Yes
SOCKETS: Input, Output,
Thru, Power in
POWER: Battery, PSU
(optional)
C O N TA C T: Sound
Technology 01462 480000
WEB: www.digitech.com
At a glance
TC Electronic
PolyTune
TYPE: Tuner pedal
MODES: PolyTune, meter,
strobe (virtual)
TUNING PRESETS: 6
TRUE BYPASS: Yes
SOCKETS: Input, Output,
mini USB
POWER: Battery, PSU
(optional)
C O N TA C T: TC Electronic
[e-mail]
WEB: www.tcelectronic.com
DigiTech Hardwire HT-2
The tuning revolution?
VISIT
totalguitar.co.uk
TO SEE A
DE MO!
TGR199.gear_test 131 2/2/10 5:01:8 pm