Choosing the right tuner (reed) for bass

The life of a musician is not sitting in flip-flops in front of the TV, it is not the so-called warm dumplings. While playing, you must be aware that it will be an eternal journey. Sometimes limited to one city, one country, but it can turn into long tours around Europe and even around the world. And now, as if someone asked you the question, “What one thing would you take on an international tour? ”The answer would be simple: bass guitar !! What if you could take 5 more things apart from the bass guitar?

Unfortunately, to the surprise of many people in this list, there was not enough room for a bass amplifier and effects for a bass guitar, but not a guitar tuner – that’s what a backline company is for, to provide you and your bandmates with the right amps and cubes. You will take all the items listed below with your bass guitar, and having them and choosing the right one will solve many of your problems.

• Tuner

• Metronome

• Strap

• Cable

• Carrying case

In the following posts, I will present some of my observations about each of the above-mentioned devices. Today it was a tuner also known as a tuner.

Tuner It is in the interest of the bass player that the instrument is always ready to play. The basis for the preparation of the bass is its tuning. The most popular and the simplest device for this is an electronic tuner, also known as a tuner. By owning such equipment, you will avoid many stressful situations. To help you make the right choice, below I present the different types of reeds, taking into account their advantages and disadvantages.

Tuner clips The reed works by extracting vibrations from the instrument’s headstock. I had the opportunity to use one a few times, but it did not work well for the bass. There may be models that can cope with the tuning of a bass guitar, but this is probably more for guitarists.

Advantages:

• the possibility of avoiding noise

• small size

• decent price

• small battery

Disadvantages:

• Difficulty catching the vibration frequencies assigned to bass guitars

Examples of models:

• Utune CS-3 mini – price PLN 25

• Fender FT-004 – price PLN 35

• Boston BTU-600 – price PLN 60

• Ibanez PU-10 SL – price PLN 99

• Intelli IMT-500 – price PLN 119

Chromatic tuner A universal type of tuner with which you can tune not only the bass guitar. This tuner collects the signal via a microphone, clip or cable. It takes up little space and you can easily pack it into the case. Such a tuner should be included in the assortment of every bass player, even if he has a floor or rack version. The chromatic tuner is also available with a metronome.

Advantages:

• tuning accuracy

• possibility of tuning in any outfit

• many possibilities of collecting the signal (clip, microphone or cable)

• small size

• most often powered by 2 AA or AAA batteries

Disadvantages:

• cannot be attached to a pedalboard

Examples of models:

• Fzone FT 90 – price PLN 38

• QwikTune QT-9 – price PLN 40

• Ibanez GU 1 SL – price PLN 44

• Korg CA-40ED – price PLN 62

• Fender GT-1000 – price PLN 99

Floor chromatic tuner A tuner that is mainly used in concert and rehearsal conditions. Bass players use it separately by passing the guitar signal through it to the amp, or combining it with other pedalboard effects. It enables, among others silent tuning (while tuning, the tuner does not pass the signal to the amplifier).

Advantages:

• durable housing

• accurate

• foot switch

• adapted to be mounted in a pedalboard

• clear display

• usually two power options:

• power supply or 9V battery

Disadvantages:

• cena

• external power supply or 9V batteries required

• big sizes

Examples of models:

• Fzone PT 01 – price PLN 90

• Joyo JT-305 – price PLN 149

• Hoefner Analogue Tuner – price PLN 249

• BOSS TU-3 – price PLN 258

• Digitech Hardwire HT 2 – price PLN 265

• VGS 570244 Pedal Trusty – PLN 269

Polyphonic tuner: This is a version of the floor tuner that allows you to tune all strings at once. It works mainly with guitars, but you can use it like a chromatic tuner.

Advantages:

• durable housing

• the ability to tune all strings at once

• foot switch

• adapted to be mounted in a pedalboard

• clear display

• usually two power options:

• power supply or 9V battery

Disadvantages:

• cena

• external power supply or 9V batteries required

• big sizes

Examples of models:

• TC electronic PolyTune 2 – price PLN 315

• TC electronic PolyTune 2 MINI – price PLN 288

Rack mount chromatic tuner

The tuner is adapted to be mounted in rack-type transport boxes. Most often mounted with the amplifier. Personally, I do not recommend it because of its size, but you can still find such devices in concert sets of bass players, most often those who do not have a pedalboard.

Advantages:

• accurate

• large display

• can be mounted to a rack-type transport box

• 230 V supply

• possibility of muting the signal (MUTE)

Disadvantages:

• large size

• cena

Examples of models:

• KORG pitchblack pro

• Behringer RACKTUNER BTR2000

For my part, I recommend that you always have a small, handheld battery tuner at hand, even if you have a professional pedalboard tuner or one mounted in a rack. Its place should be in the guitar bag, which you always take with you to a concert or rehearsal. I am waiting for your comments, observations and your own experiences, write them in the comments below!