Boss TU-80 Tuner & Metronome
Staying in tune is probably the most fundamental thing to playing a guitar. Boss offeres a number of different tuners, from rack mount, to stomp boxes to hand held tuners for your gig bag. Today we’re taking a look at the Boss TU-80.
They Say
"The BOSS TU-80 brings super-accurate LCD tuning to a very affordable price, while adding unique features like a built-in metronome and Accu-Pitch™. The pocket-sized TU-80 runs on batteries and can tune almost any instrument, thanks to a chromatic tuning mode. It even tunes 7-string guitars and 6-string basses—putting the TU-80 in a class all its own."
Specifications
- Reference Pitch - A4=435 Hz-446 Hz (1 Hz steps)
- Tuning Range - E0(20.6 Hz) to C8(4186.0 Hz)
- Internal Tuning Accuracy - +/-1 cent
- Metronome Tempo - 30-250bpm
- Power Source - Dry Battery (R6/LR6 (AA) Type) x 2
Available in Black
… or White!
In Use
It’s a bit difficult to review something as basic as a tuner, but there are a few features that make this a good bit of kit.
The range of the tuner is large, spanning almost 8 octaves, and this means it’s not just restricted to guitars and bass instruments. I have heard of one person using it for an organ! The tuner isn’t really aimed for live performances (as with the TU-1000 Stage Tuner or the TU-2 Pedal) but you can still place it in your signal path.
The TU-80 features a metronome that lets you alter the time signature as well as the tempo. The LCD shows a neddle moving in time to the tempo, and the 2 LEDs also flash in time.
The TU-80 has a built in microphone for acoustic guitars. The AccuPitch electronics respond with a beep to let you know that the note is exactly in tune. The tuner can be set to bass or guitar - this indicates the string and note played, or it can be set to chromatic in which case the note and the octave is displayed.
Overall
The TU-80 is a very simple bit of kit, but it does everything you ask of it. Built well, weighs nothing and the batteries last for ages. I got mine for just under £20. If you want a downside to it - the metronome volume is quite low and cannot be adjusted. A solid performer.
More details and the user manuals can be found on the TU-80 product page on the Boss Website.
Written by Alex on Friday 20th March 2009 at 11:10pm and posted in Equipment Reviews
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