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| | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review: ( 8 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Some quircky things you need to know. Jul 28, 2010
By Geeky
I play mandolin and acoustic guitar straight into two DI's (since that's the way the sound guys want it) and a single tuner was getting too cumbersome to move from instrument to instrument. This unit allows me to plug the tuner outputs from both DIs into a single tuner. No more pops and onstage gymnastics to get tuned up. But after getting this, it doesn't quite behave the way I thought it would.
1) The unit powers up automatically when a cord is plugged into either input. One button controls the A/B solenoid (you can hear it click) connecting one the inputs to the tuner/bypass jack. The other button turns the tuner on/off. It is this last feature that I'm a little concerned about. The unit is powered up regardless of the tuner on/off setting (presummably to power the A/B solenoid) as long as either input has a cord plugged in. The tuner on/off only turns the tuner functionality and display on/off.
2) the battery is supposed to last 5 hours when the tuner is on. Since the unit remains powered up when the tuner is off, I'm a little concerned about battery life in real life situations when the tuner is only on for 2 minutes out of 45. You may need to order the AC adaptor.
3) multiple 1/2 step de-tuned settings are only valid for pre-set tunings (DADGAD, standard, open E, etc). It can be argued this is not needed for chromatic tuning but I would have liked it. That being said, the unit can be recalibrated for non-440 Hz settings that will apply to ALL tunings.
4) the various display modes are fancy and "interesting" but I see no use for anything other than the standard default, which has the highest accuracy and easy to read displays (strobe + sharp/flat LEDs + meter).
5) not quirky but the non-stick pads on the bottom work very, very well.
6) The DC output will supply 6v @ 200mA and comes with a cable to connect up 3 other pedals. Handy, but why only 3? Do 90% of the market only have 3 other pedals? Granted, being primarily an acoustic player, I have no other pedals so I don't realy care. By the way, the 1-to-3 power cable that's included seems a little short to me.
7) this unit it NOT for two players to share a single tuner (and reducing onstage clutter). There is only one output (aka bypass) jack. The signal from only one instrument at a time will appear at the output jack, depending on the state of the A/B switch. This is fine for me, since I can only play one instrument at a time, but you should know up front how this unit operates.
So, do I like it? Yes I do. I can make it work fine for my setup, although I'm still concerned about battery life.
Update after a year: battery life has not been a problem for me. Even though the display gets washed out and hard to read in sunlight (a situation I face rarely) I highly recommend this product. Accuracy is great.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Fabulous Tuner Jan 26, 2010
By R. W. Gorham
This tuner is truly superb. I love everything about it. It has made tuning my Rickenbacker 381-12 so very much easier, since I tune it down half-a-step like McGuinn does his 370. No more guessing if the needle is really hitting that 1/2 flat point or not; no guessing at all. I keep both of my guitars plugged into the Pitchblack Plus, the Rick in "B" and my Robin Trower Signature Strat in "A" (also tuned flat one step). I haven't needed the accessory 9-volt power output but I can imagine that it would be a very nice feature.
Have had the tuner about a month and it is absolutely flawless.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Korg Pitchblack Plus - just what the eye doctor ordered ! Apr 19, 2010
By Gary L. Phillips
"Cellomangler"
I've owned about 6 tuners since the early days. The most accurate one has been a Peterson Strobe Tuner which is very accurate and great for tuning a piano to particular temperaments as it has a numeric "cents" readout. But I needed a basic tuner for guitar, bass, and other stringed instruments that was easy to read from the floor, and the Pitchblack is it. With other tuners I have to have them up close and be wearing my reading glasses, but not with this guy. It's got a lot cool extra features which I will also find useful, but the visibility is what I was after and this has big, bright LEDs and a flat/sharp movement that doesn't give you a headache. And it is fast. There are faster tuners, but we are talking milliseconds here, so this one will do just fine. Two thumbs up !
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Favorite Tuner - great display Jul 16, 2010
By Petrov K
"Human Being"
For a pedal tuner this is my favorite. I run two guitars into it so I can just switch quickly during a set. You can daisy chain power off it too, I recommend a Visual Sound One Spot to power it. This is on my board being powered by a Voodoo Labs PP2 - works great. Something most people don't know is that this this is super accurate. Most tuners are accurate to within .10 percent. This is accurate to .01 and with the strobing feature its easy to get it perfectly in tune. I prefer this over all the Boss tuners, Peterson (nice but expensive), Polytune by TC (small readout) is good - my second choice. For rackmount I would go with a Korg, but they aren't as accurate as these newer Pitchblack series. My wife has one and uses it for her basses too.
A great tuner with just one tiny flaw. Dec 16, 2011
By J. D. Starmer
I've used this tuner with both my cello and my mandolin and found it to be very good. It is easier and faster to use than I expected since I thought it would take longer to tune with more precision. However, since it is true-bypass, it will make a popping sound when you turn it on and off, or switch from the A input to the B input.
See all 8 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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