TC Electronic UniTune Clip-On Tuner Review
TC Electronic UniTune
I recently lost my electronic clip-on tuner (A Boss TU-10) . I spent a few days looking for it and finally gave up. I discovered it out in my yard a week later (totally ruined by the elements). I can’t say how it got there.
While the Boss was a good tuner, there were two big things that I didn’t like about it:
- Display/Colors
- Sensitivity
The screen just wasn’t bright enough to see in dark situations (like a backstage area). I also didn’t like the color scheme of the regular screen; it kind of hurt my eyes. Lastly, I felt like the tuner was very sensitive (can be a good thing for accuracy); however, it took too long to get a string perfectly in tune. Not something I want to deal with onstage. This is one of the main reasons I didn’t buy a Peterson Strobe (they are sensitive).
After doing some research, I decided upon the TC Electronics UniTune Clip-on from Sweetwater Music. Currently, the UniTune tuner is about $15 cheaper than the Boss.
Display
A very quick video where you can see how the tuner lights up.
I like the display on this tuner much better than the Boss. It’s bright red and green. The display picks up wonderful in darker situations. The LED lights make it easy on the eyes.
Sensitivity
The tuner is quicker to tune with than the Boss. You hit a string, it responds and it does its thing. You won’t be waiting around forever to get in tune.
Storage
Here is a picture of the tuner next to a small key, so you can get an idea of how unobtrusive it is.
I personally like the size and storage capability of this tuner better than the boss. It is smaller in size, so less people in the audience will be wondering, “What’s on the top of that guy’s guitar!” It seems a bit more flexible as far as how I want to put it on the headstock. I can put it on the side or the very end. I was more limited with the boss, I basically had to put it on the side. Some people have complained you have to tilt your head to read it, that is easily fixed by putting it in the appropriate spot on the side. I find this is not an issue, after awhile, you can read a tuner in any direction. All you have to do is make it line up in the center folks 😛
Here is a picture of the clip-on mechanism.
Battery Life
I don’t have personal experience with the battery life; however, the manufacturer says 18 hours of usage. I’ve never had battery life issues out of a clip-on tuner, some of my batteries have lasted YEARS. However, one thing I don’t do is leave my tuner on while I’m playing or onstage. Some people do this and it can seriously cut down on battery life. I am ALWAYS having to tell people they left their tuner on (usually bass players, haha)
Tuner Wrap Up
I’ll update this blog if anything changes. However, I’m so far pleased with the TC Electronic Tuner. I do get the feeling that this one might not take a fall as good as the Boss. The Boss is heavier and looks sturdier. I do believe it is worth investing in a higher price electronic tuner like this over something cheaper. You can’t afford to cheap out when it comes to tuning!
You can purchase from Sweetwater like I did or on Amazon. Amazon is much more expensive for some reason. Nothing beats the customer service over at Sweetwater!
