# Using A Tuner In Your Effects Loop?



## nedcronin

Hey everybody, I need to incorporate a tuner into my rig that I can use while jamming.....do any of you guys run a tuner in your effects loop? If so what kind do you use and does it color the sound at all having it in the loop? 
Recommendations Please.........


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## LesPaulopolis

I do. I have the Boss TU-2 and it has a 'bypass' out so you're tuner can always be on, but won't cut your signal. I'd say the tone loss via the 'bypass' out is significantly less than the regular out, though there still will be nuanced tone loss.


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## MM54

I use a cheap Korg tuner, when I go to tune I plug it into the line out. If I were in a band scenario, I'd have to get something else though.


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## nedcronin

Yeah I have a cheap tuner but it isn't accurate and you can't calibrate it, and I can't ask everyone else to be quiet while I tune, so time for a better product more for a gig situation.......
The tuner I use at home from Guitar toolkit for iphone is actually pretty good but you can't plug into it...


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## plankbadger

I put mine not in the FX loop but before going into the amp. Lot's of good pedals will
suck tone in the FX loop even if they don't going just before the amp.


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## Adwex

Why do you want the tuner in the loop? I can almost guarantee it'll work better in front of the amp. You're better off sending the tuner a pure undistorted signal straight from the guitar.


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## dugger

I'm with Adwex...no need for it in the loop. Somewhere first, if not first in chain after guitar. Boss TU-2 has always worked perfectly for me. Our other guitar player uses his in the loop of his 900 and he's always saying "my tuner is acting funny?" As far as it being on while you're playing...what's the point, silent tuning is what you want.


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## nedcronin

I don't really care if it's on while I'm playing, I just want to be able to use it between songs without alot of aggravation. I just assumed the loop would be quiter and not suck tone as bad as if it were out front....


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## Michael1987xl

Adwex said:


> Why do you want the tuner in the loop? I can almost guarantee it'll work better in front of the amp. You're better off sending the tuner a pure undistorted signal straight from the guitar.



+1. Tuner is the first thing on my board; no other pedals to screw the signal up and wreck the tuning.


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## Wilder Amplification

+1 on the tuner in front of the amp. No reason to put it in the loop.


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## nikininja

The added harmonic content of the amps input will impair the tuners ability to measure the notes correctly.

Best way to use any tuner is on the neck pickup, with your tone control set to zero, before anything else. It helps stop all that sharp attack/flat fade out business.

After all you want the guitar intune, not all the effects and eq'ing.


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## DBi5

I've got a TU-2 which is the industry standard of course (The TU-3 is now available).

If you can afford it - get a BOSS LS-2 Line Selector (or something similar) and run the tuner on a different loop.

I'm using the Korg DT10 more these days (I don't use a line selector with this pedal) - They do one in black too, which looks really nice. 

KORG Tuners : DT10 Chromatic Digital Floor Tuner


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## dugger

Pedals like the BOSS tuner are not going to affect your tone noticeably like a wah or non true bypass pedal. If you want "aggravation" free tuning. best to go directly to it first after guitar. OH yeah the other guitar player I mentioned can hear bleed through when it's in the loop. Never have understood why he does it.


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## Jesstaa

If you're not using a tuner pedal, I find it easy to just plug it into the compensated line out, that way it's not affecting the signal, and then I just have to switch my amp to clean to tune. Even after being run through the amp it's really accurate.


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## dugger

I absolutely agree with DB15...a true bypass loop pedal is great if you're worried about tone suck from any pedal. Then it's only in signal path when your using it. I have a Radial I use for my wah and phase 90.


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## nedcronin

Thanks Team Marshall.....I appreciate the input


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## pinto79

I run my tuner off the "Dry" output of my Whammy pedal. Keeps it out of the signal path that way.

I'm having a kill switch made that "Kill" mode routes to a Tuner out.


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## PRSCustom24

I've got a very reliable Korg Tuner and I have it as second of four in my effect loop (I didn't find out any difference where it is in the line, so I just put where it fitted best on my pedalboard). 
I haven't put it in bypass mode, because I mainly use it for muting between the songs, not so much for tuning.
Cheers
Peter


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## 5er driver

I go like this: guitar > tuner > wah > front of amp. Anything else, in the loop.


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## indeedido

I put my TU-2 in the loop. I also run it first in the effects chain. The buffer helps to push signal through the entire chain.


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## spacerocker

Why not use a clip-on tuner?

I use an "Intelli" clip on, which is accurate and fast (but does not always work first time on bottom E - others work better in this respect)

With a clip on tuner:

You don't need to plug in to it (so it's not in the signal path)
You don't need silence to tune up
It's always ready (if you leave it on your head-stock)
You don't need any signal out of your guitar to work it
They're usually very cheap!


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## Wilder Amplification

indeedido said:


> I put my TU-2 in the loop. I also run it first in the effects chain. *The buffer helps to push signal through the entire chain.*



???


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## indeedido

Wilder Amplification said:


> ???



This is my understanding. Feel free to tell me if this is off. The TU-2 is not a true bypass pedal. It instead uses a buffer. A buffer is a basic preamp circuit that doesn’t add any gain to the signal, but instead coverts it from high to low impedance and gives it the strength necessary to make the rest of the journey through long cable runs and complex circuitry without loss of tone or level. That is why I put it first in the chain. Thoughts?


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## LesPaulopolis

My reason for having it in the loop is so I can go git > amp and don't need an extra lead before the front of the amp. Also, I had a lot of 1' cables lying around.


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## PRSCustom24

I don't like the clip-on-tuner, I was shocked when I saw the first one on an acoustic guitar. I was thunking:  ???It may be useful, but it looks awfully ugly. Like a fat spider sitting on your beautiful head-stock.
I would never bother one of my guitars with such a thing...

Cheers 
Peter


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## Ken

Adwex said:


> Why do you want the tuner in the loop? I can almost guarantee it'll work better in front of the amp. You're better off sending the tuner a pure undistorted signal straight from the guitar.



+1 

I have the tuner to the Tube Screamer to the amp input in front, and the FX loop is wah - phase - chorus. I can tune with the amp on standby this way.

Ken


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## Wilder Amplification

indeedido said:


> This is my understanding. Feel free to tell me if this is off. The TU-2 is not a true bypass pedal. It instead uses a buffer. A buffer is a basic preamp circuit that doesn’t add any gain to the signal, but instead coverts it from high to low impedance and gives it the strength necessary to make the rest of the journey through long cable runs and complex circuitry without loss of tone or level. That is why I put it first in the chain. Thoughts?



You're correct in that a buffer does not add gain to a signal and converts it from high to low impedance, but your statement of "gives it the strength necessary" contradicts the "does not add gain" statement.

A gain stage configured as a buffer is said to possess a gain factor of 1, which we call "unity gain". This means that the output signal amplitude = input signal amplitude. Where a buffer is TYPICALLY used is when you have a gain stage that cannot source/sink a lot of current and said stage has to drive a low impedance load that will draw more current from the gain stage than the stage can source/sink. The buffer stage is a stage that "mirrors" its input signal, but the buffer itself CAN source/sink enough current to drive said low impedance load without said load pulling down the buffer's output signal amplitude.

However, a typical guitar pedal has a high impedance input anyway, on top of the fact that pretty much all active effects loops have a send stage that is a "less than unity gain" buffer anyway, so this makes any sort of external buffering a moot point.


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## Lespaulnmarshall

nedcronin said:


> Hey everybody, I need to incorporate a tuner into my rig that I can use while jamming.....do any of you guys run a tuner in your effects loop? If so what kind do you use and does it color the sound at all having it in the loop?
> Recommendations Please.........



Why the heck would you put a tuner in your FX loop?


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## rjohns1

Peterson Stobostomp first in line on the board right after the guitar. True bypass, or buffered, your choice via dip switches, and one of the best, accurate tuners out there.


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## spacerocker

PRSCustom24 said:


> I don't like the clip-on-tuner, I was shocked when I saw the first one on an acoustic guitar. I was thunking:  ???It may be useful, but it looks awfully ugly. Like a fat spider sitting on your beautiful head-stock.
> I would never bother one of my guitars with such a thing...
> 
> Cheers
> Peter




Yes, but you could always take it off once you've tuned! How long does it take to clip on/unclip?


Sometimes I think we look for complicated solutions to problems which don't really exist....



Actually, these days I, in effect, have a tuner in the loop, as The G-Major I use in the effects loop has a built-in tuner that is always active!


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## PRSCustom24

Funny thing, I started playing guitar again after 25 years of abstinence. I was really surprised that nowadays nothing seems to work without effects...
Same with tuners. I'm proud to be still able to tune my guitar without tuner, just by ears, that was the normal way long ago. On old recordings you often hear the guys tuning their guitars between songs (Hendrix, Blackmore..) So I'm still a bit suspicious about all those things. My son (metal fan) doesn't seem to be able to tune his guitar without tuner...
Cheers 
Peter


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## MM54

Same with me PRS, I can usually get it at least close enough for jamming by ear, but the tuner is nice to get it spot on


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## Adwex

PRSCustom24 said:


> Funny thing, I started playing guitar again after 25 years of abstinence. I was really surprised that nowadays nothing seems to work without effects...
> Same with tuners. I'm proud to be still able to tune my guitar without tuner, just by ears, that was the normal way long ago. On old recordings you often hear the guys tuning their guitars between songs (Hendrix, Blackmore..) So I'm still a bit suspicious about all those things. My son (metal fan) doesn't seem to be able to tune his guitar without tuner...
> Cheers
> Peter



A tuner is a convenient (often necessary) tool. Even though I can easily tune a guitar by ear, I still need a reference. For years in my early playing, I had a tuning fork....bang it on your knee, hold it up to the pickup, and tune the A string, then tune the other 5 strings relative to that. Without the tuning fork, I could get all 6 strings in tune relative to each other, but they would all be off from concert pitch.

Another reason for a tuner is for tuning silently. You can't tune by ear if it's not appropriate for your tuning to be heard, it's unprofessional. After a couple songs, I always hit my tuner pedal and check to see if I'm still in. Sometimes minor tweaks are necessary.

But keeping on topic....the tuner doesn't belong in the effects loop, unless you the amp is set for "clean".


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## Xx DBENC xX

Adwex said:


> Why do you want the tuner in the loop? I can almost guarantee it'll work better in front of the amp. You're better off sending the tuner a pure undistorted signal straight from the guitar.



So true.. I put my Korg PitchBlack in my loop and thought it wasn't very accurate. I thought I wasted 90 bucks until I put it in front of my amp and it made all the difference in the world.


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## nofearfactor

Since I'm running rack rigs right now I use a rack tuner. I go from the guitar first into the rack tuner then from the tuner to the preamp/effects processor. I like to be able to look over in the dark at a show and check my tuning. I like to use a single button footswitch running out of the tuner to switch on the tuners mute for switching guitars,etc.


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## carlocki

i have put a tuner (turbotuner) with a dunlop volume dvp1, the volume is in the loop but hte tuner doesn't work...


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## JLBIII

spacerocker said:


> Why not use a clip-on tuner?
> 
> I use an "Intelli" clip on, which is accurate and fast (but does not always work first time on bottom E - others work better in this respect)
> 
> With a clip on tuner:
> 
> You don't need to plug in to it (so it's not in the signal path)
> You don't need silence to tune up
> It's always ready (if you leave it on your head-stock)
> You don't need any signal out of your guitar to work it
> They're usually very cheap!



+1
I use a D'Addario micro clip on tuner. Works great and only has a small profile. 

I can still tune by ear and harmonics if I have to. Just showed my 18 y.o. niece, who's majoring in music, how to tune using harmonics. She thought that was the greatest thing.


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