tc electronic PolyTune 3 Tuner/Buffer

This is THE tuner pedal out there. Don't look any further ever, and stop asking reddit how it compares to Boss or D'addario (two brands that I otherwise really appreciate) - it doesn't. This is in its own ballpark.
I mean you get:
- True bypass if that's what you want
- An excellent buffer if you prefer (great thing to put right at the top of your chain if you have passive pickups)
- 3 different view settings (I use the classic one)
- A 9V output to daisy chain another pedal (because who wants their tuner to take a spot on their juice box, amaright?)
- Infinite tuning options, and you can set up your favorites
- Send in different settings to the pedal from your phone through the pickups (you read that right)
- Optionnal Always on display (so that you can pretend to know your fretboard by heart)
- Polyphonic tuner is a great thing
- Killswitch
- Great build quality

I must forget something, but as you see, I do believe it's a no brainer, I don't see any reason to get any other tuner at that price point on the market at the moment.

The only down side is that it may have too much options to start with and can be overwhelming at first if you want to use the whole alternate tuning thing. But nothing an hour with the manual and many tutorials online will not get rid of :). If you only need normal tuning - it's really just plug and play, so you won't have that issue at all!

This pedal is simple. It helps you tune your instrument and does that well.
It has many cool features like the additional power supply output, true bypass and buffered, and more.


I'm having two issues with it:

The switch
It's very low quality and easy to press down.
Since i have large shoes, sometimes I press the nearby area and accidentally engage the pedal which then becomes a fancy mute switch.
This is an expensive pedal (if you look at it as just a tuner pedal) with a cheap switch and I don't think it would be a much larger production cost if they just put a quality switch.

Polytuning
It's innovative and I'm amazed how people can do something like this.
That being said, I don't think it's there yet.
Sometimes when i try to play single notes when in a loud environment (rehearsal/gig) it registers as if I want to tune all the strings at the same time.
This makes the process a bit difficult and time consuming in some areas.
For me the perfect fix would be if there was a way to disengage the Polytune functionality all together and make it an exclusively single note tuner. Though I see why that might make no sense since it's the whole shtick of the pedal.



All in all, I probably wouldn't buy the pedal again nor recommend it.
It's a bit pricey for (in my opinion) an imperfect product.
I doubt I will go out of my way to sell it, but the idea of exchanging it for a Boss tuner isn't off the table.

What should be the first pedal you buy? An overdrive? Reverb? Delay? Fuzz? NO!

The best thing you'll ever add to your pedalboard is a solid, accurate tuner. You may be the best player to ever pick up the instrument, but if you're out of tune (yeah... that includes the intonation) you're probably still gonna sound like hot garbage... or you're Jeff Beck and tuning becomes superfluous under your otherworldly use of the whammy bar.

For we mere mortals who don't have a tech to hand us another instrument when the G becomes 'F# and a bit', the Polytune 3 is solidly built, has multiple tuning options, is super-accurate, the display is easily read (even with my poor eyesight), and you can even just give a strum of all six strings and see if you need to twiddle anything (be aware that this is less accurate than testing each string individually, but it'll have you in the ballpark if time between songs is tight).

Unlike some other tuners I've tried, it also has no problem with the low B on a seven stringer (be aware that the 'strum check' only works with six strings). The buffer could come in handy if you use a long cable, you can use it as a kill switch if you're so inclined. One small box, multiple uses.

I've been using this tuner for a couple years before buying my own. I tour in a band that's on the road for 50+ gigs a year and this little guy is up to the challenge. I've seen this thing dropped, stomped on, spilled on by all manner of things, and frankly just manhandled... you name it, this tuner can take it in stride!

One of the best things about it is how well you can fit it to your personal needs. I use mine pretty much how it came out of the box, our bassist uses the "always on" function for live tuning, and the singer/rhythm player uses it as a mute when he decides to jump down into the crowd. It performs just as well on battery as plugged. I could praise this thing all day but here are some pros/cons:

Pros:
- Built to fit your personal needs - customizable
- Extremely durable and maintains precision
- "Plays well with others" (as in pedals and effect)

Cons:
- Easy to drain batteries if not careful
- "Polytune" function not 100% useful/accurate in on-stage situations
- Some latency in pitch detection in lower register guitars

A must-have pedal.

I have nothing to complain about, and only good things to report!
I have tried several tuners with my 5-string bass, but none are so good at detecting the B (H) string as the PolyTune 3.
The display is bright enough for me to see in daylight and darkness, and is easy to read.
There is a dip-switch that enables true-bypass or the Bonafide-Buffer (Bonafide-Buffer also exists as a separate pedal, if you're not looking for a tuner).
There is also a setting to switch the mode between guitar and bass.
I also have an electric 6-string cello, whose strings are also easily detected by the Polytune 3.
In my pedal-chain, it is the first pedal - as far as I can hear, I have noticed no degradation or change in the sound whatsoever. To me, it sits transparently, being a wonderful silent partner enabling me to produce pleasing sounds with my band :)