TC Electronic PolyTune Tuner Review

Rather than regurgitate all of the hype and marketing material out there on the TC Electronic PolyTune tuner, I figured I’d wait until I gigged with it a couple of times. Here’s my hands-on review.

For those of you not familiar with this innovative new tuner, the PolyTune is a compact pedal tuner for guitar and bass that, in addition to acting like a normal tuner, allows the player to strum all the strings for a quick snapshop of which strings are out of tune. At that point, the player tunes individual strings as normal. The theory is, of course, that tuning time is diminished because you don’t have to go through and “check” the tuning of each individual string. Below are pictures of the tuner in “polyphonic mode” and “chromatic mode”.




I first saw the PolyTune at NAMM and I thought it was pretty ingenious. Early reviews from magazines were all positive, but I figured I would get one and test it for myself in a couple of live situations before commenting (or not commenting). After putting the PolyTune through its paces, it is most definitely staying on my pedalboard, and I’ll probably integrate one into my rack setup with my G-System as well. This thing really did save me time and energy on tuning, allowing me to focus on mentally preparing for the next song instead of worrying about whether my tuning was right or not. My bandmates REALLY liked it because I change guitars a lot and this shortened the time it takes to do that considerably.

One of the bands that I played with does a set of songs tuned to Eb as well, and it was super easy to put the PolyTune in Eb tuning, which worked great.
The display in the unit also has an sensor to detect the ambient light and determine the proper amount of light needed to make the display readable. I had no problem reading the display in both bright light and dark environments.

Here are the highlights on the pedal:

• Works on guitar and bass


• Polyphonic mode permits strumming of the strings to check tuning status


• Chromatic mode permits single string tuning


• Automatic detection of the multiple strings being played switches unit from one mode to the other


• Accurate to +/- 0.5 cent


• Tuning drop from 0 to 5 semitones


• True bypass

There are a couple of things that a prospective buying should also be aware of.

1. At this time, the PolyTune does not do alternative tunings. However, a mini-USB jack on the back of the pedal indicates that, like many other TC Electronic products, there will be additional capabilities coming in the future.


2. Because the PolyTune is accurate to a half a cent, touch is key to keep the results of polyphonic mode and chromatic mode the same. Naturally, the amount of pressure you exert on the string will change its pitch. The PolyTune takes a very light touch and the manual even recommends using a bare thumb. I didn’t go that far, but I did find that a light strum worked better than my “normal” strum. Once I got used to that, it worked great.

The street price on the TC Electronic PolyTune is $99, but as with most of our products, you should always ask us for a better deal.

Composite Acoustics Closes Down Manufacturing

Rumors have been swirling for a while, but it now looks official that Composite Acoustics has closed down manufacturing. Discussions have been ongoing at CarbonGuitar.com and AcousticGuitarForum.com, but now dealers are reporting that they have been told it's over.

This comes as a shock to the many fans and customers of CA Guitars, who have been very emotional about their disappointment. From our view, CA was doing a great job of expanding the awareness and market share of carbon fiber guitars. While we, personally, didn't feel that their acoustics were as resonant and playable as Rainsong's carbon fiber guitars, and we didn't think that their electrics came close to an XOX Handle, we DID think they were fine and that their low price points got a lot of people interested in the owning a composite instrument. Was the fact that their price points were low a contributing factor to their demise? We may never know, but it is very possible.

Another thing we may never know is the old "Who knew what and when did they know it?" question. CA had a booth at NAMM just a short 6 weeks ago and they were signing up new dealers and taking orders. According to at least one dealer, they were told that there are no more instruments remaining at the warehouse and that what's on the street is all that remains. It seems to me that if this were a surprise event, there would still be stock left. In the end, we may never know what actually happened, but what is clear is that the dealers who heavily invested in CA Guitars, like MacNichol Guitars have been dealt a blow and we hope that they recover quickly.

Of course the big question is "What now?" CA Guitars had built up a sizable and devoted customer base so one would certainly think that an acquisition is very possible. The thought of what would happen to the carbon fiber market if they were purchased by a mainstream brand, like Ibanez, Martin, etc. is really interesting. If one of those companies set up a low-cost operation overseas, they may well be able to make the CA Guitar line profitable while keeping their prices low, and this could greatly expand the overall market share of carbon fiber guitars.

We will certainly keep an eye on this as it unfolds.

Guitar Jam Daily to Giveaway Free Collings 360 - $2900 Value

Free Giveaway of $2,900 Collings Model 360 Guitar, Rewards Loyal Guitar Jam Daily Customers

New Canaan, Connecticut June 15, 2009 − Guitar Jam Daily (www.guitarjamdaily.com) announced that the popular guitar site will award a Model 360 electric guitar from Collings Guitars to one of their registered readers. The purpose of the giveaway is to celebrate the newest electric guitar model from Collings Guitars and to thank Guitar Jam Daily (GJD) readers for their continued support. The drawing will be held on August 15, 2009. To be eligible for the Collings 360, the winner need only be a registered reader of Guitar Jam Daily's email newsletter. Guitar enthusiasts can register for the newsletter for free at www.guitarjamdaily.com
"We started offering giveaways for our readers some months ago," says Ken Volpe, co-founder of Guitar Jam Daily. "Our readers have been incredibly loyal and supportive, and we constantly look for ways to thank them for their patronage. The Collings 360 (www.collingsguitars.com) is one of the most creative guitars to come out this year, and we thought this would be a great way to reward our readers and to let them know we don't take them for granted."
The Collings 360 takes the basic shape of their successful Model 290 and adds some new features. "Tonally speaking, the 360 fills a space that was previously unoccupied by our other solid body models," says Alec Rueb, from Collings Guitars. One particular feature that is new for Collings is the mini-humbuckers produced by famed pickup builder Jason Lollar (www.lollarguitars.com). Rueb continues, "We've found the custom Lollar mini-humbuckers to be particularly receptive to the high quality woods that we’re using. We want the guitar to talk and the pickups to listen, and we’re in good hands with Jason Lollar."
Rueb speaks highly of both the Model 360 and of Guitar Jam Daily. "We’re proud of the new corner we’ve turned with the 360, and we couldn’t think of a better place to showcase the guitar than Guitar Jam Daily." Ken Volpe adds, "Collings Guitars has been a great supporter of Guitar Jam Daily for a long time. When we decided to do something big for our readers, they were a natural choice."
The winner will be notified by email and identified on the Guitar Jam Daily web site. The guitar will be shipped courtesy of Guitar Affair (www.guitaraffair.com). Additional terms and conditions can be found at Guitar Jam Daily (www.guitarjamdaily.com).
About Guitar Jam Daily
Founded in 2006, Guitar Jam Daily was the original guitar enthusiast online publication offering a daily push of guitar related content. Today, GJD offers its readers in depth gear reviews, artist interviews, free lessons and a variety of other information geared specifically to guitar players.

Guitars Not Guns Raffles Two Premium Guitars to Benefit At-Risk Youth in DC Metro Area

Springfield, Virginia (PRWEB) May 22, 2009 -- Guitars Not Guns DC National Capital Area affiliate will raffle off a Mississippi Bluesmaster, valued at $1,200, and a Brazen Fantasy Standard, valued at $750. Tickets are available immediately at the charity's web site.

Guitars not Guns is a charity organization that provides guitar lessons to at risk youth, with affiliates in numerous states across the country. The guitars will be raffled in conjunction with two upcoming music festivals in Virginia, but winners do not need to attend the festival and can purchase tickets directly from GnG's web site (www.gngnca.org). The Mississippi Bluesmaster, donated by Saint Blues Guitar Workshop , will be awarded during the Columbia Pike Blues Festival which will be held in Arlington, Virginia on June 20. The Brazen Fantasy Standard, donated by Brazen Guitars will be awarded during the Del Ray Music Festival which will be held in Alexandria, Virginia on June 27.

Tickets for both raffles are available at the event or in advance at the Guitars Not Guns, DC National Capital Area web site - www.gngnca.org. Winners do not need to be present and the guitar will be shipped to the winner, courtesy of Guitar Affair, anywhere in the United States.

Tickets cost $5 each or 3 tickets for $10.

About Guitars Not Guns

Guitars not Guns (GnG) is a tax exempt 501 (c) 3 children's charity; we are not anti-gun; we are anti-gun violence. Nationally we have been serving at-risk and underprivileged youth since 2000. GnG is a community-based organization that provides these youth a positive alternative to the self-destructive behaviors of substance abuse, truancy, crime, and gangs.

Contact
Skip Chaples, Director
skip (at) guitarsnotguns (dot) org
www.guitarsnotguns.org

Security Trainwreck at Musikmesse

There was rampant theft at this year's Musikmesse. Among the hardest hit was Saint Blues guitars who lost TWENTY TWO guitars, including 5 of the phenomenal new USA hand-crafted Workshop Series guitars (http://www.guitaraffair.com/saint-blues-guitars.php).

Here is a link to the complete article:

http://guitarjamdaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=2147

NAMM 2009 - Day 3

Today was another great day drilling down on some products that I found interesting over the previous two days. Saturday is always the most crowded because it is when most of the artists do signing appearances. The list of artists who are here is simply way to long, but the short answer is that just about every tier-1 and tier-2 guitarist you can think of is at the event.

Anyway, here are some highlights of the day.

The Gibson room definitely took on a different appearance this year. Dozens of computer stations with their new Dark Fire Les Paul. The computers were loaded up with Guitar Rig and Abelton Live, both of which ship with the Dark Fire. As the Gibson rep walked me through the features of the Dark Fire, I was excited about trying it. However, the guitar that was at the station I picked played very, very poorly with high action, badly filed frets, and uneven finish. I could be that they rushed a bunch out the door for the show.

XOX partnered with high-grade tremolo manufacturer Stetsbar to produce their upcoming trem version. Stetsbar allows XOX to produce a high-quality trem version without having to compromise the integrity of their guitar frame.

PRS lauched a line of amplifiers which sound very, very good.

And check out that paisley tweed!

And check out Paul's matching jacket!!!! Where's that matching pants and hat Paul?

PRS also lauched a pair of acoustic guitars, which also sounded very good.

Gigliotti Guitars makes its debut at NAMM. They got a lot of attention, as you can imagine. I love these things. I also got a chance to chat with Joe Bonamassa at the Gigliotti booth (Joe uses a couple of Gigliotti guitars). I guess I may have spoken to soon yesterday when I said I wansn't really into all of the artists being there. Joe is definitely an exception.

This is one that really impressed me. Austin manufacturer Collings Guitars released a new 290 model. It plays and sounds spectacular.

And here's one that's kind of interesting. I've been following this one for a while, because the inventor is lives near me. This guy got a patent on a glass-based sound platform for the guitar. The nut, bridge, fretboard, and frets are all glass on this instrument. It has a very distinct sound and it sustains forever.

Tomorrow is the last day and I'm very glad. It's been an exhausting week.

NAMM 2009 - Day 2

Another long day at NAMM. Today was spent taking a deeper look at some of the products and, as we head to the weekend, media announcements are starting to be made. A lot of artists are starting to show up, but that has never been too exciting for me. In fact, it's kind of a pain in the butt, because crowds gather all over the convention center to get autographs or even a glimpse. I'm one of the guys who thinks that a lot more would get done if they would get rid of all that crap.

Anyway, here are some highlights of the day.

XOX Audio tools, the makers of "The Handle" carbon fiber guitar, had several announcements to make.

XOX partnered with high-grade tremolo manufacturer Stetsbar to produce their upcoming trem version. Stetsbar allows XOX to produce a high-quality trem version without having to compromise the integrity of their guitar frame.

XOX is also releasing a Baritone model that was developed in partnership with legendary bassist Billy Sheehan. The guitar sounds amazing and plays extremely well.

XOX is also releasing an Earl Slick model that was designed with Earl heavily involved.

The Breedlove booth was stellar, as always. What I like about Breedlove is that they don't spend their money on a fancy booth, but they fill up their space with a few hundred thousand dollars of their most spectacular guitars. Here's a couple of pics of their electrics and acoustics.

While not guitar related, I though you'd be interested to see what the new age of grand pianos looks like. Yes, this baby grand has an integrated computer that is used for hosting sheet music and for training. It is highly sophisticated and can even monitor your playing so that it advances the sheet music at the right time, by matching your playing up to the music. It's scary.

Back to guitar, Rainsong also released two new models at the show. The Black Ice is pictured below, which has a very intricate and flashy top that is weaved with the carbon fiber. The other new model is their concert series. On that model, they have found a way align the carbon fiber in a single direction that mimics the tight grain of a fine spruce soundboard. Guitar Affair customers who have tried the Rainsong have overwhelmingly praised the instrument and I think the new soundboards will win over even the wood purists. The only issue our customers have ever complained about is the "thinness" of the necks, and Rainsong has now addressed that issue with an optional thicker neck option that mimics wood necks.

Godin, best known for its advanced MIDI guitars, has released a Daryl Stuermer strat model. These appear to be very fine guitars with the excellent craftsmanship one would expect from Godin.

Taylor guitars released a tremelo model of their electic guitar series and also some new paint jobs. Some of the paint schemes look like they are taking not of the success of Daisy Rock.

ESP always has some very cool paint jobs.

Saint Blues has released its long awaited USA-made Workshop Series. These guitars play and sound amazing and are crafted by local Memphis luthiers with high quality tonewoods and components such as Lollar pickups. Here are a few of the models that will be produced in '09.

Fender releases its "roadworn" series of distressed guitars. It still makes me wonder why someone would want a new guitar to look old.

Rock Band taken to a whole new level (audience not included).

The evening acts are really starting to pick up also. For those who haven't been here, it is a musician's paradise. In addition to seeing great players in the booths of the companies that they endorse, there are stages all around the venue and in the Marriot and Hilton that are just outside the convention center. At night, these places are just downright crazy with mobs of musicians. The acts tend to be of very high quality (as you would expect) and you often see many of your favorite pros hanging out. There's nothing like going up to the bar for a drink and turning to the person next to you and saying "Hey, you're Joe Perry!".

Anyway, the best act of the night was Caleb Quaye, former guitarist for Elton John, Hall and Oates and many others. Caleb did a set with his jazz band and they were incredible. Definitely look for their upcoming CD. Here's a shot of Caleb playing his signature Brazen.