Tuners In-Line?

Rick Tyson · Post by **Rick Tyson** » 14 Mar 2001 9:19 am

Most of the smaller hand held tuners sold today have the option of being used inline, line in,line out Etc. But I rarely see steel players using this option.
It sure would be handy but before I wire up this way, would thier be any effect on clarity or signal strength to the amp?

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Tom Olson · Post by **Tom Olson** » 14 Mar 2001 9:32 am

I would guess that the tuner would not affect the signal since it's really only reading it and not doing any "processing" of the signal, per se. Just a guess, though.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 14 Mar 2001 9:40 am

Some tuners do affect the tone and I had an old Korg that would cause distortion on peaks if left in the line.

Just to avoid problems, I don't keep mine in line.

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 14 Mar 2001 10:24 am

I had the same problem.
Now,I just use a Y cable and pick off one side of the Profex II output to drive the DTR-1 tuner. This way, the tuner is not in-line and canot inject noise back in to the amp system.

pdlstl · Post by **pdlstl** » 14 Mar 2001 10:25 am

I use a rack-mount Peterson strobe and it definitely changes the tone if I run through it.

Would have to recommend not doing it...

Earl

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 14 Mar 2001 11:10 am

I've found that anything in the signal chain affects the sound. I even have a box with a DPDT in/out switch and for some reason that still has an affect on the sound when it's switched off. Electronics voodoo.

Glenn Austin · Post by **Glenn Austin** » 14 Mar 2001 12:00 pm

I use a Boss TU-12 between my guitar and my pedal, so I can tune silently on stage. I've never noticed any change in tone.

Rick Tyson · Post by **Rick Tyson** » 14 Mar 2001 1:29 pm

Thanks fellas for the Info. Looks like Ill save myself the time & trouble of going this rout
Bill got me to thinking though, could the line out from the back of my Nashville 400 be used for the tuner input????

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 14 Mar 2001 2:33 pm

Could the line out from the back of my Nashville 400 be used for the tuner input????

I don't think so..... If you plug into the line out jack, it breaks the signal path to the power amp. If you use the input jack to the tuner, you MUST use the output jack of the tuner back into the amp. Else no sound from the amp. (at least thats the way my "Nashville 400" works)

A Y cable might work here,tho....

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 14 Mar 2001 2:46 pm

You can also plug your tuner into the extra input jack on the front of most Peavey amps and get a signal to your tuner without it being inline.
If you are using the high input jack on your amp(which I don't) and plug your tuner into the low one, it will switch both to low.

Bob[This message was edited by Bob Knight on 14 March 2001 at 02:49 PM.]

Larry Hendrickson · Post by **Larry Hendrickson** » 14 Mar 2001 3:49 pm

I use the extra stereo output on my RV-3 to run to the TU-12 tuner. This works fine and your not running it in line with the amp. Also sometimes when I'm using my Goodrich volume pedal with my LDG I just run a cord out of the extra output to the tuner. LH

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 14 Mar 2001 4:04 pm

Just about anything you add into the line could affect the tone. And, a lot of devices aren't completely removed from the signal path by their swiches. Even if they were, sometimes that extra 3 or 4 feet of coax used for the connections can have a noticeable effect. For the cleanest sound, keep the signal path as short as possible. All conductors have an amount of capacitance which can attenuate the highs (and the ultra-high overtones). Couple this with the small amount of resistance and inductance (also present in any conductors) and all kinds of things can happen to your precious tone.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 14 Mar 2001 4:31 pm

I just use the tuner built in to my Boss GX-700!

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 14 Mar 2001 5:12 pm

I use the Boss Tu-12 tuner and it does affect the tone but you can run a chord from the second output of your volume pedal (if you have one) and it won't affect anything.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 14 Mar 2001 5:42 pm

One problem with using the second output of the volume pedal is the fact that you have to push the pedal down to allow the signal to flow out to the tuner. This, of course, allows the signal to flow out to the amp, also. Some folks rewire the second output of the volume pedal to bypass the pot. That way you can tune silently.

Here is a discussion we had last year on this topic.
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/000036.html

Lee, from South Texas

Tim Hurst · Post by **Tim Hurst** » 14 Mar 2001 6:11 pm

Another solution is to put a Y- cord coming from the guitar. Use one side to go to your volume pedal and the other for the tuner. That way you do not have to depress your volume pedal to tune, and thus can do it silently.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 14 Mar 2001 7:25 pm

Tim - Sometimes, even that can muddy your tone. Go back and read the posts on the link above. It has something to do with impedence loading on the pickup.

Keith Hilton, where are you? Any electronics guys watching?

Lee, from South Texas

Buck Grantham · Post by **Buck Grantham** » 14 Mar 2001 8:39 pm

Being a tone freak, I never put anything in line that I really dont have to have. It affects your tone. Maybe it's just in my head.

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 15 Mar 2001 6:10 am

I suspect also that if one has a tuner in line, the temptation to tune at inopportune (ha ha ) moments might be too strong to resist. One might get so distracted by tuning issues that playing would go by the way...

Call me lazy, or lucky, but I tune at the beginning of a set, and unless there is a major catastrophe (or an AC duct over the stage) I can be pretty sure I'll still be real close to in tune by the end of that set.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 15 Mar 2001 6:19 am

I touch up my tuning a little before the first set, but thereafter always tune at the end of sets. That way I'm tuning a warm guitar. It may be out a little at the first of the next set, but by the end of the first song, everything has settled in and I'm in tune for the rest of the set.

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@home.com
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden Ext. E9/U-12 (soon to be U-13) 8&5 (so far)=-

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 15 Mar 2001 8:50 am

The Goodrich 10k volume pedal that I use has two outputs. I often run one of them into the tuner and the other into the amp.

It's hard to make a box with a bypass switch that doesn't add a little bit of capacitance to the signal. I try to keep my cords short and have very little in the signal path between the guitar and amp.

This topic really belongs in Electronics, so I'm moving it now.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
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