In-line tuner/splitting signal

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 28 May 2001 4:32 pm

Dear forum folk,

I'm considering using a Y chord out of my Fess, one side to the V pedal and the other to a tuner.

Actually, this isn't really an "in-line" set-up, now that I think of it. You know what I mean...

Does anyone use this kind of a set-up?
Does anyone split their signal for various reasons?
Any problems I'm not foreseeing?

thanks heaps,
Drew

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DaveCarr · Post by **DaveCarr** » 28 May 2001 5:37 pm

You would be better with a switch setup which has an input and 2 selectable outputs (selected by the footswitch). I have one from the year dot called a "Switch Blade" which is a passive A-B selector switch.

Just having other things connected via a Y cord may mess with the resistance in the circuit and probably will also affect your sound.

I once tried to use 2 (6 string) guitars through the same amp via a Y cord (so that I could have a spare guitar on stage, ready to go if I broke a string). However, the 2 volume controls interacted (if you turned one guitar down, the volume of the other guitar was also affected)!

Hope this helps,
Dave.

Mario Cuppetelli · Post by **Mario Cuppetelli** » 28 May 2001 6:09 pm

Drew,
One of the Forumites emailed and gave me a great tip for keeping a line to the tuner. I have a Goodrich pedal with two outputs on it. Yep, you guessed it. One to the amp and the other to the tuner. Hope this helps you.

[This message was edited by Mario Cuppetelli on 28 May 2001 at 07:10 PM.]

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 28 May 2001 6:24 pm

If you just use a "Y", the input impedance of the tuner will be seen by the amp and it will affect your tone. You will probably lose some of the highs from your pickup.

I use a Goodrich 10K pedal and run one of the two outputs into the tuner. The buffer amp in the Goodrich provides isolation so that the output devices don't "see" each other.

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Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 28 May 2001 6:30 pm

If you just use a "Y", the input impedance of the tuner will be seen by the amp and it will affect your tone. You will probably lose some of the highs from your pickup.

Bobby, would that be true still if you had matchbox-type circuitry somewhere in your system (e.g., a Matchbox or Hilton pedal)?

Also, the downside of just running another line from your volume pedal to the tuner is that you can't tune silently: the pedal would have to be "on" somewhat to send an adequate signal to the tuner.

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Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 28 May 2001 6:37 pm

The A-B box works great for me. Jody.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 28 May 2001 6:47 pm

I use a Y cord on the output of my Hilton Digital Sustain unit. It works really well. No change in tone at all. When I try to split the signal before the Digital Sustain unit, the tone sucks. Bad.

Lee, from South Texas

jerry wallace · Post by **jerry wallace** » 28 May 2001 6:55 pm

Drew,I built a switch with parts from radio shack that attaches to the leg just like a match box..I have one input with two switchable outputs.One out to the amp , volume pedal or where ever.The other to my DTR-1 tuner..
This way the tuner nor anything is in line utill I throw the switch.Also its direct from the pickup to the tuner so you dont have to move the volume pedal..It also mutes any sound since the pickup is switched directly and only to the tuner.This has worked great for me..If needed ,in the middle of a song,flip the switch,touch up a string {nothing amped} and flip back and play right on..
The housing in a small aluminum box about 1 1/2 " buy 3"..Just big enough to house the 3,, 1/4" female jacks..

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Jerry Wallace- "98 Zum: D-10,8+8, "96 Zum: D-10,8+5,Nashville 1000,Session 500 ,Tubefex,ProfexII, Artesia, New Mexico

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 28 May 2001 8:49 pm

I just use the tuner built in to my Boss GX-700. When I turn the tuner display on it mutes the signal. This is set in the set up screens. It's not the greatest tuner, but works plenty well for me.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 28 May 2001 9:41 pm

Jim,

I believe that a Y cable will degrade your tone even with a Matchbox. It's never a good idea to split an audio signal to two dissimilar devices.

Folks, I'm moving this topic to the Electronics forum because that's where people will be searching for it months from now.

Glenn Austin · Post by **Glenn Austin** » 29 May 2001 7:20 am

Guitar Pickups are high impedance,low current devices, so using a Y cord at the output of the guitar is not a good idea. It will definitely change the tone.You could put a Y cord after the buffer amp if you have one. I use my Boss TU12 tuner between my buffer amp and volume pedal, and I've never noticed a change in tone.If you have a Pedal with 2 outputs, you could modify it to have one output, and a tuner output for silent tuning, but you need a buffer amp to do this.

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 29 May 2001 11:11 am

DOH! My Goodrich has two outs on it.

Thanks,
Drew

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Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 29 May 2001 3:19 pm

Very interesting. I have a Seiko ST747 (little chromatic tuner- about $30-$35) hooked up to my guitar and attached to the rear apron. I HAD a Radio Shack "Y" connector (no cable) hooked to my guitar- one to the volume pedal and one to the tuner. I hadn't noticed a difference in tone until this thread (thanks a heap :~) )- whereby I unhooked it and did a critical A/B comparison and did notice that the tone got a titch cleaner without the tuner being hooked up. I then attached the tuner to the 2nd output on my good ol' trusty Goodrich light beam volume pedal (no comments, please) and found the the tone was still a bit clearer without the tuner hooked up at all. The real suprise came when I looked at the tuner and it was working WITHOUT being hooked up at all (other than the 9v in I have to it)!!!- Even with the volume pedal all the way back it still must be able to pick up the noise of the strings unamplified- cool little mic I guess. The acid test will be when I play in a live situation with a band ~

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 29 May 2001 5:31 pm

Maybe the two output jacks of the lightbeam pedal are wired together just like a Y cable. I know that my Goodrich H10K actually has two separate buffer amps in it, one for each output. They don't interact with each other at all.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 8 Jun 2001 1:25 pm

when i'm using a digital delay stomp box and a digital reverb stop box, running both mono, i can take the stereo out of my reverb to the tuner for silent tuning and the mud from my TU12 isn't passed along.