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Pros:
- Advanced features
- Very good display
- Responsive
- Precise
Cons:
- Battery compartment is not easily accessible
I think it is really important to draw a line between different types of tuners on the market. Without understanding what are the exact capabilities of those, it will be hard for you to appreciate the wonderful nature of the pedal we are about to discuss. Though there are many other types on the market as well, I want to distinguish between the tuners that can only take care of a single note at a time and polyphonic ones. The former category doesn’t have the ability to track multiple notes so you have to take things slow and tune your instrument with smaller steps. The latter category is just the opposite: it gives you the ability to strum your guitar, locate the one that is out of tune, correct it and that’s it.
It goes without saying that this particular group is more useful and flexible, especially when you have to utilize it mid-performance. One of the first companies that came out with such a unit was TC Electronic and their Polytune. It literally turned the world upside down back in the day and shook the musicians with its capabilities. Even though nobody thought that it was possible, the brand has released an even better version called Polytone 2. It enhances the possibilities that were available before and turns you into a real king of sounds. Let’s begin and see what those are exactly!
Features
TC Electronic listened to the prayers of those who wanted their tuner pedals to be more special. They don’t only listen, but they also put together something that we couldn’t even have asked for. Nobody knew these simple units could be so unique and original in their qualities. Polytune 2 enables you to strum your guitar and tune it that way. That is due to the ability of this pedal to track multiple notes simultaneously. But if you want to tune only a single string, this stompbox will detect automatically and respond accordingly.
This feature makes the whole process so much easier and faster. What is more, it has a new strobing mode that has an accuracy of 0.1 percent which can be a real treasure for those who are really meticulous and picky about their sounds. This bad boy has a wide display that can light up with LEDs regardless of the settings you are in. Whether you perform in direct sunlight or on a poorly lit stage, this bad boy will enable you to see what is going on and what your notes are doing.
It has an Ambilight sensor that detects the lighting in the surroundings and changes the brightness accordingly. Polytune 2 has a true bypass circuit that guarantees zero interference with your tone. This way you can stay assured that your sound will remain in its best shape when it passes through the deactivated unit. And probably the coolest virtue of all here is the ability of this pedal to track even drop tunings and the strings that are played with a capo.
This magnificent tool can be utilized with guitars or basses and it can even power another unit with the help of its DC output. Let’s not forget that Polytune 2 doesn’t remove your settings as soon as you switch it off. It hands on the dialed-in information and makes it possible to recall it as you plug it in again. As you can see, this pedal is the definition of versatility as it offers too much to be true.
Controls
TC Electronic Polytune 2 isn’t shy with controls either. It basically allows you to tailor every single detail of the pedal to your liking and makes it possible to play with a pedal that feels like it was made for you. Let’s dive right into it and see what exactly we have here.
Next to the DC input and output, you will see a switch that is called tuning. It enables you to select the desired option depending on the tuning of your instrument. Then we have a display switch that lets you choose between various types and utilize the one that suits your needs the most. Last but not least, we have a true bypass switching that triggers the tuner and lets you enjoy a tuned guitar. What can be better than that? Even if this fella had a single footswitch, it would still be in the top league due to its multifaceted features and options.
Polytune 2 Sound
TC Electronic Polytune 2 is a real godsend unit that was gifted to humanity to let us play with accurate and precise sounds. Apparently goes up in the sky were getting annoyed with all those out-of-tune guitars and felt that they had had enough. Or maybe it was thanks to the masterminds behind TC Electronic who manufactured this powerful and beautiful unit.
It mutes the output when you connect your instrument and lets you tune without feeding the signal into the amplifier. It basically does everything it promises to: it recognizes drop tunings and capos, it tracks bass and guitar equally, it switches between chromatic and polyphonic modes with outstanding accuracy, and so on. No other tuner repeats all the features this well, I am truly impressed with this one. Though I didn’t expect anything less from TC Electronic, I still couldn’t have imagined that Polytune 2 would be so amazing. It brings to life all our wishes and prayers and creates the reality where other tuners have to try really hard to catch up with this one.
Conclusion
TC Electronic has always been a brand that maintains a certain standard that it tries to follow with each and every device. Though everybody is already aware of that, seeing Polytune 2 was still surprising. I think that they have even outplayed themselves with this pedal. They have thought about even the tiniest details and the result is an intuitive, usable, and simple unit. If you want to know why this one deserves such compliments, you have to try it out yourself. Good luck!
