BOSS TU-2

The BOSS TU-2 is a chromatic tuner pedal, released in 1998 as the first compact pedal tuner. It quickly became a new industry standard for tuning mid-show, and it did triple duty as a tuner, a mute, and a buffer, which is why it earned a permanent slot at the front of so many pedalboards¹²³.

What it does

The TU-2 does three jobs from one stomp. As a tuner it reads chromatically, with a seven-segment LED display and flat tuning up to two semitones below standard pitch. As a mute it kills your signal between songs. And as a buffer it keeps your chain's high end intact over long cable runs, a job many players still hand to a tuner pedal first in line²³.

History

BOSS had been in the tuning business long before the pedal format: the company's tuners are described as beloved by musicians around the world for their reliability, accuracy, and user friendliness⁷. In 1998 the TU-2 brought that tuning into a stompbox, and BOSS itself credits it with creating an industry standard¹². It went on to serve as the stage tuner of choice alongside its successor for two decades running⁵.

Accuracy, bypass and the move to the TU-3

Two TU-2 traits drew criticism. MusicRadar notes that its +/- 3 cent accuracy and limited display drew questions, and that true bypass is a feature not present, and therefore bemoaned in certain circles, on the TU-2, though enough pros use TU-2s to render that a moot point⁴⁶.

BOSS later updated the TU-2 with the TU-3, addressing the questions its +/- 3 cent accuracy and limited display had drawn²⁵. Along with its predecessor, the TU-3 has been described as the stage tuner of choice for two decades running⁵. Later variations on the formula include the smaller always-on BOSS TU-3s Tuner and the BOSS TU-3W Tuner Waza Craft⁷.

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