The TC Electronic Polytune 2 Mini is a compact tuner pedal from TC Electronic, a shrunk version of the full-size PolyTune 2 built into one of the company's mini enclosures1. Its headline feature is polyphonic tuning: strum all your open strings at once and the display shows which of them have gone sharp or flat, so you can spot a drifting string without checking each one individually1.
The Polytune 2 Mini is discontinued. That Pedal Show listed it as "no longer made" in 201923. It was succeeded by the PolyTune 3 Mini.
How it tunes
The pedal works in layers. Strum all six strings open and the polyphonic mode shows every string's state at once on the LED display1. Hit a single string and it switches automatically into a fast, accurate chromatic mode for fine tuning that one string1. For setup work there is also a strobe mode with 0.1 cent accuracy, which TC Electronic described as "the perfect tool for setting up your instrument with dead-on precision"4.
The display was upgraded over the earlier PolyTune Mini, with 109 ultra-bright LEDs for visibility on dark stages and in daylight4.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Polyphonic | Strum all open strings at once and see which are sharp or flat1 |
| Chromatic | Automatic switch when a single string is plucked, fast and accurate1 |
| Strobe | 0.1 cent accuracy for intonation and setup work4 |
Where it came from
The Polytune line began with the original PolyTune, which TC Electronic followed with a tiny version, the PolyTune Mini, announced in 2012 at an $89 price point5. The full-size PolyTune 2 arrived in 2013 as an update to the popular PolyTune tuner, adding the strobe display mode that tunes to 0.1 cent accuracy67. The Polytune 2 Mini then compressed that feature set into a mini enclosure1, and a sibling model, the Polytune 2 Noir, carried the same functions in a black finish4.
What reviewers said
Premier Guitar's quick-hit review summed up the pedal's strengths in five words:
"Bright, fast, accurate, small, and inexpensive."
Premier Guitar1
The same review called the Polytune 2 Mini "a winner" and noted its $89 street price1. Reviewers of the full-size PolyTune 2, whose circuit the Mini shares its functions with, highlighted the strobe mode as especially useful for guitar techs needing ultra-precise tuning8, and MusicRadar's Dave Burrluck described the PolyTune 2 as "a true bypass, highly accurate tuner"7.
Polytune 2 Mini vs Polytune 3 Mini
The PolyTune 2 Mini's core tuning approach carried over to the later PolyTune 3 Mini: polyphonic tuning that lets you strum all strings open simultaneously and identify any that has gone sharp or flat, with automatic switching to a fast and accurate chromatic mode when a single string is plucked1.
| Polytune 2 Mini | Polytune 3 Mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Polyphonic tuning | Yes, strum all strings open at once1 | Yes, strum all strings open at once1 |
| Chromatic mode | Automatic, when a single string is plucked1 | Automatic, when a single string is plucked1 |
For a player weighing the two today, the practical difference is the buffer: the 2 Mini passes signal unbuffered when bypassed, while the 3 Mini can run as an always-on buffered tuner at the start of a long pedalboard47.
Videos
TC Electronic
Ryan Kiesshauer
Big Dudes Music
Questions
Is the PolyTune 2 Mini true bypass?
Yes. The PolyTune 2 Mini uses true bypass switching, so when the tuner is disengaged your signal passes through without buffering. Players who prefer an always-on buffer in a small tuner would need to look at the later PolyTune 3 Mini, which added a switchable BonaFide Buffer.
Is the PolyTune 2 Mini discontinued?
Yes. TC Electronic no longer makes the PolyTune 2 Mini; That Pedal Show listed it as no longer made in 2019. It was superseded in the lineup by the PolyTune 3 Mini, announced in 2019 with a switchable buffer and an always-on mode.
Does the PolyTune 2 Mini have a strobe mode?
Yes. Alongside polyphonic and chromatic tuning, the PolyTune 2 Mini has a strobe mode with 0.1 cent accuracy, which TC Electronic positioned as a tool for setting up your instrument with precision, useful for intonation work and guitar techs.
What is the difference between the PolyTune 2 Mini and PolyTune 3 Mini?
The PolyTune 3 Mini, announced in 2019, added a switchable BonaFide Buffer with selectable true bypass or true buffer operation, plus an always-on mode, and uses a 108-LED display. The PolyTune 2 Mini is true bypass only, with a 109-LED display, and is discontinued.
Sources (8)
- Quick Hit: TC Electronic PolyTune 2 Mini Review, Premier Guitar, 2014-11-30
- Tape Echo: Echo Fix EF-X2 meets Vintage Roland RE-201… And Others, That Pedal Show, 2019-07-26
- Danelectro Eisenhower, Snake Oil Marvellous Engine, Supro Delay, Meris Mercury 7, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2019-05-06
- TC Electronic announces PolyTune 2 Mini and PolyTune 2 Noir, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2014-09-02
- TC Electronic Announces the Polytune Mini, No Treble, 2012-01-26
- TC Electronic announces PolyTune 2, MusicRadar, 2013-08-13
- TC Electronic PolyTune 2 review, MusicRadar, 2013-09-05
- TC Electronic PolyTune 2 Review, Premier Guitar, 2013-10-06
