… We could surprise you with special effects could be the subtitle for the new mini tuner from TC Electronic. When we turn on for the first time the successor of the famous PolyTune Mini, this little stomp immediately makes the presentations showing off the one hundred and nine high brightness LEDs of its brand new display, so much so that the Danish house itself wanted to define it ... Retina (ops! !!)
Even with the same case and the same layout as the previous model, the new polyphonic mini-tuner wanted to offer first of all a new graphic interface, brighter than the previous one and further “organized” with LEDs for the new stroboscopic tuning function.
What is this?
We are dealing with a tuner is polyphonic and chromatic - both for guitar and bass - and in a very small size, with a particularly well-thought-out and captivating design.
The display, already very clear in the previous model, has now become very clear and it is in all lighting conditions: Its lower right corner now houses an ambient light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the device both in the dark of a club and in the light of an afternoon live.
Key features of the new PolyTune 2 Mini (partly also present on the previous model) are:
• Ability to detect automatically the function chromatic or the Poly one with the simple plectrum - respectively - of one or all of the strings.
• Poly function: If you want to have a global view of the tuning of all the strings, just an empty pick and the display will inform us which of these are increasing or decreasing. The house recommends using the neck pickup and doing a light single strumming with the thumb, say… to West Montgomery. Particularly fast and effective system especially live where tuning times must preferably be restricted. This function is particularly useful with guitars with a vibrato lever, where by tuning one string ... we forget the others. The manufacturer, in fact, asserts that the "Poly" mode ensures a more precise overall tuning of the instrument (we believe precisely for the aforementioned effect of the swinging bridges or for the traction effects on the neck in the other cases).
• Mono function (Chromatic): If we play a single string, the tuner automatically switches to the chromatic tuner function. By holding down the side button "Tuning", we can choose between the traditional hand or the new strobe function. The two new color functions, apart from the fireworks-style display in strobe mode, allow for pitch accuracy up to 0,1% against 0,5% of the previous model. It is an absolutely precise tuning but slower in execution times and therefore to be preferred - for example - when setting up your instrument.
• Open tunings: Holding down the “Tuner” button for about three seconds will activate the tuning Drop D and by progressively pressing the same key once, we will have twelve other tunings available, including seven tunings relating to the use of the nut (therefore in semitones from the first to the seventh fret): a real boon for acoustic guitarists!
• Conference proceedings: all the settings that we will choose remain available by default the next time the device is turned on.
• Power button. The PolyTune, like its predecessor, is True Bypass. When turned on, the guitar output is muted and the device reminds us of this by making the signal appear # on display: In the confusion of a live show we could forget about it and despair in understanding why the guitar does not reach the amplifier ...
Final houghts
This PolyTune 2 Mini, available in “white” and “noir” colors, is really a mini-jewel. Very complete, compact and designed by guitarists for guitarists. At TC Electronic they even thought of providing the non-slip feet separately in order to avoid having to detach them if you want to place them on the pedal board using Velcro. You can't get more than this ...
The small footprint, the negligible weight, the excellent layout and - above all - the remarkable precision, make it an indispensable companion for every pedalboard. Last but not least… it is offered at a retail price that is truly affordable for everyone.
Stay tuned!
