The TC Electronic PolyTune is a TC Electronic tuner pedal. Close alternatives include the Peterson Strobe Tuner and the Electro-Harmonix EHX 2020 Tuner. It pairs well with the Gretsch 6160 Chet Atkins Amp and the Orange Little Bass Thing.
TC Electronic PolyTune
TC Electronic · pedal
The TC Electronic PolyTune is a polyphonic LED guitar tuner pedal featuring ultra-bright display with over 100 LEDs visible even in bright daylight. The tuner offers exceptional accuracy: 0.5 cent in chromatic mode and ultra-precise 0.02 cent in strobe mode. The PolyTune supports polyphonic and chromatic tuning, plus capo and drop-tuning modes, making it versatile across playing styles and instruments including guitar and bass. Built with solid metal enclosure and switchable BonaFide Buffer circuitry (or true bypass option), the tuner improves tone for long cable runs. An onboard ambient light sensor automatically dims the display on dark stages.
What stands out
“the tc electronic polytune is a polyphonic led guitar tuner pedal featuring ultra-bright display with over 100 leds visible even in bright daylight”
— from the listing
“an onboard ambient light sensor automatically dims the display on dark stages”
— from the listing
“The tuner offers exceptional accuracy: 0”
— from the listing
“Its accuracy in standard tuning is commendable, even amidst distortion, and the ambient light sensor for LED brightness is a nice touch”
— from the community notes
“plus capo and drop-tuning modes”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“com — TC Electronic's PolyTune impresses with its innovative polyphonic tuning, though its precision in”
— from the community notes
- bright
- ambient
- stage
- drop tuning
- solid
- bypass
- brightness
- dark
Good for
- Live
Genres the TC Electronic PolyTune is commonly used in
- Metal
- Ambient
- Electronic
- World Music
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the TC Electronic PolyTune
Gretsch 6160 Chet Atkins Amp
Gretsch
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gretsch 6160 Chet Atkins Amp goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
Orange Little Bass Thing
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Orange Little Bass Thing after TC Electronic PolyTune
Port City Pearl Head
Port City
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Port City Pearl Head after TC Electronic PolyTune
Ampeg V-4
Ampeg
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ampeg V-4 goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
Blackstar Unity Bass U250
Blackstar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Blackstar Unity Bass U250 goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W
Hiwatt
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W after TC Electronic PolyTune
Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
Orange Terror Bass
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Orange Terror Bass goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
Pedals that stack with the TC Electronic PolyTune
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Strymon Iridium goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
Dunlop Echoplex Preamp
Dunlop
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Dunlop Echoplex Preamp goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive
Solidgoldfx
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo
Dunlop
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo goes after TC Electronic PolyTune — modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
Dunlop MXR M78 Custom Modified OD, also known as the Bad Ass Modified OD
Dunlop
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Dunlop MXR M78 Custom Modified OD, also known as the Bad Ass Modified OD after TC Electronic PolyTune
Donner Dumbal Drive
Donner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Donner Dumbal Drive goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain
Behringer ADI21 V-Tone Acoustic
Behringer
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Behringer ADI21 V-Tone Acoustic goes after TC Electronic PolyTune — modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
Caline CP-31 Hot Spice (Black)
Caline
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Caline CP-31 Hot Spice (Black) goes after TC Electronic PolyTune — a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Alternatives
Peterson Strobe Tuner
Peterson
52% similarityShared character: exceptional accuracy
Electro-Harmonix EHX 2020 Tuner
Electro-Harmonix
52% similarityShared character: bright clear display, bright, simple
Carl Martin Buff Deluxe
Carl Martin
46% similarityShared character: long cable runs, true bypass, simple
Zoom MS-50G+
Zoom
44% similarityShared character: bright, touch, full
Creation Audio Labs Redeemer Buffer Belt Pack
Creation Audio Labs
44% similarityShared character: long cable runs, true bypass, simple
See all alternatives to the TC Electronic PolyTune (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the TC Electronic PolyTune?+
The closest matches in character are the Peterson Strobe Tuner, the Electro-Harmonix EHX 2020 Tuner, the Carl Martin Buff Deluxe.
What pairs well with the TC Electronic PolyTune?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Gretsch 6160 Chet Atkins Amp, Orange Little Bass Thing, Port City Pearl Head — Gretsch 6160 Chet Atkins Amp goes after TC Electronic PolyTune in the chain.