TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Mini Polyphonic Tuning Pedal Reviews

This is my favorite pedal tuner in large part due to the small footprint, but also because it has the option for buffered mode, buffered always on mode, and true bypass mode. The dipswitches are on the side of the pedal too, so you don't have to open it to change modes. The buffer is good quality, and the tuner is easy to read. I don't really use the polyphonic mode that much, but it is a cool feature. I like that you can play a basic major chord like a G chord, and it will tell you if it's in tune. The NUX Flow tuner is pretty cool too (it has a cool display), and has a similarly small footprint (but lacks the polyphonic mode). However, the PolyTune 3 Mini is even smaller, and doesn't stick up as far, which can be helpful for placing it where you don't want to step on it (I like to leave it on the whole time).

I do like these tuners the best. I have three of them.

Works like a charm. Easy to use. Easy to set up. (Although, you do want to read the quick start guide to know about the bypass and mode switches; but, very clear instructions.)

Love it; LEDS seem brighter than my old full size unit; Also used the strobe tuner option for guitar setup - very handy; and of couse, the mini version saves valuable pedal board space. Thanks Polytune !

The display is accurate and easy to see.

One of the few tunner's with a built in buffer. I have the full size Polytune 3 together with a T.C. Electronic's Buffer pedal work well together.

This is a great tuner in a compact form factor. I was originally on the fence between the Polytune 3 and the Polytune 3 mini but after talking through the features of both options with my sales engineer Michael, I went with the mini. Shout out to my sales engineer Michael. He's always willing to talk through gear and is super helpful. The polyphonic tuning option works directionally if you just want to see if you're mostly in tune, but I find the chromatic and strobe tuning modes more accurate. I like that the display is clear and bright. The built in buffer seems to also help add back some of the highs and sparkle to my signal I am losing by running a few true bypass pedals. All in all, I'd buy this one again in a heartbeat.

Upgraded recently from the original PolyTune to the PolyTune 3 Mini and it. I am very happy with the purchase, just as well made as the older versions but very fast tracking (using it on bass), makes tuning quickly during a song a bliss!

I'm a happy user of the first-gen Polytune, only recently the switch had become noisy. As a replacement I chose this Polytune 3 mini, and I am very happy with it. The build quality feels extremely solid, and the tracking is noticeably faster than with the Polytune 1, really makes tuning a bliss!

No complaints on this little guy. Wouldn't worry about him. Gets the job done just fine. Easy to see, read, clear. Great.

Great tune pedal gets the job done

These tuners are accurate, easy to read, and take up very little space on your board. The whole band converted to.Polytunes from headstock tuners. Much simpler to silently tune between songs.

Tiny footprint l, but you can still read the display. Buffered bypass serves as input buffer also. Best pedal tuner made.

Very nice products!

Why did I wait so long? This tuner works as advertised and I love it. For years I have been plugging my conventional tuner in and tuning my bass then trusting it stays in tune before the set is done. Now I can check it anytime during the set. It is clearly readable and accurate. Great product.

Great addition to my pedalboard. Sturdy, compact little pedal that I ish I'd have gotten a long time ago. I like the strum and it shows what strings are in need of tuning without having to go through each individually feature.

This is a solid, feature packed tuner pedal. I love the polyphonic mode for getting a general assessment of which strings are out of tune. Brightness and visibility are perfect. The small footprint and the buffer mode make this pedal a top notch utility.

Much needed and like alot

This is an excellent tuner. It replaced my Korg DT-10 that I've been using for 15 years. It is much more accurate and takes up about half the space. Strobe mode is the way to go. This tuner is as accurate as any guitarist needs. Can't imagine getting any better than this.

Got this to free up just a tiny bit of space on board. Worked out perfect! Works just like the larger model. The display is a tad smaller but I can still see well enough to read it ;)

Easy to use. Very accurate. Great product.

so probably more features than I even need but love this thing.
Super easy for an old man to see from 6 feet.

Great tuner would recommend to anyone.

No reason to spend a ton of time, money and effort chasing the perfect tone if you are out of tune. I love this tuner, easy, accurate and compact.

Just bought and and it came today. Works amazing and i absolutely love it. 10/10

Easy, efficient, and effective!

This pedal should be a welcome addition to any pedalboard . With its bright LED 's it's able to be read in any environment . The ability to strum and see all of the strings at once is a great attribute. I heartily recommend this tuner to everyone.

I've had the clipper version for about 2 years now and I decided to get this tiny pedal to add to my nano+ board. Perfect fit and it works great as expected. The possibility to choose between true bypass and buffer is a plus. Great tuner and great price as well. I totally recommend it!

It's little, it's bright, seems to be accurate enough. My guitar sounds way better after I use it. What's not to like?

Completely satisfied with this tuner pedal- affordable, small size, sturdy enclosure, easy to use, and has a built-in buffer.

The TC Electronic Polytune is the best tuner pedal on the market, a must have

Product came packaged well. I use the chromatic mode, and it works well. Have had it for a few months now and it hasn't failed me once.

Does exactly what it needs to do, its been great helping me switch between tunings.

Love the size and the fact that I can buffer and have an always on option

I use a Pedaltrain Nano. My power supply services six pedals so that's my limit. I needed a two in one pedal at the the front & end of my board with regards to buffers. My last pedal is a Strymon Volante & it has a built in buffer. The TC Electronics Nano 3 also has a high quality buffer. I was previously using the Nano 2 and it was great, as far as a tuner. The 3 is the same tuner but with the buffer. If you're running a 10 foot cable from guitar to board then another 10 foot cable from board to amp you are going through at least 30 feet of cable (factor in the pedals & the jacks connecting them). The dual buffers brings back the highs being lost. Lastly, my first effects pedal (after the 1st buffer) is a fuzz. It's a TF Russian and the buffer is not negatively affecting this pedal at all. The whole board sounds great.

I needed a small tuner for my small pedal board and this seemed to fit the bill. Excellent product that was recommended by a friend. I used it at a gig last weekend and worked flawlessly. The "quiet" tuning feature is also a great way to change guitars without any noise. Highly recommended.

The first one that was sent was DOA. I was disappointed and called Sweetwater. I got a replacement the next day! And they paid the postage for me to send the broken unit back to them. THIS is why I always buy from Sweetwater. Many vendors offer the same prices but the service Sweetwater is top notch. And I love th goodie bags! Thanks you guys for working so well with your customers.

Works great. I play in a bunch of different tunings, and have to switch between songs during live shows - it's quick and spot on every time. Love the option to have true bypass or a buffer.

The best tuner out there. Just missing the extra DC output, which comes with the bigger version if you need power for an extra pedal. The buffer is a great help, and you can actually turn it off. Excellent service, arrived on time at the hotel so my girlfriend could bring it all the way back to Guatemala.

Thank you Sweetwater, glad to be part of the family now.

Nice, good, doesn't take much space. Like it

Tiny tuner w awesome display and crazy accurate. Also the buffer is such a difference maker for me. Thanks tc

This thing is awesome. The best tuner I have ever used and it's not close.

Simple. Works perfect, within a very Small footprint. Very happy with this tuner for my board.

Great!! Just what I needed!!

I bought this for my son, who said Sweetwater is his go-to for music. What I was impressed with was the personal touch once I bought: an email that felt authentic, not sales-driven; 2-day shipping; candy in the mailing box. Thank you, Swwetwater, for a very pleasant shopping experience!

I previously heard about this product several years ago. At the time, I did not need a tuner pedal. My electro-acoustic guitar has an integrated tuner and I used to have an all-in-one guitar pedal that had its own tuner. When I started to build my pedalboard, I decided to add this particularly tuner pedal to my board. It takes a very small amount of real estate. The tuner allows you to tune one string at a time or check the tuning of all strings at once. The tuner is very precise. I decided to buy this tuner pedal over others because it is possible to quietly and quickly check tuning during a gig or even at home. I have the tuner pedal as the first in my chain. I definitely recommend this pedal.

Really like this box. The tuning seems accurate and it's bright. The strum-to-tune function is great for a quick check. I had a couple other pedal tuners over the years and prefer this one to both of them. The buffer is a nice function which most of the pedal format tuners don't have. I did an A/B switching between buffered and true bypass and there is a noticeable difference in presence and signal transparency with my board setup. All jammed into a pedal smaller than a single board space. Worth noting: as another reviewer said, it does not do alternative tuning pitches (any pitch other than A440) like the full size Polytune 3. That's pretty uncommon anyway. It's fine with standard, DADGAD, open E, etc and does fine with the low B on my basses.

The lighted display is much better than expected. Product review videos don't exactly show how well it displays. Gives the tuner that "cool" factor. Does what it's designed to do very well. Tuning is made easy and can be done very efficiently. Small foot print on pedal board.

This is my second Polytune pedal. My first was one of the original models. It served me well for several years before it died. I bought this mini version to save space on my pedalboard. So far, it seems to function just as well as the older, larger version originally functioned. It is easy to read on my pedalboard while standing and tuning my guitar. It is quick and accurate. Just what I need from a tuner. I have tried other pedal tuners and while they all have worked, they feel a little disconnected from the process. Maybe there is a little lag or something in the way they displayed the tuning signal, but they just weren't functioning as well as I'd prefer. I don't have that disconnected feeling using the Polytune. It responds instantly and the way it displays the tuning accuracy as I am adjusting a string really helps me zero in on my tuning quickly. It is a very useful tool.

I already own a clip-on Polytune 3, so I knew this pedal would do the job. I bought it to replace a larger Boss TU-2 that I no longer had room for on my board.

I sometimes use the polyphonic tuning mode which is nice for quick and dirty tuning. Its small size is the real benefit here.

I appreciate the optional buffered bypass. I wish more pedals would allow a choice between buffered and true bypass. Truth is, every pedalboard needs a little of both.

Construction is rock solid. The LED is bright and visible. The readout is large and easy to read.

I'm very happy with the performance, size, and pricing on this pedal. I definitely recommend it.

Just one strum and it tells you which strings are in tune and which aren’t. No need to say anything more. It’s absolutely fantastic!!! Fast and accurate, this pedal is an essential part of my rig now.

Buy it, you will come to love it!!!

This thing is great. A clear, bright, easy-to-read display and extremely accurate tuning. Even picks up the low B string on my 5-string bass with no trouble.

We've all heard the rave reviews of the quality of these pedals build, accuracy and what not, so I'm not going to get into any of that as I agree with it all. What I'd like to commend them for is the fact that, as a near-sighted person, life without my glasses is near impossible, so I was shocked that even without them I could EASILY see the tuning of my strings individually (I could BARELY make out the polyphonic tuning w/o my glasses but I am NOT complaining).

The red and green lighting of this device are not only bright as hell, but the degree of contrast between them lets me see if a string is even slightly out of tune with zero effort. On stage I never where either my glasses or contacts so I need to be able to see my pedals, none more important then my tuner, and this thing is incredibly amazing in every way I need--and it's the MINI version of this thing.

Highly recommended.

This is a great little tuner. Get one!

Does exactly what its suppose to do! Its the perfect size that doesn't take up much room but is still very easy to read. No complaints at all.

First let me start by saying I love this purchase! No more fumbling to grab the clip-on or having to leave it on the head stock making me look like a total nerd. No more having to go though the manual tuning by ear routine. Just look down and check/tune it on the fly, LOVE IT!
Here's the "but". Doing my research the only place I found the fact you need to purchase a 9V power supply separately (it's not included) was in the spec list on Sweetwater's website... Yes, like and idiot I missed that. Also, one of the four star headed screws that hold the pedal together was missing on mine. However it seems to be held together firm enough (hope it doesn't come apart at some point in the future.)
Neither of these are deal breakers and am very happy I purchased the polytune mini 3!

Few people realize that you can actually slowly strum all six strings and it will show you which are sharp/flat all at once! My only criticism is that I wish I had the option to not mute the sound (it automatically mutes when switched on), otherwise it's a great tuner!

I've only given 4.5 stars bc I just bought and I'm learning it ... for me it's a bit of curve. I've never owned (or even seen) a polyphonic tuner. It's not that complicated but I want to be able to use all features well. Also it contains (or utilizes)a BUFFER. That's something I've just come across as a separate device to be used in signal chain ... especially AFTER certain types of fuzz/distortion units. Also, it's recommended at end of signal chain ... see video entitled: "Effects Pedal Order Explained", by Vertex Effects. I'm hoping this TC unit is actually that.
It matters not bc it otherwise is packed with unique features as a tuner. The size is a nice plus. It's construction seems the best as a pedal can get. I'm not gigging now but I'd expect there'd be no trouble and a long life. The price is right and the dang thing is downright "sexy" ... (man, I need help!). As an aside, I began playing when a tuner was a pitch pipe or a frickin' tuning fork! Come on ... it took a real man to use THOSE effers' on stage (haha)! BTW, any old school players out there who had Peterson Strobes were both "rocket-surgeons" and RICH!
Most importantly, if you are ACTUALLY ... in these times ... concerned with the accuracy spec. please realize all tuners are at least measured in 1/100 or even 1/1000 of a "beat". So Tesla, put down the spec. sheet and play yer' git-box!

Its a buffer and an accurate compact tuner. Its easy to use, easy to see the display and tunes my bass as well as serving as a buffer at the beginning of my pedalboard. What else is there to say.

Nice display
Great for dark stages

Since you're looking at this pedal, then you're hooked by the built in buffer (with super easy and accessible switches on the outside), the multiple tuning options, the lightweight matched with the durability tc electronic is known for, the accuracy and visibility, or what its most known for; polytune. It does exactly what it says and the buffer is great. I did have to get used to it but once I got to always on I've been happy as a clam. Couldnt wait for the black version so I jumped on this once it even existed (put out quietly since I've been waiting for this version).

Although I was excited to order from Sweetwater because of all of the incredible feedback from everyone I assumed my pedal order would be nothing short of it. Well it took 8 days to get to my door and there were some really good scratches on the face of the screen (didnt order a demo version last i checked). My sales engineer took care if the situation very well. Calling me (which i appreciated very much) and even shooting a mxr patch cable for the delay! Now thats nice and all, the cable ended up getting there before my pedal!
But....this is a review for the pedal so I didn't knock off a star like some people to great products due to service issues.

The tuner works fine. It does what it's supposed to do. I'm not sure if it's any better or worse than the numerous others that are available. The one thing that was really annoying was that it comes without an adapter. So you will have to buy one separately and fork out an additional $. The website doesn't clearly tell you this so read the fine print. I missed it.

I recommend this tuner for the freedom it gives a performer from having to plug and unplug guitar cables separately, isolating the tuning from the pedalboard. This lets people work quietly in a performance and keep on going. This may seem obvious to most seasoned players, but it is a relative breakthrough to newer musicians. I suggest that a musician should "never leave the house without it!"

This is a decent tuner. If you want high precision though this ain't it no matter what the specs say about cents. This is best at telling you immediately what you need to tune and getting it done quickly, very quickly. The strobe is not the easiest to read but it works pretty good once you figure out which way it's turning. Use this for live settings but tune by ear or use a studio grade tuner for recording.

Pros
Nice small footprint, accurate for single strings and easy to read in all light including bright sunlight.

Cons
The polytune is useless. You tune all strings individually perfect and then do the strum and it always says individual strings are out. Nice try but does not match your tuner.

TC should warn folks that this unit will make huge popping sounds when switched if you are using it with an acoustic guitar with built-in preamp.This is due to built-up capacitance and the true bypass function. Through a large PA the noise is insanely loud. My Boss tuner is not true bypass but it is totally silent.

So if this is something you want or need as I do you may want to spend the extra 10 bucks and get the big one. I tried to save space on my board and ended up getting screwed. The documentation is non-existent and it took TC 5 days to figure out this unit can't be firmware upgraded or used at that freq. Otherwise it is a nice tuner and works well and does save space on the board, but of the 10 bucks I really wish I had gotten the big one and yes Sweetwater will make good but it's not worth the trouble, so I guess it's 440 for me

I ordered the TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Mini Polyphonic Tuning Pedal, but it arrived without the REQUIRED external 9vDC power supply. Of course, that means I have never used it and will not be able to until I order the power supply. The tech specs on the web site show that it requires the power supply, so I should have ordered it. This unit was offered as a substitute for the non-Mini polyphonic tuner. which is out of stock until September. That unit also does not ship with the power supply.

For $... it seems petty not to have included the power supply. Kinda of like selling me a new car, but expecting me to order the engine as a separate purchase. The fault is with TC Electronics for not including it in the package, but Sweetwater should always mention that this is a required part for the unit to operate.

I have ordered thousands of dollars worth of equipment from Sweetwater over the past few years and always have had an EXCELLENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THAT I HAVE NOT BEEN HAPPY AFTER OPENING THE BOX. Their customer support is at a level that is almost unmatched in the industry.

Mine didn't even match other PolyTune pedals. I tried to get TC Electronic to fix it but they make you join some kind of support "club". It was ridiculous. I'll never buy another TC Electronic product. I got rid of the PolyTune.