Boss TU-2 tone suck (in a weird way)

[bubbastain]

I've been messing with my rig and getting ready for my first pedal board when I noticed something strange. My Boss tuner alters the tone in a way i didn't suspect. It adds too much brightness. If I'm running one amp(modded VTM) i go from guitar into my homemade volume stomp that's true bypass and causes no change in tone > Boss tuner> amp. Having the Boss tuner takes away a tiny bit of gain and thickness and that's fine(just a tiny amout) but it adds too much brightness in a way that doesn't really adjust out. Kind of makes the pickup sound like a single coil in a way. All the searches i've done about the Boss tuner(or other Boss pedals) people talk about losing highs.
If I'm running two amps(stock VTM/Modded VTM) it's Guitar>Volume stomp> Tuner> Radial Bigshot passive ABY>(b) Modded VTM (a) BBE Green Screamer> Stock VTM. I need a pedal with a buffer when running the two amps together otherwise output A of the ABY gets a bit dull. But again, that Boss tuner adds this kinda funky brightness. I've tried mixing the order of the pedals/ removing them and it is definitely the tuner regardless of where it's placed. I guess I could get a true bypass tuner and maybe a buffered OD instead of the GS, but I like the BBE.
Anyways, just wondering if anyone else has noticed the brightness effect with the Boss tuner?

 

[Badronald]

I've used. TU-2 for the last 20 years or so. Never had any problems. No suck. No tone loss.
Just sold my Peterson and got another TU-2.

 

[bubbastain]

I've used. TU-2 for the last 20 years or so. Never had any problems. No suck. No tone loss.
Just sold my Peterson and got another TU-2.

Something else I just noticed and probably the reason I've never noticed any tone alteration with the Boss tuner before. I only hear that extra brightness with one guitar. It's also the only guitar I have with a fairly low output pickup(9.2k). I have two other guitars with a JB and one more with a EMG81(also recently had a Painkiller and Aldrich) and IF there is any difference in tone with using the Boss tuner, It's nothing I can hear. Only with that one guitar. That's good. This Boss tuner I have is actually the only tuner i've owned with the exception being a Banana Tuner for about a year back in 1984. Never had a tuner on stage with me in the past. I borrowed the other guitar players tuner to tune up before we went on stage and never really went out of tune(not enough to notice anyways ). Also, I can run my tuner with the Tuner Out jack on my ABY but then I can't mute to tune and still need a buffered OD in front of amp 2.

 

[petethorn]

I've used. TU-2 for the last 20 years or so. Never had any problems. No suck. No tone loss.
Just sold my Peterson and got another TU-2.

Something else I just noticed and probably the reason I've never noticed any tone alteration with the Boss tuner before. I only hear that extra brightness with one guitar. It's also the only guitar I have with a fairly low output pickup(9.2k). I have two other guitars with a JB and one more with a EMG81(also recently had a Painkiller and Aldrich) and IF there is any difference in tone with using the Boss tuner, It's nothing I can hear. Only with that one guitar. That's good. This Boss tuner I have is actually the only tuner i've owned with the exception being a Banana Tuner for about a year back in 1984. Never had a tuner on stage with me in the past. I borrowed the other guitar players tuner to tune up before we went on stage and never really went out of tune(not enough to notice anyways ). Also, I can run my tuner with the Tuner Out jack on my ABY but then I can't mute to tune and still need a buffered OD in front of amp 2.

Your EMG guitar is buffered already (low impedance) so I bet you won't notice wether the TU2 is inline or not. The JB, maybe you like what the buffer in the TU2 does, since that's a darker (more mid-heavy) pickup (might give you a bit of highs that you like or don't perceive as detrimental). The Lower output humbucker guitar- is going to be brighter with less mids, so you might just like the unbuffered true bypass sound with that axe.

 

[bubbastain]

I've used. TU-2 for the last 20 years or so. Never had any problems. No suck. No tone loss.
Just sold my Peterson and got another TU-2.

Something else I just noticed and probably the reason I've never noticed any tone alteration with the Boss tuner before. I only hear that extra brightness with one guitar. It's also the only guitar I have with a fairly low output pickup(9.2k). I have two other guitars with a JB and one more with a EMG81(also recently had a Painkiller and Aldrich) and IF there is any difference in tone with using the Boss tuner, It's nothing I can hear. Only with that one guitar. That's good. This Boss tuner I have is actually the only tuner i've owned with the exception being a Banana Tuner for about a year back in 1984. Never had a tuner on stage with me in the past. I borrowed the other guitar players tuner to tune up before we went on stage and never really went out of tune(not enough to notice anyways ). Also, I can run my tuner with the Tuner Out jack on my ABY but then I can't mute to tune and still need a buffered OD in front of amp 2.

Your EMG guitar is buffered already (low impedance) so I bet you won't notice wether the TU2 is inline or not. The JB, maybe you like what the buffer in the TU2 does, since that's a darker (more mid-heavy) pickup (might give you a bit of highs that you like or don't perceive as detrimental). The Lower output humbucker guitar- is going to be brighter with less mids, so you might just like the unbuffered true bypass sound with that axe.

You are spot on sir. Funny how I can still learn something new about my rig even after owning it for well over a year. Just recently I learned that the effects loop is only buffered on the return. My tone became dull with a couple of pedals(Flashback and Hardwire tremolo) in the loop. Had never used ANY effects before. Turns out I just needed a buffered pedal right after the send jack(thanks Jerry P). So now if I'm running one amp head my signal chain is Guitar>Volume stomp>ABY> Ouput A goes to amp, Output B empty and Tuner is plugged into the dedicated tuner out jack. I can toggle between A/B which ends up being Amp/Mute, and just tune in silence and the tuner will be out of the chain when playing.

Now how about those tone sucking preamp tube covers????