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Boss TU-3w – the better tuner?

Posted by on April 27, 2021

Ever since it came out, I have been a fan of the Boss TU-3 tuner pedal. It is housed in a sturdy boss-familiar compact pedal housing and it has nice visible LED lights. It’s super useful.

However, there were two things a little off in my opinion: the color…. being white with orange letters, and the fact that it did not have a buffer. The first pedal in the chain, mostly a tuner pedal, should have a buffer.

Many other manufacturers did figure that out. And also the color: Korg has launched it’s pitch-black series years ago.

Until recently: Boss came out with the TU-3W. W stands for Waza Craft. In Japan, “Waza” is the term for art and technique, and these special edition pedals proudly carry the Waza symbol to represent the pinnacle of Boss’ design and craftsmanship.

What does Waza mean according to Boss? Since the beginning, the engineers at BOSS have been committed to achieving the finest guitar tones using any technology necessary, from old-school analog circuits to high-tech DSP. Continuing this enthusiastic spirit, we are pleased to introduce the Waza Craft series. In Japan, “Waza” is the term for art and technique, and these special edition pedals proudly carry the Waza symbol to represent the pinnacle of BOSS design and craftsmanship. Being made in Japan, the Waza Craft series brings you exceptional tone and touch response through carefully selected analog components, refined circuitry, and meticulous attention to detail.

Why is this pedal more expensive and better? The colours fit better with my pedalboard. Secondly, the circuitry is the best you can get. This means that at the start of your signal chain, no noise issues are introduced. This looks like a small thing, but the signal is only extrapolated more along the chain, and amplified through your amp. Imagine.

And lastly, the pedal is switchable: true bypass or buffered. oh, and it can also provided power to secondary pedals with a 9 volt out. Although I would go for an isolated power supply.

The display can be set in normal mode and bright mode. I prefer the latter. Some people complain about the bright setting but then again it can also be used outdoors very well. The blue color is nice and gives a very high quality look to it, combined with the black exterior of the pedal.

So yes, to me, this is the best tuner you can buy. It is about 60 Euro’s more expensive than the regular TU-3. But it has more advantages.

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