The Peterson StroboStomp Mini is a smaller version of the highly acclaimed StroboStomp HD tuner pedal. With a small footprint, top-mounted jacks, accuracy within 0.1 cents, and a bunch of additional features, it’s probably one of the best guitar tuners out there right now.
Diving straight into the box, it’s immediate that you’re dealing with a high-quality product. The packaging is nice, plus, you get a perfectly cut piece of Velcro to stick to the bottom of the pedal, should you wish to attach it to your pedalboard – a nice touch indeed. The pedal is obviously well built, with a sturdy and silent switch and a premium metal casing.
But how does it fare as a tuner? Well, the first thing to mention is how accurate it is. You can get your guitar or bass perfectly in tune. Whether you use open strings or harmonics, it allows you to completely nail the tuning of your instrument. It’s also very quick to react, allowing you to tune quickly when you need to.
One of the defining things about this tuner is its strobe display. If you haven’t used one of these before, it might take a little getting used to, but you’ll quickly be able to do so.
A dotted circle moves around the display, and the note you’re playing is shown in the middle. The circle moves clockwise when your note is sharp and counter-clockwise when it’s flat. The faster the circle moves, the more out of tune you are, and the slower it moves, the closer you are to the note in the middle. When it stops, you’re bang in tune – though it might not stop completely. It really does become quite clear what you need to do when you’re using it.
It’s incredibly sensitive, too, and will move to even the slightest touch of your tuning pegs. It’s this that allows you to get such accurate tunings. Where other tuners might read in tune, the StroboStomp Mini encourages you to minutely adjust even further.
Does it make a difference though? Some people are happy with less accurate tuners which is fine – they still work great. However, if you can tell that something is ever so slightly off with your tuning, then this will help you rectify that quicker. I’ve had experiences before where a clip-on tuner is showing in tune, but my ears have disagreed – this would have come in handy then!
The display is nice and bright too. It’s easy to read in the dark and on a bright stage, or say if you’re playing outside during the day. You do have the ability to change the background colour as well. It’s not crucial for everyone, but these touches do mean that you can make the pedal work exactly how you want it to. I also really like how, even though it’s a compact pedal, the display is still a good size.
A really useful feature of this tuner is the ability to account for downtuned or capo’d guitars. You can select by how many semitones you’re adjusting you’re detuning – or placing your capo – and the tuner will still show EADGBE. This means you don’t have to remember every note in every position. Again, it’s about saving time and making things easier.
I also really like how, even though it’s a compact pedal, the display is still a good size
You’re able to select the bypass of the pedal as well. If you want a true bypass, you can have that. However, you’ve also got the option of a buffered bypass. With the latter, you can choose whether the pedal switches off when your signal is muted or whether it continues to monitor your tuning while unmuted.
Another unique thing about the Peterson StroboStomp is ‘sweetener tunings.’ Without going into too much detail about equal temperament and intervals, sweetened tunings are slightly altered tunings that can help particular instruments sound fractionally better.
If you’re playing particular notes together in a song, you might find that everything sounds a little bit more in tune or sweeter; if you ever so slightly sharpen or flatten one of the strings – it sounds counterintuitive, but it works. An example of this is Eddie Van Halen slightly flattening his B string so that certain riffs sound better. This pedal allows you to choose from 80 preset sweetened tunings so you can quickly unlock these mystical combinations.
There are generic ones for electric guitars, acoustics, 12-string, bass, plus the aforementioned EVH tuning and loads more. You can also download more and program them in certain orders for quick access live by plugging the pedal via USB into a computer.
Many people have been using these tunings for years; some can do it by ear, and others use particular frets on certain strings. What this lets you do, however, is tune quickly and silently when you’re playing live. It’s also a very handy tool to have in the studio.
Sweetener tunings and all the other features are accessible via two pairs of buttons on either side of the pedal. It’s not the easiest thing to navigate around, but it does do quite a lot with a relatively small and neat interface. Also, chances are, you’ll find the parts you need to access and then you’ll be able to do so easily from then on.
Another thing that might take some getting used to is how the footswitch mutes the signal. It’s not like most other tuners which mutes it instantly. You depress the switch and then there’s a very slight, split-second delay. Not a deal-breaker, but worth mentioning.
Conclusion
This is an excellent, compact pedal that helps you tune accurately and quickly. Should you want to play around with sweetened tunings, then this is a must-have piece of gear. However, even if you don’t, the strobe display and accuracy mean you can lock your tuning in better than ever.
Specifications
- Price: £109/$119
- Connections: Input, Output, 9VDC, USB-C
- Power Supply: 9VDC/USB-C
- Power: 86mA
- Bypass: True or buffered
- Features: LCD display with LED backlight, 0.1 cents accuracy, 80+ sweetened tunings, C0 - A#8 note range
- Contact: Peterson Strobe Tuners
