We all remember the first time we
strapped on a guitar and strummed
what we thought would be the chord that
would lead us to fame and fortune. If you
were like me, it probably didn’t sound that
great due to both nonexistent technique
and not understanding what “playing in
tune” meant. Looking back, I spent quite a
few hours bashing away on my blue-green
Ibanez before truly understanding how I
should be using those shiny tuning pegs
on the headstock. Of course, since then I
embraced sonority and became a stickler for
playing (and staying) in tune.
At this past NAMM show, HardWire
introduced the HT-6 Polyphonic Tuner.
The basic idea behind a polyphonic tuner is
that it enables you to strum all your guitar’s
strings at once and tune the ones that need
it without pushing any buttons. The HT-6’s
rugged casing seems capable of standing up
to the roughest gig conditions, but despite
its workhorse exterior, it also has a few bells
and whistles inside.
Bright Lights, Big Display
Like most pedals, the HT-6 can run either
on a 9-volt battery or with an optional
AC power supply. And as with many of
the more competitive pedal tuners on the
market, the HT-6 can provide up to 1000
mA of power to other pedals in your signal
path. Two thoughtful inclusions for players
who gig a lot are the glow-in-the-dark
sticker for the footswitch and the hook-and-loop pad for easily adding the HT-6 to
your pedalboard. You can tell the engineers
at HardWire took a lot of time to think
about the design of the HT-6’s display. As
soon as you fire it up, you’re greeted with a
cavalcade of LEDs bright enough to catch
your eye on most stages—and I was able to
read it better in sunlight than other LED-equipped
tuners I’ve used.
HardWire’s designers also clearly took
time to make the display more intuitive
than other tuners by using a vertical readout.
Similar to what you’d find in tablature,
standard tuning (E–A–D–G–B–E) is
displayed bottom to top. Besides featuring
multiple tunings for guitar, the HT-6 also
works with 4-, 5-, or 6-string basses (with
B–E–A–D–G–C being the default tuning
for the latter). Below the string grid, an
LED display shows the note being played.
The string grid can be operated in two
modes, which are easily selected with the
small Mode button to the right of the note
readout. In Standard mode, the LEDs function
like a typical tuner—with the string
being in tune when the lights move to the
center of the display. There’s also a Strobe
mode for players who prefer that type of
readout. On the other side of the note readout,
a Tuning button accesses five preset
tunings: Guitar Standard, Guitar Drop-D,
4-String Bass, 5-String Bass, and 6-String
Bass. To help you keep track of when you’re
in Guitar Drop-D mode, an LED next to
the Custom label lights. A USB port on
the front panel facilitates quick and easy
firmware updates, presumably for future
software versions that may facilitate use of
custom tunings.
G-String Gyrations
To put the HT-6 through its paces, I randomly
turned my tuning pegs, plugged
in, and strummed all the strings. I was
really impressed with how well the HT-6
tracked—all six rows lit up and it immediately
told me my third string needed
tweaking. When I plucked the G string
alone, the HT-6 moved instantly to single-note
mode—which was convenient because
it allowed me to tune without distraction
from the other lights.
Another great feature is the Fret Offset
mode, which helps when you’re using a
capo or are tuned down up to three whole
steps from standard tuning. To access
this handy mode, simply hold down the
footswitch and the Tuning and Mode buttons
become + and – increment buttons,
respectively, allowing you to adjust the
offset in half-step increments up to three
whole steps below (-6) or three whole steps
above (+6) standard tuning. This changes
the baseline for the polyphonic setting
while still retaining the true pitch of the
note being displayed. If your guitar is relatively
in tune and you’re using a capo, you
can set Fret Offset automatically by simply
holding down the footswitch and strumming
the open strings. It will quickly detect
where the capo is and adjust accordingly.
The Verdict
For some, a tuner is just a tuner, but the
HT-6 is a great all-around addition to any
gigging guitarist’s or bassist’s pedalboard.
Although it’s a bit disappointing that
the HT-6 doesn’t enable you to program
custom tunings, its exceptionally accurate
response, ease of use, and smart, practical
extras—like Fret Offset mode—make it a
front-runner if you’re in the market for a
pedal tuner.
Watch the video review:
Buy if...
you need a rugged, versatile,
easy-to-read polyphonic tuner.
Skip if...
you’re holding out for a
polyphonic tuner with
custom tuning capabilities.
Rating...
