Boss TU-3W Waza Floor Tuner

Compared the standard TU-3 this Waza tuner has a "True bypass" function. With this you can bypass the buffer of the TU-3.

Be aware that in many cases a buffer is a good thing AND the Boss buffers aren't to shabby either. I have not been able to compare it to many other buffers but works like a charm.

I use it with the bypass engaged as I have enough other buffered pedals in my pedal board.

For only a bypass this pedal is actually way to expensive, but it works precisely and looks good in black with blue lights, so whatever! ;)

EDIT: After using this tuner for some time in real life situations (gigs, studio, rehearsals) I've decided to lower my ratings considerably. The green middle LED is so much brighter than the adjacent blue LEDS that it completely overpowers them, It's very difficult to see the innermost blue LEDS when the green LEDS lights up because you are practically blinded by the extremely bright green LED. It's therefore difficult to see if you are in tune or slightly out of tune. This is a VERY flawed design. The regular (much cheaper) non-Waza model with the red LEDS is a lot better. Don't waste your money on this one!

(My original un-edited review follows below):

I got this to replace my old Boss TU-2. I wasn't sure if I should spend this much or get the regular non-Waza TU-3. Curiosity got the better of me so I got the Waza.

It's a very good tuner. It reacts considerably faster than my old TU-2 an it's also slightly more precise. It's not TOO precise though. I used to own a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner which to a lot of guitarist is THE best tuner out there. While it may be the best tuner based on specs it was just TOO precise for me. I mean, who really needs +/- 0.02 cent? Tuning took forever because it was almost impossible to make the lights stop spinning. I ended up selling it. The Boss TU-3W on the other hand is just about perfect. It's precise enough for any practical purposes and you won't waste time trying to pin down that last 0.02 cent.

Boss tuners are often criticized for their buffer coloring the sound. I've never found this to be a problem. Quite the opposite. I find Boss buffers to be much better than their reputation and so is the one in the TU-3W. But if you don't want the buffer in your signal chain the pedal can be set for true bypass too. And to be honest, that's probably the only really significant thing that sets this Waza apart from the regular, much cheaper non-Waza TU-3.

Is true bypass worth all that extra money? I guess that depends on how you set up your pedal board. If you don't really need true bypass you might as well get the much cheaper non-Waza TU-3.

Any cons? Well yeah, just one: The Green center LED is so much brighter than the blue ones that it can sometimes be difficult to see if one of the blue ones right next to it light up (meaning you're not perfectly in tune). This won't be a problem on the non-Waza TU-3 that uses green+red LEDs instead of green+blue. They should have stuck with the red LEDs on the Waza too or made the blue LEDS slightly brighter.

To sum it up: The TU-3W is a somewhat overpriced but very nice tuner pedal.

First I have to say I am a Boss fan and I am slowly collecting all the pedals in the Waza Craft series. So I will not return this pedal but I cannot fully recommend it!

It is a beautiful pedal looks so much better than the standard TU-3 version that at first sight I was in love with it... and for this alone and the Boss quality, it already deserves some stars. So what are my problems with this pedal:
First is the led light schemes. As pointed out by other reviewers it is really difficult to read the tunning when close to perfect. The blue led obscures the green and you might be playing slightly out of tune. You can find an angle to perfect see the tunning but takes time...not ideal in live situations.

Second is the supposedly better buffer which I do not hear any difference from the standard TU-3. Yes you can head the difference between the buffered and true bypass signal but not between the buffered bypass in both versions of the pedal. I actually like the fact it has a true bypass option as i already have a buffer on my board. As a matter of fact, the bonafide buffer in my TC-polytune is better than the Boss buffer in the TU-3w.

Concluding my sincere opinion is the following:
The Boss TU-3w is a very expensive tuner pedal for what it brings up the table. It is not better than the standard TU-3 which costs half of the price (or 3x less in used market) and the only exclusive feature is the true bypass. And ok it looks gorgeous but is also more difficult to tune than the standard TU-3 which brings the question if looks matter that much...