Robot kills Strat

[guertzi]

AFAIK it's from a German company.

I think if you just take the system and put it on a guitar that is not worth a fortune, you might take that guitar and use it for songs which call for alternate tunings.

Could be great in live situations and for slide stuff!

I was and still am open to innovations (I was one of the first guys in my area to own a Parker Fly Deluxe which I eventually sold later on)
and I don't really think it's a useless thing to have an automatic tuning system but I don't really see the point in building a guitar around it which costs a fortune!

To me it's more a marketing thing Gibson uses to have their name in the news and I think it is rather sad that they have to use an invention from another company to spice up their design from 1952.

 

[clubsandwedge]

is it just their version of the Fender VG Strat

Right you are, sir!

 

[Jimmyb]

It was reviewed on Radio 4, Front Row last night (UK radio station)

They only demo'd it unplugged. Apparently it will last 200 tunings on one set of batteries.

I still don't get it....

 

[clubsandwedge]

I believe technology will somewhat be the downfall to personality in music.
Not to disrespect any electronic artists, but I would buy a cheap Korean made guitar and it would be good for me even if it went out of tune so many times, because I'd MAKE it my own. I don't want some billionaire thinking up some ideas for me, or to feed the system. FIGHT THA POWA LOL

 

[Astrofreq]

This idea is KILLER!!! You naysayers are only saying that because Gibson thought of it. If EB came up with a guitar that tuned itself, you'd be loving it. This isn't a sound emulating guitar from what I can tell. It's a Gibson, with the tuning factor on it. Brilliant idea. Whether it works is another story.

The live application for this guitar, theoretically, is great for people doing alternate tunings (drop D doesn't count.) I would LOVE to have an acoustic with this feature.

 

[Beth]

Not sure what to think about the guitar, but I love those videos!

 

[Spudmurphy]

Sonny Landreth has been playing a Les Paul for many years with an automatic tuning system built by Transperformance.
The system an alternate tuning from a keypad routed into the front of the guitar.

Sonny was very pleased with it (Quoted from a European Radio broadcast).

In the few years since it's inception, the keypad has given way to the top hat knob .
Already the product is developing and evolving.

Trust me - the machine heads on my 30's Archtop are "agricultural" compared to the modern variety - so thank goodness for progress long may it continue.

Will EB be joining in ?

 

[fbecir]

Hello

The Robot Guitar is new concept. Some new concepts are good, other not ... future will tell us if it brilliant or just a bad idea

I made an album on Gibson guitars with very high resolution pictures :
Gibson Guitars

You have to use the mouse wheel to zoom in and zoom out. There is a page on the Robot Guitar with nice pictures and all the videos (the funny videos but also the "how to tune the Robot Guitar" video).
It is the third page. You have to use the arrow on the right of the page.

Have a nice day

 

[bovinehost]

Great.

Like the market isn't confusing enough, now we'll have people advertising "pre-robot" Gibsons.

 

[Big Poppa]

Radrock...nice cheap shot. Your argument saying that if we made it the forumites is really a low IQ concept.

1. DUH......... Its the Ernie Ball forum. Why dont you start all arguments of with it.....

2. Maybe we have earned more advanced trust by how we treat our customers?

I pity the Garrison Guitar owners. Gibson bought them and announced that they would not honor any of Garrisons warranty issues...they did the same thing when they bought Baldwin Piano.

NOw on point and on topic

R and D is good. It is especially good if it creates a unique and usable product. I applaud the German company and Gibson for having the seeds to try someting different.

Most in the guitar business are singing he blues. Gibson has sold all of the available Robots....Maybe if some of the companies crying would invest in the progression of the guitar then they might be having a better holiday season.

 

[www.lamusic.ca]

I grabbed one - our store only got 10. It's not their version of the VG, because it's not virtual. It's real time, real tension tuning. Nobody is claiming that this advancement will improve tone, but guarantees exact tuning and intonation at all times. Why is everyone looking at this as if it's some massive PR scam?

 

[Big Poppa]

I hear it is neat

 

[roburado]

I think it's a cool idea, but I'd rather see a company spend more money on playability and tone. If it were a company that I associated with playability, consistent quality, great tone, and a reasonable price, I would be more excited.

 

[MacD]

It's cool, but it's not a real guitar if it isn't available left handed.

Fact.

 

[koogie2k]

Innovation is always cool. Technology is always cool. I saw one of these at my local GC....looked at it, but that was all. I am not a Gibby fan because I don't like the feel of the neck...but anyway....my only question. If it keeps things in tune constantly (I could be wrong)...what happens when you bend a string and say, it is not exactly to pitch. Will it automatically start tuning in the middle of the song/solo? Or can you shut this tuning ability off. Again, I didn't even pick the thing up....just curious if anyone knows. Thanks.

 

[www.lamusic.ca]

It doesn't tune unless it's in tuning mode. Bending strings while the tuning mode is on will confuse it.

 

[koogie2k]

It doesn't tune unless it's in tuning mode. Bending strings while the tuning mode is on will confuse it.

OK...cool. I figured it would "confuse" the thing....just wasn't sure.

 

[candid_x]

I have mixed feelings on this sort of "advancement". On one hand it moves yet further from the purely imperfect human element, but on the other hand I have no objection to tuning using a Korg or Boss tuner: a huge advancement from the old tuning fork days.

I guess it's a cool thing to have available for those it suits. So long as good old manual hand crankers are still available for us cave dwellers with ears.

 

[tommyindelaware]

r & d cost had to be staggering !!!!!!

 

[Astrofreq]

but on the other hand I have no objection to tuning using a Korg or Boss tuner: a huge advancement from the old tuning fork days.

This seems like an even further advancement. I know this seems novelty to some and that's okay, but for me, it comes down to live application. If I can change from standard to some odd tuning by just turning a knob, that's valuable to me. In fact, that would probably inspire me to write more stuff in alternate tunings if I knew I wouldn't be taking up much time at shows. (not that I have a band right now, but I still like to live in a dream world sometimes.)

BP, didn't mean to offend. I love your company, so I wasn't trying to make a cheap shot by any means. Sorry if I did. Really.