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Switched Reviews the Gibson Robot Guitar
On December 7, guitar enthusiasts around the nation will be able to get their callused hands on the Gibson Robot Guitar, a first-of-its-kind, self-tuning instrument packed with a computer and motorized tuners. This special edition Les Paul will initially only be available in limited quantities -- 10 guitars for each of 400 retailers across the nation.
What it does: The Robot Guitar has a built-in tuner, a CPU, and motorized tuners that turn to increase or decrease the pitch of each string individually until the whole guitar is in tune. The on board computer is also used to switch from standard tuning (EADGBe) to a host of alternate tunings and even set intonation.
What we like: The preset alternate tunings such as DADGAD and Open D (DADF#AD) are great for the forgetful and impatient. The Robot Guitar switches to alternate tunings much quicker than a person could, and the user can even change the presets for custom tunings, in case your playing style is less Son House and more Sonic Youth. And the intonation mode is a real cash saver. The computer guides you through adjusting the string saddles until you have perfect intonation, which guarantees pitch-perfect playing along the entire neck of the guitar. (With standard guitars, this adjustment is performed by a professional in a repair shop, which means parting ways with your instrument for a period of time and coughing up about $50 for the service.)
Then there is the paint job, a gorgeous coat of super glossy "silver burst" that goes from a subtle silver in the center to a beautiful, bright blue around the edges. This particular color was designed specifically for the Robot Guitar and is sadly not available on any other instrument from Gibson, but we hope this changes soon. Most importantly, this ax maintains that classic Les Paul tone -- thick, buttery, and smooth. In fact, it sounds so good, it almost feels like cheating. Even a novice can sound like Jimmy Page with a Les Paul strapped on.
What we don't: There isn't much to dislike about this thing. The tuner occasionally had trouble picking out the last string or two when tuning, which slowed down the process, and if the guitar is just slightly out of tune, it's actually faster to adjust by hand in most cases. Our biggest worry with the device is the construction. The guitar feels solid enough, but pulling out and pushing back the tuning knobs for manual adjustment made us a little nervous. Repairing the guitar is also bound to be an expensive proposition should the tuner, computer, or motors fail. You won't be able to take this to your local music shop for repairs.
Does it live up to the hype: Surprisingly enough, yes. When we first heard about it we were skeptical -- a guitar that tunes itself comes off as a bit of an unnecessary novelty, but Gibson's newest innovation proved its usefulness to us. Not to mention that playing 'War Pigs' on any Les Paul is a wonderfully satisfying experience.
Price and where to get it: $2,499 at select Gibson retailers across the nation. You can find the nearest one here.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
The Phantom of Rock said 2:33PM on 2-02-2008
Hello all,
The Phantom Of Rock, here....
I've invented my own "Secret-Recipe" guitar tunings throughout the years, and I mean to tell ya,they are some "Left-Field" tuning that no Guitarists would be able to even figure out unless I told them my secret tunings!
No Wonder I'm Crazy!
I'm curious if this Robo Guitar could even handle it!?
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millard said 7:36PM on 1-28-2009
You would need to have far more money than gray matter to even consider this nightmare of a technological sandbox.
It is a multitude of failures just waiting to happen.
I wish I knew how this concept was ever approved at Gibson...or better yet, what kind of drugs were consumed prior to this approval ?
The best play is to get one and keep it for it's ultimate value as a freakish mistake. Who knows ?
As far as using it live for alternately tuned songs.....see how long your strings last going back and forth between tunings...hell, you could pay a guitar tech with the money you'd spend.
Buy two Mexican strats, tune one drop d, DADGAD the other, play your regular one otherwise, and spend the remaining $1,400.00 on a good electronic tuner and fast women.
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L said 1:39PM on 12-07-2007
Ok, so you go and spend $2,500.00 on a guitar - and you can't tune the thing yourself?? Yes, I know, you have the OPTION of tuning it yourself here, but if you spend that much on an instrument, you should "know" your instrument well enough that tuning it is a SNAP!
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Hugh Charles said 6:13PM on 12-06-2007
the technology of auto tuning will be available for any guitar shortly by the sams german manufacturer
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Greg said 4:13PM on 12-09-2007
Ok - I've tried one in a rehearsal with my band.
I play well and do know how to tune my guitar. I still found this to be a really useful/practical instrument for the gigging professional.
It worked as promised. I bent all sorts o' notes, and then talked while it was tuning itself back up so I didn't have to take even a second doing that. Going from DADGAD to standard and back was without thinking. No losing a beat. I've generally shied away from composing songs with retuning in the middle because of the easy chance to not get things right on pitch during a song. With this toy, I'd be more inclined to do that.
Also I compared it against a Fender VG strat (built in synth to change tunings). I liked the Robot better. The Fender changed tunings faster but the tracking wasn't perfect and sounded synthesized. Plus at soft volumes I could hear that the pitch from my guitar was different than what was coming from my amp. With the Robot it was pure Les Paul...
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Robert Stoner said 10:26AM on 1-01-2008
I purchased a robot guitar and the B-string tuner was DOA. I sent it back to Gibson 2 weeks ago and have not heard a word from them, even after phone calls and e-mail messages. I don't know if or when I will get it back. I don't know if anyone else has had this problem.
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Robert Stoner said 10:35AM on 1-01-2008
I purchased a robot guitar and the B-string tuner was DOA. I sent it back to Gibson 2 weeks ago and have not heard a word from them, even after phone calls and e-mail messages. I don't know if or when I will get it back. I don't know if anyone else has had this problem.
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Matt D said 10:01AM on 1-04-2008
Rob,
I had that problem plus a few others. I sent the guitar back 12/26/07. Their custom service is nothing to write home about. My robot broke 3 strings while attempting to tune. Plus the B string problem and the A string tuner moved at 1/4 the speed as the others. The tuners wouldnt stay locked in place...What a headache. At this point I would take my $$ back and hopefully a new EVH guitar will be out soon!
Matt D
NYC
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Justin S said 9:31AM on 1-28-2008
I bought one of these guitars and have nothing but good things to say about it. Mine didn't have the B string problems mentioned above. I did contact Gibson customer support with a few technical questions and they were really quick and helpful.
Sorry to read about some other people's less than ideal experiences.
This is my first Les Paul and I think aside from the technology, this is a great and well built guitar. It's not just easy to play...it's enjoyable! The tone is excellent, the set-up immaculate.
As for the technology, that has been working a treat. I've found it especially useful when recording as I can get 100% perfect tuning much faster than I would normally. Which means I can concentrate on playing and recording, instead of tuning between takes. That alone is worth the price of this expensive guitar.
Of course I can already tune a guitar. But, even with a sophisticated tuner and near perfect pitch, it would still take me a while to get it absolutely spot-on.
I have a relatively heavy playing style, but prefer lighter gauge strings, which means my guitars tend to go out of tune each take.
My guess is that we'll see this technology rolled-out and it will become very widespread in the next few years.
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rich said 10:02AM on 1-17-2008
I will be receiving my Robot tomorrow.
Completly aside from me having the capability to tune the guitar myself, I play in a band. We play numerous songs in numerous recorded tunings.
Pro's get numerous guitars that are maintained by a tech to any tuning they need. Even if I had 10 guitars (which i do by the way), it is not practical to take that many to a club and it would be a huge pain to maintain.
There are only a few options to play the songs:
1. Rig it by playing the chords in a different position in your current tuning or maybe drop D.
2. Bring and maintain multiple guitars
3. Take 3-4 minutes between songs to re-tune, but feel good because you played the song right;)
4. Buy a ROBOT and still feel good because you played the song right!
-rich
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