Gibson Robot Guitar

Here's a link to the video: Gibson Robot Guitar

What do you think? Is this the next big thing?

I think this is a good idea....but I think the $700+ premium it adds to the guitar is simply a bit too much to pay for this convenience....I would pay $200 tops. In between songs, it usually only takes me 20 seconds maximum to check & tune my guitar physically. My Line6 variaxes do a pretty good job at alternate tuning at the touch of a button...but the physical "tuning" aspect is pretty mind blowing.

I recently played with one of those "vibration" based tuners that attaches to the headstock, and I'll probably pick one up the neck time I go to Guitar Center. They work really well on both acoustics and electrics. These have been around for a long time, but I recently discovered how useful they are (they don't require "quiet" when tuning a pure acoustic guitar).

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It's a nice idea however ear training is a must for every guitarist. A new guitarist really needs learn to tune by ear.

I agree that we should all learn to tune by ear, but do you think this is targeted at the new guitarist?

I'd take a stab in the dark and say that this is probably more aimed at the gigging guitarist (going on the price), who doesn't have the budget for lots of guitars to have at different tunings, and who can't afford to pay a guitar-tech to tune his alternate guitars on the side of the stage. I imagine it'd be great to be able to hit a button at the end of a song and have the guitar tune itself for me, while I banter with the crowd.

Especially if the next song had a different tuning.

I doubt auto-tuning will become the norm anyway. And yes I'm a traditionalist.

Right now this Robot thing is an early adopter technology....geared at the gigging Guitarist or the gadget geek. Why do you think the colors are so obtuse (metallic blue, purple, and green)? "Look at me, I've got one of the new Gibson Robot Guitars." I think Gibson will eventually make this system a $200-300 option on all its Guitars. Having a self tuning guitar just makes the whole guitar playing experience more fun and accessible with a lot less messing around tuning your instrument. I think the key is to put this system on a more "classic" instruments (like a normal looking Les Paul)....you could put a Floyd Rose on just about any other guitar and the thing will stay in tune for the most part.

Line6 should put this on their Variax and sell it for $1200....Imagine unlimited tones and tunings (real or virtual) from one instrument. Now that's a working musician's instrument.

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I shudder whenever I see the words 'Floyd' and 'Rose' together. Reminds me of a mates ibanez shredder guitar that was all distortion and no soul.

Yes....but they certainly keep the guitar in tune...even after dive bombs!

I've seen them on Les Pauls and Strats....even Teles. I'm not saying I would want one...but in my years, I've had 2 instruments (in the 80s) with Floyd Roses (a Kramer and a Charvel)...and they stayed in tune. My Steinberger Spirit also stays in tune with a similar system. All of the Strats, Les Pauls, and Teles I've owned all go out of tune much more frequently than guitars I've owned with locking systems.

Ironically, certain country style simultaneous 2 & 3 note style blends causes "loose" Floyd Rose and Strat tremolo systems to go out of tune for those notes. Maybe that explains the popularity of Teles in country music?

I'd love a guitar to let me know if it were out of tune while I was playing it...That way I could stop and fix it before something terrible happened....or better yet, if it could tune itself while I was playing it.

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now that would be sweet, rather than feeling the shame of out of tune chords/notes and the frustration at not being able to stop and re-tune.

Retuning in mid-song never slowed or embarassed Rory Gallagher! He'd make an adjustment and keep on jammin'!!!!