Robot Guitar

[Thunderitter]

Don't know how many folks may have seen the latest guitar out of Gibson: The Robot Guitar. It is currently appearing as a banner ad on TB.

It would seem to be a Les Paul with some fancy electronics and a cool LED control knob - I may be doing it an injustice there - the tuning options look quite neat.

Anyway is it just me or is that one terrible name? Robot Guitar makes it sound so 50s. Well then again I suppose the Les Paul is, so maybe have Gibson has a point there.

Don't get me wrong I'm a big Gibson fan but I think they could have done better with the name.

What's next - the Robot Bass?

[TrevorOfDoom]

if we're lucky

[Buskman]

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

What's next - the Robot Bass?

From the makers of the bass with another of the worst names going (the "SG Bass")?

Count on it...

[Mark Wilson]

[quote=Thunderitter;4966369]
It would seem to be a Les Paul with some fancy electronics and a cool LED control knob - I may be doing it an injustice there - the tuning options look quite neat but didn't Line 6 get there first?/QUOTE]

I think you're misunderstanding, Thunderritter.

The whole deal with the robot guitar is that is ACTUALLY tunes it for you

[spade2you]

Originally Posted by Buskman

From the makers of the bass with another of the worst names going (the "SG Bass")?

Count on it...

You mean an unbalanced bass that tunes itself?! Sign me up.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

[quote=Mark Wilson;4966389]

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

It would seem to be a Les Paul with some fancy electronics and a cool LED control knob - I may be doing it an injustice there - the tuning options look quite neat but didn't Line 6 get there first?/QUOTE]

I think you're misunderstanding, Thunderritter.

The whole deal with the robot guitar is that is ACTUALLY tunes it for you

Yup, i think the OP missed the point of the robot guitar.

It can automatically tune your strings for, it can tell you how many half turns you need to give the bridge screws to get the intonation set on each string.

And the dial can be turned to automatically alter the tuning for you.

Line 6 aint got nothing on it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WetVXbYRfWk

(There is also already a thread on it in the off topic section somewhere)

[Thunderitter]

[quote=Mark Wilson;4966389]

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

It would seem to be a Les Paul with some fancy electronics and a cool LED control knob - I may be doing it an injustice there - the tuning options look quite neat but didn't Line 6 get there first?/QUOTE]

I think you're misunderstanding, Thunderritter.

The whole deal with the robot guitar is that is ACTUALLY tunes it for you

No I get that the self-tuning bit. Call me a ludite I just don't see the point in that; granted it makes it easy for those that have trouble with tuning - The open/alternate tuning option is nice however the real point of my post was is it just me that thinks the name Robot Guitar is lame?

[Thunderitter]

I've changed my original post and taken out the Line 6 comparison. Don't want to confuse the post - my issue is the name not the function!

Any suggestions as to what it might have been called?

How about 'eLP!

[Panda Licker]

I'm with you Ritter

We're all guilty of using Electronic tuners, which as far as I'm concerned makes it a lot harder to develope your ear (Though, like I said, we're ALL guilty. I own two.)

As for alternate tunings, its either lazy or completely useless. Lazy in terms of if you're going to switch to drop D, how hard is it to tune one string to perfect D if you know for a fact that the rest are already in tune. How long can that possibly take? 15 seconds? Certainly less time than one can spent having another member of the band introduce the next tune

And useless because if you're playing slide in open G, it makes much more sense to just have another guitar already tuned correctly, considering how differetly most players feel the guitar needs to be set up to play slide compared to playing normally. And if you can afford to pay the extra costs to buy a 'robot' guitar, couldn't you just as easily afford a midpriced second guitar?

[lpdeluxe]

The "Wretched Excess."

"What we're selling now that every teenager in the world owns a flame-top Les Paul."

"Only a Gibson is complicated enough."

"Couch Potato."

"I don't need no stinkin' musical ability."

[Racermech]

How lazy does one have to be to pay extra for a guitar/bass to tune itself?

I may be able to give guitarists a bit more slack because the smaller strings seem to go out of tune a lot more, but on my basses, after a set of strings has worn in a little bit, it is never more than a half a turn to get them all in tune.

A bunch of motors and a computer on the headstock seems like a bad idea to keep things balanced too. Especially if you were talking about a longer neck'd bass with a lighter body. A fat solid mahogany Les Paul might be able to handle the stuff on the headstock without diving like kids into a pool.

[BartmanPDX]

Next up: Robot Guitar Hero.

Not only do you not have to tune it, but you don't even have to know how to play a guitar to get one and look like a total wanker.

[Happynoj]

I think it is a cool idea and it is very cleverly done, but it is also a bit pointless. I wouldn't get one.

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by Panda Licker

And useless because if you're playing slide in open G, it makes much more sense to just have another guitar already tuned correctly, considering how differetly most players feel the guitar needs to be set up to play slide compared to playing normally. And if you can afford to pay the extra costs to buy a 'robot' guitar, couldn't you just as easily afford a midpriced second guitar?

Sonny Landreth (Cajun slide guitarist extraordinaire) uses a similar device that has the servos in the body of the guitar, and it works very well for him. He uses a lot of different tunings, and he used to tour with a rack of guitars all tuned differently and his tech would swap them for him and tweak them all night. Now he just has the one servoed guitar and a backup in case he breaks a string. It changes tunings in about 5 seconds.

[lpdeluxe]

My real objection is that, in the real world, a guitard with a Robot Gibson will sooner or later find himself on stage with a guy playing a Wankocaster with .007s who tuned it with a $9.95 guitar tuner he got for Christmas when he was 10...playing through a Marshall stack turned up to 11.

[CrazyArcher]

I know why they did it: because Gibson guitars go out of tune in something like 15 minutes...

[Thunderitter]

Originally Posted by CrazyArcher

I know why they did it: because Gibson guitars go out of tune in something like 15 minutes...

Can't argue with that! Maybe that's why, with all the tuning practice I don't need a Robot to do it for me!

I had previously read (Wired Magazine I think) about a far more 'revolutionary' guitar that was on the boards in Nashville - midi/computer interface, etc. Anyone know what has happened to that?

[Spector_Ray]

Thunderitter, where have you been?


Gibson 'Robot' self tuning guitar!? Take a look.

robot guitar

Gibson to release Self-tuning Guitar

Now where's the thread about the fretted/fretless bass?

[Thunderitter]

Originally Posted by Spector_Ray

Thunderitter, where have you been?

Ok, I admit I'm guilty of not travelling down the forums unless my posts get moved there!!

I thought suggesting Gibson make a 'Robot Bass' might keep it in the bass forum, once again the Mods have got me!

[ihateusernames]

sorry, i think it's a cool idea. love the finish on it. the novelty might wear off quickly though.