Gibson Robot Guitar
My how the Gibson Robot Guitar is changing things…
Let’s face it: tuning sucks.
It sucks onstage because every second counts, and as a performer you are emotionally responsible for the audience.
It sucks in the studio because so many things are set up perfectly (mics, multitrack, settings, etc.) and an out-of-tune take sours everything. It’s also tough to tune *exactly* in the studio, but you have to.
While we’re a it, intonating sucks too. It takes a lot of skill and a lot of time that has nothing to do with actually playing the guiitar.
Gibson saw an opportunity here and recently released the Robot Guitar.
The robot guitar does two things: it tunes the guitar automatically, and it intonates the guitar with very little effort.
While this is by no means a “necessity,” it’s pretty freakin’ cool. A lot of players have reported that once you get used to being to in tune all the time, you can’t go back.
That’s kind of a double-edge sword for me, because that would mean all the awesome guitars you have would suddenly seem second rate… not sure how I feel about that.
How it Works
This guitar has a little computer in the headstock, motors in the tuning keys, and a piezo pickup for each string under the saddle… talk about a Frankenstein. Everything coordinates with the “brain” to tune an intonate the guitar with the touch of a few buttons.
MyGuitarGuide’s Prime Players of the Gibson Robot Guitar:
1. Steve Vai
2. Billy Corgan
3. Uli Jon Roth
Gibson’s Video of the Robot Guitar
Playing the Gibson Robot Guitar
You can get the robot guitar in the Les Paul Studio, SG, Explorer, and Flying V body styles. They all play pretty much the same as you’d expect each guitar to sound. All the magic happens inside, so as far as tone and playability go you can just see our other reviews.
What Gibson won’t tell you is that the motorized tuning keys on the Robot Guitar are far less accurate than typical Gibson tuners. This is no problem if the Robot is doing it’s thing, but if you have to tune manually it’s not the same as a regular Gibson.
You can pick one of these bad boys up for between 1 and 3 thousand new, and less on eBay or other auction sites.
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