Gibson Robots

Nagash

Nagash

New member
I feel like this will soon appear in the fetish thread but here goes anyway...


Most guitarists out there have gotten used to flaming Gibson for everything they do. You know, the "nowadays, they're not even close to be as good as they were before". Right, might be true, might be wrong.

There's one big innovation they've brought into their guitars, these robo tuning systems. I still prefer to tune the guitars myself, I don't want to say these are good or bad. I was just wondering, is there someone on the forum who actually owns a guitar with the robo thing ? Cause I just wanted to know if in the future, this could be something we should get used to.

There have been many innovations in the guitar world that have been welcomed with "this is crap"-like greetings, and that we see now all the time. So now... do the Gibson Robot systems actually work ? Accurately and long enough ? Or is it the kind of thing that needs 3 months to understand the software, and needs to be repaired/fixed all the time ?

I was just wondering. Share your thoughts please.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

Good question . . . I've been wondering about this since they came out.

The idea is really cool . . . I'd be much more likely to learn open tuning slide stuff if it wasn't such a pain to retune every string when you want to go from that to a regular tuned song.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

GuitarStv said:
Good question . . . I've been wondering about this since they came out.

The idea is really cool . . . I'd be much more likely to learn open tuning slide stuff if it wasn't such a pain to retune every string when you want to go from that to a regular tuned song.
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True, I'm not much of a slider, I have already enough problems like that :laugh2:
 
Re: Gibson Robots

i wish i had more cash on me 2 years ago when i bought my Custom Shop Strat.... the store had reduced some great guitars that day and they had a green Robot Les Paul reduced from $2400 to $999 (Canadian funds).... in hind sight i should of used my credit card...

i loved watching the tuners move all by themselfs...
 
Re: Gibson Robots

Yeah, it's a cute idea, but most guitars are not perfectly intonated and you'll still have to tweak a string or two here and there.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

I can't wait to see them on guitars with floating trems.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

Varg said:
I can't wait to see them on guitars with floating trems.
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It would be a hell of a calculation to keep your trem in the right spot while changing tunings. That would be some sweet engineering . . .
 
Re: Gibson Robots

Every decade has it's timely designs, particularly in hardware. They date a guitar in a negative way usually, and as soon as something better comes along, you're stuck with something dated looking.

That's why timeless guitars are favored by many. In 15 years, you still have something that never goes out of style......similar to a T Shirt and Levis.

In 15 years, half those robot guitars will be malfunctioning dated guitars selling for 25% of what they cost new, while a LP Std. will still be selling at face value.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

GuitarStv said:
It would be a hell of a calculation to keep your trem in the right spot while changing tunings. That would be some sweet engineering . . .
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That's why I can't wait to see them. I wouldn't be able to afford one of course, I'd probably still be paying off my first space shuttle, but it would be interesting to see.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

Gearjoneser said:
Every decade has it's timely designs, particularly in hardware. They date a guitar in a negative way usually, and as soon as something better comes along, you're stuck with something dated looking.

That's why timeless guitars are favored by many. In 15 years, you still have something that never goes out of style......similar to a T Shirt and Levis.

In 15 years, half those robot guitars will be malfunctioning dated guitars selling for 25% of what they cost new, while a LP Std. will still be selling at face value.
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You're so damn right with this.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

I have a few customers that own these and I've had to do some minor work to them. The tuning machines just seem to go out. They are very neat when they are working. The owners are session guitarists and love the on the fly tuning. IMHO the tech isn't quite their just yet.
 
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Re: Gibson Robots

Mattt said:
The man who brought us the Wilkinson tremolo is already working on it. By the way, you should check out his take on the self-tuning idea (tunes at the bridge rather than at the tuners);
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In that case tuners ain't no tuners anymore :D
 
Re: Gibson Robots

Gearjoneser said:
Every decade has it's timely designs, particularly in hardware. They date a guitar in a negative way usually, and as soon as something better comes along, you're stuck with something dated looking.

That's why timeless guitars are favored by many. In 15 years, you still have something that never goes out of style......similar to a T Shirt and Levis.

In 15 years, half those robot guitars will be malfunctioning dated guitars selling for 25% of what they cost new, while a LP Std. will still be selling at face value.
Click to expand...

25%? I doubt it. It is still a Gibson, and the tuners work manually even if the automation gives out.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

That Wilkinson self-tuning makes a ton sense... why NOT tune at the bridge?? so much more logical that using robotic tuners.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

I am surprised they have not taken a modeler and modeled the tone of famous guitars much as the Rev is supposed to do with a eq/processor of some type.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

I don't hate robot guitars. I actually think their ability to change tunings instantly is kind of cool. But I do think they're timely guitars that won't pass the test of time.

From a collector's standpoint, a few of them in perfect working order may pass the test, but it's not good when Gibson starts the price in the 2000's, then two months later they're $999. Gibson robots may have a bit of nostalgia in the future, but they'll be odd collectibles, not classics that sell with no explanation, holding easy face value like the timeless ones.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

IF gibson would build a LPJR D/CUT robot ,I would purch one, it would be cool, & much easier to carry one guitar to gigs, = standard + open E + open G for SLIDE.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

Yeah that's a good point. Since I'm a Floyd user, I need one guitar for each tuning. Having a robot system for floating trems, as mentioned before, would be killer for me.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

The fine-tuners on a Floyd are probably the best invention, sans automation, next to locking tuners. So simple.... and we all know who's idea it was.

I can't wait till they make a guitar that plays itself. Then you can just stand there with a big fan blowing your hair while you make smoochie faces at the girls with way less effort.
 
Re: Gibson Robots

I saw the robot tuners online one night before Gibson started using them. They were created by some guys in Europe somewhere, i just happened to stumble into their website whilst looking for something. They were selling them as kits that would install onto the standard Fender and Gibson style guitars. I didn't take much notice of who they were, but it was interesting.

Next time i saw them was on the Gibson robot guitars, i recognised them straight away. I don't know whether Gibson became total owners of if the original guys still sell them.
 
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