Gibson Robot Guitar

[wwwdotcomdotnet]

http://www.gibson.com/robotguitar/?gclid=C...CFR1AgQodoBVEpQ

It can tune itself into different present tunings

Thoughts?

[wwwdotcomdotnet]

Its probably going to be super expensive. I am however impressed that the tuners are actually lighter than a standard tuner that you would find on a typical Les Paul.

Edited November 29, 2007 by wwwdotcomdotnet

[mastertone007]

awesome idea. Wait for ome chinese company to rip it of and make a cheap version.

[zyonsdream]

doubt it's very accurate but that's a pretty killer paint job, blue to siver burst!

[GregP]

There's no reason for it to not be accurate. All the technology's in place:

- Hex pickups are sensitive enough

- Pitch recognition technology is old to begin with, but it's certainly top-notch now

- The motors are capable of very fine movements

The only "unknown" is if the designers were smart enough to detune before tuning up to pitch.

We had a thread when it was only the tuners-- the "Robot" guitar adds 'help' for intonating accurately. Since intonating just requires pitch comparison and in this case, human intervention, there's no reason for that to not be accurate, either.

Greg

[Jon]

But can it fire laser beams?

[weaponepsilon]

I betcha they expect you to play the stupid thing. All that technology and it cant even play itself!

[WezV]

here is a link to the company that does the 'robot' parts

http://www.tronical.com/

Tuner layout is obviously going to be a limiting factor for people like us but they do do drop in parts for strats and LP's, the start stuff is £500 in the UK

Apparently it works well, does just what it says on the tin -although apparently slightly slower than stated, depending on other conditions really.

[jmrentis]

I'm curious as to Gregs question and whether it drops some slack(exaggeration) in the string prior to tuning. I will watch the movie when I get a chance to see if it mentions this at all. Otherwise there might be some issues. According the info, it sounds fairly impressive, but for some strange reason there are some things like I short cuts for and some I don't and for this I don't know that I would. This would be like driving an automatic for me, I just prefer the control of stick. J

[westhemann]

If we learned anything from "I,Robot"(the movie,not the Heinlin book)It is that robots can never be trusted...so unless you want to be killed by your own guitar,leave that abomination on the shelf.

Besides...what if you were walking through your guitar room naked,accidentally tripped and fell across your guitar,tangling your "sack" in the strings just as you hit the "tune to G" button by accident?

It could happen.

[WezV]

well thats good enough for me - i wont be using it anytime soon

[Daniel Sorbera]

So when did guitarists get so lazy that we cant tune our own guitars? Whats this world coming to....

[GregP]

Do pianists tune their own piano? Are mechanics lazy for using automated diagnostics? Are programmers lazy for running automated test cases instead of always clicking every single button of their program? There's a time and a place for automation, and if it were cheaper, this is one of them. Very very few of us would leave it off our guitar if it cost the same as standard tuners and worked properly and without fuss.

I know it's on a whole different scale, but tuning your own instrument or not doesn't really say anything about you as a guitarist. For cheaper than 500 quid, I'd definitely let my guitar tune itself! When I tune my guitar for recording, I want it done right, which means breaking out a tuner or virtual tuner anyhow... might as well let the robot do it.

Wes inadvertently raises an interesting point, though...

Imagine knocking your guitar over or into something and you smack those tuners? That's gotta be an expensive repair. !

[Daniel Sorbera]

ummmm yeah. That was a joke.

[Xanthus]

I hope it doesn't automatically start to correct your tuning if you're in the middle of playing a lot of sustained Gilmour-esque bends... What an awkward sound!

[Jon]

..laser beams?

[westhemann]

It takes alot longer to tune a piano vs a guitar...so that analogy kind of sucks.Really,all of those analogies don't apply.On stage though,it would be Da Bomb.

At the house,tune your own stuff.I get so frustrated by people that would rather try to learn to play before learning to tune....Honestly,that was the first thing I learned...

You would be surprised how many people want me to set up and tune their guitars...especially floyd equipped guitars,and when I try to teach them,they "tune out"...and two weeks later they are back again.Then I start to get pissy.

[GregP]

It takes alot longer to tune a piano vs a guitar...so that analogy kind of sucks.Really,all of those analogies don't apply.

Of course they do. You don't really understand analogies! And, you're presenting a straw man to knock down (I actually agree about the on-stage thing, so it's obviously a separate point; hence, a straw man) and using rhetoric ("it sucks", they "don't apply" without actually presenting a counterargument).

If you want me to school you in why your whole reply (except for the new on-stage point) was useless and lacking in logic, I will...

But since Godin already stated it was a joke in the first place, it seems... silly... to take your weird little bait again. Have a great day, Wes! Hope you don't get a tired forehead from glowering at people. LOL

Greg

[zyonsdream]

I hope it doesn't automatically start to correct your tuning if you're in the middle of playing a lot of sustained Gilmour-esque bends... What an awkward sound!

Why? That could really be an interesting solo and I’m sure someone like “The Edge” or Tom Morello would be happy to employ something like that into their bag of gimmicks

[westhemann]

But since Godin already stated it was a joke in the first place, it seems... silly... to take your weird little bait again. Have a great day, Wes! Hope you don't get a tired forehead from glowering at people. LOL

I am not baiting you...I just have a cold,so my vocabulary is not so un-sucky at the moment...

You might be surprised to know I smile 99% of the time as well.But it is true the analogies don't apply.Everything you mentioned as an analogy is a complicated task,whereas(?) tuning a guitar is much simpler.Hence "those analogies suck."

But go ahead if you want to use it,just don't come crying to me when your sack is all entangled,because I will just say I told you so.

[GregP]

Nah. The analogies are fine. Glad to hear you smile more than it seems, though. And in that context, I'll dignify your response--

What you're doing is simply setting up a straw man. You're interpreting the analogy in a specific way so that you can tear it down. That's classic straw man. Tsk tsk. One of the fundamentals of identifying logical fallacy. In an ideal world, I could just say "straw man!" and you would say, "Whoops, yeah... you might be right. Guilty as charged!" But since it's not an ideal world, I'll have to elaborate and use more words... so that you can then claim I'm boring and talk too much. <chuckle>

My analogies were, quite simply: there are times when automatiion can be appropriate, and NOT in fact symptomatic of laziness as per Godin's joking charge. To return to one of my analogies: a mechanic should ALSO know how to diagnose a problem with a car without just plugging it into some hoses and a computer. That's part of what makes that person a mechanic... the skill to do it manually. I agree that in the same way, a guitarist should know how to tune their own guitar. But with that knowledge under their belt, automating that otherwise routine process isn't laziness, it's efficiency. The only counter-argument remaining is that it's currently hella expensive for what it does... which I agree with. But it's almost a moot point-- a beginning guitarist isn't likely to be able to afford a Gibson "Robot Guitar" and shortcut around tuning their axe, anyhow.

Bottom line: the analogy is perfect...for those who aren't looking to set up a straw man to knock down.

Only one person was making the analogy seem complicated (! are we reading the same analogies?), and it wasn't me.

[Thoughtless 7]

I'm not a fan of these hi-tech gadgets. I'm a very old school person and get a slight satisfaction out of tuning my own guitar. Though i can see why it will appeal to other people.

[westhemann]

Bottom line: the analogy is perfect...for those who aren't looking to set up a straw man to knock down.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree,because I think your "analogies" are less than brilliant...sophmoric is a better term.

I think Gibson would do better to spend more time offering guitars with better pickup selections,and better hardware...the electronics and hardware on a Gibson is saadly outdated,and I think this is nothing more than a gimmick.

Oh ,Greg...one more thing.While you are looking up terms in the dictionary,swing by the "P" section and look up the word "poser" or the alternative spelling "poseur"...I think you will find it enlightening.It is a term we used to use in the 80s to describe a certain personality style...all about talking instead of doing...you know,stuff like that.

Maybe it will inspire you to crap or get off the pot.

here...found it for you.

poser

n. A wannabee; not hacker slang, but used among crackers, phreaks and warez d00dz. Not as negative as lamer or leech. Probably derives from a similar usage among punk-rockers and metalheads, putting down those who "talk the talk but don't walk the walk".

Funny thing about that definition...it says computer geeks are the main users of it now...I find that ironic,since Metalheads and Punks were the original coiners of the term...so it seems as if the main users of the term now are in fact posers themselves...life is amusing.

Only one person was making the analogy seem complicated

I wish you would improve your reading comprehension.I said the "tasks" you used as analogies were complicated,not the analogy itself...(rolling my eyes)

[GregP]

Oh boy, Wes...

You sure have some problems, though I'm sure you'll respond by saying that no, you're just good-natured and having fun.

That was some pretty misinformed and (in attempt, at least, if not in actuality) mean-spirited stuff. Shame on you.

I'd be happy to provide counter-arguments for each of your weak points, and expose your poor rhetoric for what it is, but someone in another thread suggested we take that kind of stuff to PM. To be honest, I'm not that interested in doing so, and I suspect that for you it's only "fun" if you think you get to look "tough" in the public eye... insecure little narcissist that you are... but if it's really the debate and exploration of logic that interests you (rather than schoolyard bullying attempts), I'd be happy to respond privately.

In truth, though, I spot ONLY ad-hominems, multiple red herrings, another straw man, and the weakest and most transparent of rhetoric. I see no substance. It would be extremely easy to contradict and provide counter-arguments for each and every one of your points. Without saying this in a mean way, and purely neutrally, you're one of the worst logicians I've ever seen. You don't even recognize your own logical fallacies, which makes the entire exercise exhausting and pointless. If all you can do is waggle your finger and try to deflect/misdirect, there's not much of a debate, now, is there?

For public record, though, I haven't once "posed" on this forum. I always represent my level of skill, and only speak in those terms. I won't say "Poplar gets fuzzy when you sand it," but I might say, "I hear that poplar gets fuzzy when you sand it... perhaps someone can confirm?" I talk about things I learned during my partial build and my lap-steel build, along with my rewiring, upgrading, and shielding. I've made the same templates, truss rod routs, etc., that other people have, but I don't ever claim to have completed a solidbody build from start to finish, and have even been known to take pains to make it extremely clear that this is the case, especially to newcomers. I can find several examples of when I've represented myself accurately and clearly, but YOU won't find any examples of where I've "posed."

That's just your rhetoric again, after all, and it's shameful of you to even try to use that one. I HAVE worked relatively extensively on electronics, and I've put as many principles of building into play as I could during my (full and complete) lap steel build. My guitar's progress is halted due to my current situation, and even if I HAD access to a shop, I won't say that it would be done. It'll get done when it gets done, and I'm fine if that's "never." I'm still not "posing". With me, you get exactly what you see.

And unfortunately, with you, the same holds true. We get exactly what we see, which is a schoolyard bully with overinflated self-importance, full of pettiness and bitterness only thinly disguised under a "jokey" persona that I for one don't buy into anymore.

Check your head.

[avengers63]

Uh, guys....

I think it's time to step back and take a breath? Might I suggest that y'all agree to disagree and drop it before it turns really nasty?

Just walk away and leave it alone.