Guitar Tuner Gibson

The Min-ETune system is described by Gibson as a compact robot tuning system that allows guitarists to spend more time actually playing, and less time worrying about staying in tune

Each TronicalTune kit comes with everything needed to install the robot tuner on your guitar, including six robo-heads, a contacting PCB and control interface, battery and charger

When the heads have tightened or relaxed the tension to bring all six strings to pitch, all of the indicator LEDs will glow green

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Where so-called robot tuning was once the exclusive domain of Gibson's higher end models like the gorgeous Firebird X, the introduction of its Min-ETune system at this year's Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany sees the iconic guitar maker widening the field a little. The folks behind the technology were also at the trade fair, showing off a retrofit auto tuning system called TronicalTune. Essentially the same as Gibson's new mechanical tuner, the Tronical kit comes in a number of different configurations to cater for do-it-yourself installation on various guitar makes and models.

The Min-ETune system is described by Gibson as a compact robot tuning system that allows guitarists to spend more time actually playing, and less time worrying about staying in tune. From the front, the 11 Les Paul and SG models selected to receive the technology just look like their non-robotic cousins. The little black box and robot tuners are hidden out of sight behind the back of the headstock.

If you worry that digital systems like Auto-Tune for Guitar from Antares might mess with your instrument's beloved tone, you'll be relieved to discover that Min-ETune adjustments are all gloriously mechanical. Guitarists can choose from the 12 preset (or six user-programmable) tunings using the unit's 4-way selector.

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To tune the guitar, a player just needs to power on the unit and strum the strings. A few seconds later, the heads will have tightened or relaxed the tension to bring all six strings to pitch, at which point all of the indicator LEDs will glow green. Since the system senses string tension, background noise doesn't affect system accuracy (which is quoted as being within two cents).

Gibson says that you should be able to get 80 to 100 tunings per charge from the included battery, and manual tuning is also possible – should you need to adjust your pitch to accommodate your old, out of tune, upright piano.

The bad news, though, is that if you want Min-ETune robotic heads to handle your tuning, you'll need to shell out for a brand new guitar. Pricing varies according to choice, but suffice to say that they don't occupy the budget end of the instrument market.

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For those of us who already have perfectly decent guitars, but would still like to take advantage of automatic tuning, there is hope. Chris Adams of Tronical, the man behind Gibson's automatic tuning technology, has released an install-it-yourself flavor called TronicalTune that can be fitted to Gibson, Fender, Charvel, Yamaha and Ibanez electrics, as well as Taylor acoustics.

Like the Min-ETune system, the Tronical version features 12 factory presets and space for six user tunings. Players can tune multiple strings in about five seconds, or concentrate on one string at a time. There's a reference tuning mode and a string up and down mode for restringing, though fans of heavy gauge strings should note that Tronical recommends not to go over 0.013 to 0.056 sets. Its 3.7 V lithium battery pack is claimed good for up to 300 tunings per charge.

TronicalTune is currently available in 12 configurations, five of which are dedicated to Gibson models like the Les Paul, SG and Flying V, while Fender's Strats and Telecasters are also well represented. Each kit comes with everything needed to install the robot tuner on your guitar, including six robo-heads, a contacting PCB and control interface, battery and charger. It retails at US$349, but it's currently listed at $299 on Tronical's online store.

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While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before hopping over to France for 10 years, where he started work for New Atlas in 2009. Now back in his native Blighty, he serves as Managing Editor in Europe.It wasn’t until this year, however, that Gibson, the brand behind the iconic Les Paul, started making automatic tuners a standard feature on most of its electric guitars.

With the press of a button, tiny motors twist the tuning pegs and within seconds, the guitar is ready to play. The tuner is a small black box tucked out-of-sight on the back of the headstock

“You know, people see it and they’re kind of taken aback at first, ” says Craig Anderton, a long time musician-turned-executive vice president for Gibson. 

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“I pushed the button and I strummed the strings and I watched it and he goes ‘I can die now. I think I’m in heaven.'”

Says while there’s a common perception that a self-tuning guitar is only meant for beginners, he notes that it can save valuable time for even experienced musicians – whether they’re in the studio or on stage.

“Basically, I think that all that really matters is that once you try it, you can’t help but get addicted to it, ” he said.

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But many musicians who’ve tried the automatic tuning guitars say they don’t like them at all. Some of the pros who frequent Corner Music in Nashville are flat-out rejecting the 2015 Gibsons.

At Nashville’s Gruhn Guitars, George Gruhn has in the business for more than a half-century. He says he’s tried the new Gibson models.

“My personal opinion is that this is going to be a very hard sale, ” he said. “And I have not yet met anyone who claims to be having success with them.”

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Despite his affinity for old guitars,  Gruhn says he’s not anti-technology. He pulls an iPhone out of his pocket, sets it on the table and plucks at a nylon-string classical.

“Anybody who can’t learn to tune a guitar with a tuner app on their telephone … isn’t going to learn how to play guitar. This is just a non-problem.”

That “ain’t broke, don’t fix it” line of thought is shared by a lot of musicians.  In order to give the tuner more accuracy, Gibson made alterations to the guitar’s timeless design, including a slightly wider neck.   

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Then there’s the price — up by 30 percent in some cases, although the company says the new technology accounts for only a small portion of that increase. 

Despite the critics, Gibson is pushing ahead with automatic tuning. First it was the electric guitars made in Nashville, and acoustics are next.  Remember Gibson’s robot tuner system? Well, its licensor, Tronical, is taking Gibson to court over licensing fees and a “breach of contract.”

Another day, another slice of bad news for Gibson. The giant is being sued by Tronical, the German company that licenses to Gibson its patented ‘robot’ tuning system, for $50 million.

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The case boils down to several disputes regarding licensing fees and contractual terms for Tronical’s Powertune tuning system, which Gibson markets as “G FORCE.” The lawsuit has been pending before the Hamburg State Court since December last year, but Tronical yesterday announced it is raising the damages it seeks.

“Tronical is claiming licensing fees to the amount of $23 million from the share in the profits agreed in the contract, and a further $27 million on the grounds of Gibson’s breach of contract of the exclusive research and development agreement with Tronical, which Gibson should have met by 2026, ” the company’s CEO Chris Adams said in a statement to Music Radar . 

Branded by Gibson initially as “Min-ETune” and then as “G FORCE, ” the Powertune system is designed to automatically tune strings via a servo motor within each machine head. It made its Gibson debut in 2007, but only in 2015 did it become a standard component in the company’s s.

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It didn’t stick. Players found G FORCE unnecessary, over-complicated and a little wonky; many even paid to remove the system from their six-strings. And so the system was gradually dropped over the years, only appearing on a few of Gibson’s 2018 models.

Needless to say, this year hasn’t been kind to Gibson. The company faces a summer deadline to refinance its massive debt, and its recent negotiations with KKR Credit Advisors over a potential takeover have broken down . These developments have forced Gibson to lay off staff, relocate factories and sell assets such as Cakewalk, which was revived by BandLab Technologies earlier this month as a free software .

Posted by zodaries14

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