Gibson G-Force tuning system demo

Megii

Have to say I'm not at all won over, and I just think it looks wrong on a high-end instrument. An alternative viewpoint however, in the interests of fairness...

This is 2 years ago - but Gibson surely couldn't have actually made it worse in the meantime, could they?

Neil

^^

That was pretty interesting actually.

Fast adjustment into various tunings seems to be its forte.

Megii

Neil said:

^^

That was pretty interesting actually.

Fast adjustment into various tunings seems to be its forte.

Well, could be I guess!

MarkGAK

In fairness, he is using it incorrectly. 

The system requires you to strum all the strings at once (in one strum) rather than pick through them. Once you've done that, the guitar should be most of the way to being in tune. After that, it will pick out the string(s) that aren't quite there and you then strum those strings on their own.

I can totally understand if the system is not your cup of tea when you have seen what it can actually do, but the tuning issues in this demo are down to user error rather than the system itself.

underdog

MarkGAK;408039" said:

In fairness, he is using it incorrectly. 

The system requires you to strum all the strings at once (in one strum) rather than pick through them. Once you've done that, the guitar should be most of the way to being in tune. After that, it will pick out the string(s) that aren't quite there and you then strum those strings on their own.

I can totally understand if the system is not your cup of tea when you have seen what it can actually do, but the tuning issues in this demo are down to user error rather than the system itself.

I think they're a good idea, I can see people annoyed that they're not an option, but I've seen a set on here sell quickly for £100 and for more on eBay, so even if you don't like them there's a profit in them.

stickyfiddle

MarkGAK said:

In fairness, he is using it incorrectly. 

The system requires you to strum all the strings at once (in one strum) rather than pick through them. Once you've done that, the guitar should be most of the way to being in tune. After that, it will pick out the string(s) that aren't quite there and you then strum those strings on their own.

I can totally understand if the system is not your cup of tea when you have seen what it can actually do, but the tuning issues in this demo are down to user error rather than the system itself.

Well not really. He repeatedly strums the high e which is out of tune and the system flashes to recognise it's out of tune, but doesn't move the machinehead at all. It's just crap programming.

underdog

As I said I tried 2 out and they were both great, handy for a quick change in tunings, I often avoid playing songs to save retuning, maybe it's for the lazy like me

joeyowen

For the OP, why would you upload that video haha, it's a solid 5 mins of him trying to tune 

Funny though.

I love Les Pauls, I think they look great, and I like that Gibson are trying to do new things, which is always going to have some teething errors.  However, they need to ensure that they are still producing the guitars that people know and love, as all I ever hear about them nowadays is about fails and politics.

Not sure I will be getting a self tuning guitar any time soon though...

Megii

joeyowen said:

For the OP, why would you upload that video haha, it's a solid 5 mins of him trying to tune 

Funny though.

I love Les Pauls, I think they look great, and I like that Gibson are trying to do new things, which is always going to have some teething errors.  However, they need to ensure that they are still producing the guitars that people know and love, as all I ever hear about them nowadays is about fails and politics.

Not sure I will be getting a self tuning guitar any time soon though...

Mainly because I thought it was funny tbh. I don't think the system will ever appeal to me, but I have no argument with those who find it useful.

underdog

I'm really hoping for a junior for Christmas, so will get a chance to love or hate gforce in a little while (i hope)

imalone

stonevibe said:

The whole auto tuning thing looks like a massive PITA. If it breaks down its another thing to have to get fixed and I would rather it was an option than the norm.

Sell them cheaper and ditch that crap.

My understanding is you can still manually tune the etune/tronical system by hand. Or take it off.

underdog

imalone;408179" said:

stonevibe said:

The whole auto tuning thing looks like a massive PITA. If it breaks down its another thing to have to get fixed and I would rather it was an option than the norm.

Sell them cheaper and ditch that crap.

My understanding is you can still manually tune the etune/tronical system by hand. Or take it off.

You can manually tune them yes, a few said you can't but you can, it's even done in that YouTube video.

joeyowen

Megii said:

joeyowen said:

For the OP, why would you upload that video haha, it's a solid 5 mins of him trying to tune 

Funny though.

I love Les Pauls, I think they look great, and I like that Gibson are trying to do new things, which is always going to have some teething errors.  However, they need to ensure that they are still producing the guitars that people know and love, as all I ever hear about them nowadays is about fails and politics.

Not sure I will be getting a self tuning guitar any time soon though...

Mainly because I thought it was funny tbh. I don't think the system will ever appeal to me, but I have no argument with those who find it useful.

haha sorry mate, not you, the youtube uploader  I laughed a lot.  I just struggled to see why he watched that back and uploaded it if he is a Gibson seller

johnnyurq

MarkGAK;408039" said:

In fairness, he is using it incorrectly. 

The system requires you to strum all the strings at once (in one strum) rather than pick through them. Once you've done that, the guitar should be most of the way to being in tune. After that, it will pick out the string(s) that aren't quite there and you then strum those strings on their own.

I can totally understand if the system is not your cup of tea when you have seen what it can actually do, but the tuning issues in this demo are down to user error rather than the system itself.

This and most issues that end users experienced were mainly Gibson QC coccking up the tech by installing it wrong or over/under torquing the robo tuners bolts and either cracking the older PCB's or causing poor connections.

I owned a Dark Fire (bought from GAK 2009 @MarkGAK) and as the big G left us high and dry due to being wazzocks we began a DF users supprt site and Wiki (now an archive and Ghost town).

Out of the many from all over the world (from actual rocket scientists to other various bainiacs) only a few had problems and the aformentioned heavy handedness and cack handed fitting of the tech was at fault then finger trouble next.

Very rarely it was an actual failure of the tech or related components and Tronical gave way better support ti=o us on the DF support forum and ine to one than Gibson ever did.

My Dark Fire Robo tuners never gave any issues at all and is still going great guns 5 years on, and Tronical have spares should the worst happen. if the whole thing goes nipples up then Tronical (who designed and made the tech) can seel a whole new kit for around £230 ish.

@Handsome_Chris is a robo tuners heretic like me and AFAIK still owns his Dusk Tiger and having no problems, I think.

The Dark Fire and Dusk Tiger are the 2nd gen robo wotsits wheras the newer ones are at least a gen or 2 newer, lighter, lower profile and user fitting is not too difficult.

Bellycaster

Two words.

FUCK THAT!

Octahedron

Every time I turn and say "fuck electronic automatic robotic tuning bullshit" someone comes up and says "oh but it's innovative and the guitar world will die without innovation"

No... it won't. Manual tuning, learning to actually play your guitar, learning to tune by ear, etc will never die because guitars were designed that way in the beginning for a reason. 

Yes it's a nice idea but it's lazy and clearly it has never worked as evident in this video and my own personal hands-on experience, it's just useless.

Electronic, automatic innovative bullshit will be allowed (in my eyes) in the guitar world when it actually works and when it actually doesn't sound like shit (looking at you amp modelling processors!!) 

johnnyurq

@Octahedron

The act of getting in tune is not the thing people buy these for and it is the changing from standard tuning to various other and alt tunings.

Yes it does tune for you and this is important, if you want it to but it is categorically not in any way like autotune as people holding your point of view. Which may be right for you but at least hate a thing something from a point of factual knowledge and not tired old rants like yours.

Having said that using the robo tuners to actually tune up is handy on the 3 hour gigs I used my Dark Fire at, especially when the condtions change throughout the night and you are trying to get slick transitions to the next song. it worled faultlessly for that so a boon and not at all lazy.

BTW I have been tuning guitars manually since the 70's and still do in the main so they wiil not deskill the act of tuning any more than using an electronic tuner, and not tuning froks and pitch pipes like wot I used.

Fair enough you don't like it and see no benefit but others do and if they beleive your (no offence) lazy assertions based on anecdotal evidence rather than hands on experience.

In 6 years or so of using robo tuners off and on I never had any problems same as the vast majority frequenting the fora that users set up as a community.

Handsome_Chris

I'm with @Johnnyurq on with regards to Robo-tuning: It's a very handing thing for using lots of open tunings live.

The bloke doing the review seamed like he didn't know how to use the stuff.  I've been using it for about a year and a half and I've not had the issues the reviewer was having.  Saying that he does appear to be a knob aficionado.

Also, a safety point for the tuning system: Do not manually tune while it is in auto - You could goose it up.

Babones

Lots of unfavourable comments on Gibson's website

underdog

Babones;411730" said:

Lots of unfavourable comments on Gibson's website

Had a quick scan of the comments and like this place and the rest of the web it seems mainly made up of a) people who have never tried it but don't like it based on not having an option b) people who think it's lazy and c) a guy who had a problem with the older technology once