Anyone who’s ever been to a rock concert has probably seen the technicians who stand on stage for hours before the show making sure all the guitars are in tune. Well, enjoy the sight of these lovable tuning experts while you can because they might not be around much longer. The task of tuning guitars, once done through the power of the human ear, may soon be taken over by robots.
Just last month, Gibson, one of the premiere innovators in the guitar industry, introduced the Robot Guitar. With Gibson’s Robot Guitar, guitarists no longer need to waste precious playing time trying to get a guitar tuned. A person simply pulls the Robot Guitar’s volume knob, strums the strings and the guitar automatically tunes itself. Whether the strings have just been changed or the tones are off due to the weather, the Robot guitar can retune in about 15 seconds. And, while in the not-so-distant past guitarists would usually switch over to another guitar to play a song with alternate tuning, the Robot Guitar features six commonly used tuning presets that players can turn on instantly. Despite incorporating all this new technology, the instrument itself is not actually altered in any way – the appearance, size, weight and sound are not noticeably different than a standard guitar.
Though sold by Gibson, the Robot Guitar is actually the brainchild of German inventor Chris Adams, who spent 10 years perfecting the lightweight auto-tuning technology. Adams, a musician himself, was annoyed enough by the constant need to tune his guitar that he set out to devise a solution. Luckily, he also happened to be an engineer with the training to devise one. Adams, claims the new guitar will appeal to both beginners and professionals. Beginners because they can just pick up the guitar and start playing, and professionals because they won’t have to kill the momentum of a live show to stop and tune for minutes on end. Some of the famed musicians who have tried out the guitar include Billy Corgan (of Smashing Pumpkins) and Uli Jon Roth (a former guitar player for the band Scorpions). Adams is also quick to note that Pete Townsend, the guitar-smashing ax man for the legendary rock band The Who, has expressed interest in the technology.
But, along with the support, there’s also a contingent of musicians who aren’t so quick to jump on board with this new invention. The major argument against the technology is that good musicians should know how to tune their own instruments, and, if they can’t do that, they won’t have much of an ear for making music. But what ultimately may be the deciding factor for most guitarists is the price tag. While a person can buy a decent guitar tuner for less than $40, Gibson’s limited-edition Les Paul Robot Guitar retails for $2,499.
