Gibson is often credited as the creator of what most people now know as the electric guitar, and, as such, the company has been both a leader and innovator throughout the instrument's illustrious history.
From crafting the Les Paul, the world's most iconic electric guitar, to stretching the boundaries of guitar design with models like the Xplorer and Flying V, Gibson has, time and time again, forced the music world to stand up and take notice of its creations. They have done it again, this time in the form of the Gibson Robot Guitar.
Background and Technical Self Tuning Details
First released in December of 2007, the Robot Les Paul is, at first glance, seemingly a standard electric guitar, save for a glowing volume knob on the body of the guitar. This "master control knob", along with the highly advanced tuning heads, is precisely what separates the Robot guitar from anything else on the market.
According to David Carey, president of Protelligent, a company specializing in dismantling electronics, the Gibson Robotic guitar utilizes "Electro-mechanics join[ed] with embedded processing to achieve an automatically tuning electric guitar" (http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9919708-7.html).
In laymen's terms, when the player pulls out the glowing volume knob - achieved by using LED's - and strums the open strings, the guitar tunes itself within seconds. Each string's corresponding letter will turn green on the knob when it is tune. By popping the knob back into place, the instrument leaves tuning mode and is ready to be played.
Other Features of the Robot Guitar
In addition to standard (EADGBe) tuning, the Robot guitar can also readily switch to any of six other tunings. These tunings are:
- Open E (EBEG#Be)
- DADGAD
- Drop D (DADGBe)
- Open G (DGDGBD)
- E flat
- Double Drop D (DADGBD)
While available in standard finishes, the Robot Les Paul also comes in limited edition metallic finishes. While it was the first, the Les Paul is no longer the only "robotic" guitar in the Gibson lineup. The Gibson SG has now also been released with the ground-breaking hardware and special edition finishes. Both guitars also come equipped with a Neutrik input jack, a device that prevents the guitar cable from becoming disconnected while playing.
Availability and Price of the Gibson Robot Guitar
Gibson originally only released a few thousand of the Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitars, but as of today, the models are readily available online and in select Guitar Center locations. Participating dealers, along with more information about the guitars, can be found via Gibson's website, www.gibson.com. The Les Paul Robot Guitar retails for $3,999, while the SG Robot Guitar costs $3,599 MSRP.
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