Slashdot Mirror
Self-Tuning Electric Guitar
avirrey writes "The Technology Review has an interesting article on a Gibson Self-Tuning Guitar. Purist argue that you shouldn't need a guitar that self-tunes. Others argue that this will allow an artist to change tuning with one 'favorite' guitar, instead of having to swap out between songs." Ok I know what I think- freakin' sweet. Only technology will guarantee my sucking on the electric will at least be reasonably in-tune suckiness. Dear Gibson, Slashdot really needs to review your guitar. We'll need several review units and we lost your return address.
It takes me (and most other guitarists) a few seconds to tune a guitar.
It's a pleasant, harmless little ritual, and somewhat calming before you play a gig.
This is a silly and expensive gizmo, IMO.
Azural - instrumentals
As a software engineer, the one thing I hate about playing the guitar is that every time I pick it up I have to tune it, otherwise I won't get the same results as I did last time I sat down to strum. Is a little determinism too much to ask?
I do not know about the physics of that stuff, but I play guitar as a hobby (classical, flamenco and heavy metal [acoustic and electric) and from what I know, the amount of tunning you have to do depends on the material of the guitar (at least for acoustic) and the quality of the strings. Also, one of the things they told you to do after you just replaced a string is to stretch it a lot and loosen it to make it expand all the material has to expand, otherwise you will tune it but as the new string expands, you will have to tune it again in five minutes.
I think this would be more appropriate for the likes of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai when in a concert they use a different tuning for some different songs... but I still like it more if they showcase different kinds of guitars and maybe it might be useful when/if they have to change tuning "on the fly".. but of course, it might not be possible to re-tune the guitar as fast as it is needed...
Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
Michael Manring http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Manring uses a custom Zon Bass Guitar http://www.zonguitars.com/zonguitars/hyperbass.html. Below each tuning knob is a lever which can de-tune a string with just the flip of the switch. No fancy pickups, electronics etc. Sure if he needs to tune beforehand, he does it the old fashioned way (by ear, tuner etc..), but while playing he detunes in a flash. You can find him pretty easily on youtube http://youtube.com/results?search_query=Michael+Manring&search=Search
Its a Gibson, not a Fender. Its always gonna be a shorter scale neck, and almost always without vibrato.
Wow, I feel old...
Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
WARNING: Do not strum guitar with remaining fingers.
I'll make up an analogy that you, Mr. Software Engineer, should be able to understand:
Self-tuning guitars are like IDEs. They can make it easier for the professional, but more often than not they don't.
Let's explain this a bit:
When I started to play the one most important thing I had to learn was to be able to tune my freakin' bass. While tuning, you will learn how your instrument sounds when it's OK and well-tuned and you'll learn to immediately recognize when it's mis-tuned and sounding strange. That knowledge can and will save your ass on stage and during rehearsal. A good novice's etude is the following: completely de-tune your instrument and then tune it without using an electrical tuner. Do that at least twice a week and in about half a year you'll be able to tune that thing alright, even if your shiny electric box is currently out of order. A few strings will probably go plunck! and take direction towards your face, but that's OK, because a scarred face and an empty purse are a musician's trademark. What is more important though is the fact that you'll have your ears trained - your hearing will have improved a real freaking lot!
People who can't tune their instrument can't play it. Period. (I'm talking mostly about string/fret/fretless instruments here). And if you think you have to tune your instrument too often that's because your instrument sucks. Otoh, if you can't tune it properly, you suck, as a musician.
That said, this can really be an interesting choice for a professional, as it's really a nuisance to have to tune your guitar on stage (or during rehearsals). This is not intended to make your practicing at home easier, but to get rid of one of the big problems that happen when some 3000+ W of electromagnetic radiation are frying you and your instrument on stage. Thus, if you really intend to become a competent player, you'll not use this unless forced to. Because the next time you sit around the camp fire, you'll get laughed at by the girls for not being able to properly tune that random piece of wood you've found somewhere. You see, just the same as with IDEs. If you intend to learn a language, better first learn to use a plain text editor and a shell, so you'll get behind the basic stuff. Getting to know your instrument is The Basic Stuff and one good method of achieving this goal is to tune your guitar on a regular basis. When you sit down to start practicing (or playing), the very first thing you do is check your strings and tune them! Consider this to be just another aspect of everyday life with your guitar.
My personal opinion about this new technology is: I don't need that, mostly because my main instrument is a six-string fretless bass. But I fear many kids will rush into the store and learn to play on them - while completely ignoring everything I've said above. I hope Gibson will make those things reasonably expensive so that only professionals would consider buying one. The amount of horribly mistuned kids on stage is already way too high! (And now don't come and say: but this guitar will prevent mis-tuning on stage in the first place! No, it is not going to, as playing in tune does not only rely on your instrument to be tuned. You have to be able to fret your strings properly and do the one thing that's pretty much most distinctive about guitarists: bending. Here, no LED-featured toy will help you.)
I'm an infovore...
This is not news... Gibson is just copying Line6 http://www.line6.com/. Go to their site and watch the demos of their modeling guitars and amps. I have a high-end Line6 guitar that models many classics (like Gibsons) AND it came with software that lets me change not only tunings, but pickup position, body density, and a zillion other tweaks. These customizations then become available via a switch on the guitar. I can go from a Les Paul to a Marten to a drop-d strat to a C7 12-string and they all sound beautiful! Visit their site if you play guitar. (no I don't work for them I just love their products!)
Those of us who understand humor call people like you "dense".
Actually, you should RTFA. The Gibson solution "PHYSICALLY" tunes the strings, not virtually like the Line 6.
The new Fender VG Strat has a virtual mode that acts as you describe.
From all the press, this new Gibson is the real deal.
Hopefully my wife will "approve" another "investment".
When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.
My friend recently got a Variax modeling guitar and I got to play it the other day. It looks like a really basic electric, but it has individual pickups for each string and a really realistic synth computer inside that models all kinds of guitars and other stringed instruments. And this ain't no crappy MIDI guitar, it responds naturally to bends, harmonics, etc. It can also do on-the-fly alternate tunings, but without actually changing the physical tuning! It feels so weird playing an electric guitar with a whammy bar and the sound of a banjo coming out.
Then he set it up running into a pitch tracker outputting a sine wave, fed into a Marshal stack simulator. Try to beat that signal path!
Doesn't matter who made what when. The Beatles put out better music than the Stones did.
Scorta futuere amo!