Gibson boasts new line of self-tuning guitars
By George Gardner
Gibson, an extremely well known manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars, has a new line of guitars that incorporates a bit of 21st century technology for those who can’t get “in tune” with their instrument, according to Technology Review.
Whether your still breaking-in your strings, bending the hell out of them, or perhaps medial temperature changes have changed their tune, this technology will automatically tune your guitar - with the quickness.
Known as the Powertune system, this technology was developed over a span of 10 years by a German engineer, Chris Adams, through his Hamburg, Germany company, Tronical.
But it’s not a simple process; the Powertune system requires additional piezoelectric pickups to precisely read the signal from each string. Your guitar’s signal still comes from its standard, magnetic pickups.
Each strings’ frequency is accurately determined by means of electronics located in the body of the guitar, while the Powertune system determines whether or not the string needs adjusting.
The Powertune electronics then send a signal, through the strings themselves, to servos located in the head of the guitar; although, the signal is sent using inaudible frequencies to prevent unwanted noise through the guitar’s primary pickups.
The Powertune system is controlled by an additional knob, located on the body of the guitar, to allow the player to tune between songs and to prevent the servos from constantly trying to tune the strings.
Upon activating the system, the player strums the open strings, and the guitar tunes itself within seconds.
Gibson’s new line of guitars allows for programming assorted tunings such as drop-D or a half step down. Additionally, the Powertune system comes preloaded with an array of popular tunings.
While my ears aren’t 100% trained, I certainly don’t feel the need for an auto-tuning guitar; however, such a system would certainly prove useful in live shows, between songs that require different tunings, especially where an excited audience wouldn’t want to wait for the guitarist to “tune up.”
Despite this nifty technology, Gibson Guitars, with the Powertune system, will only run you $899.
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October 3rd, 2007
Although he has certainly developed a thorough and versatile system, there is nothing inovative about servo. Electronics buffs will vouch to that. This is all really old technology. I find his sales pitch a little hard to take. The worst thing though is that from a musician’s point of view, this is just plain pathetic. I’ve played with many guitar players who can tune quickly, and perfectly, even making adjustments while playing. It’s called “mastering your instrument”. What kind of musician has diffuculty tuning? Yes, I have heard guitarists take a while to tune, even on stage, but that is just plain lack of skill and is unprofessional. Have you ever wondered how violinists manage to tune so acurately with simple wooden pegs? They also never use elecronic tuners. I’ve seen a conductor tune 40 children’s violins in less than 15 minutes. (Kids need a little help with this.) He can do that because he has basic musical skills. The guitar player in this video obviously doesn’t. I feel embarassed for him and anyone who feels they need a guitar like that. It will solve your beginner’s problems, but you will never develop professional skills that way.
October 3rd, 2007
Hmm… million dollar solution to a ten dollar problem.