Intonation Made Easy with the Gibson Robot Guitar

Correct intonation is a necessity for great guitar tone. Guitars that are not fully and correctly intonated don't ring with the full spectrum of harmonics, frequently sound out-of-tune on chords (even when they are supposedly "tuned up"), and throw out clunker notes even in simple single-not scale runs, higher up the neck in particular. But the time and skill required to achieve correct intonation mean that many players limp along with imperfect tone rather than going to the trouble of perfecting it. Doing it right usually means going to a professional repairman, surrendering your guitar for however long the shop's worklist is backed up, and paying a hefty charge for the time-consuming work. Doing it yourself, if you don't have the training and experience to do it right, risks throwing your guitar even further out. Until now.

In addition to its automated tuning and alternate/open tuning functions, the Gibson Robot Guitar offers a unique Intonation function, which guides even the most tweak-phobic player through the simple steps of achieving perfect intonation on this revolutionary instrument. No tools or external tuners or other gadgets are needed other than a small screwdriver and the Robot Guitar's own Master Control Knob (MCK). The guitar itself "talks you through" the entire process, resulting in a correctly intonated guitar in a fraction of the time it takes even a professional guitar tech to do the same job.

To access the Intonation mode, you simply pull out the MCK and turn it to "I," then activate it by pressing the control button for three seconds. Pluck the desired string, and the Robot Guitar system tunes it up. Then fret the same string at the 12th fret, pluck it again, and the MCK tells you exactly how to adjust that string's bridge saddle to correctly intonate it: for each green LED illuminated, turn the saddle screw half a turn clockwise, for each red LED turn it half a turn counterclockwise. Repeat with each string, and you have correctly intonated your Gibson Robot Guitar to within 0.2 percent accuracy. in a matter of minutes.

Play a guitar that is correctly intonated, and suddenly you will realize what you have been missing. Chords and scales ring true, harmonics resonate in sympathy, and your overall tone sounds bigger and richer thanks to the absence of the dissonance and harshness that was formerly working against you. Intonation, easily, automatically-only on the Gibson Robot Guitar.

Gibson Proudly Presents The Robot Guitar— A First Run Limited Edition

On December 7, 2007, Gibson will change the guitar world forever. Again. True to the spirit of innovation that inspired Gibson to invent the legendary Tune-o-matic bridge, the powerful humbucker, and the revolutionary Digital Les Paul, Gibson proudly presents the Gibson Robot Guitar—the world's first guitar with robotic technology. Since the dawn of the instrument, musicians have come to accept the guitar's imperfections and lack of tonal precision as necessary evils. Onstage and off, guitarists have fought to stay in tune. Every music lover and performer has had to suffer through the show—halting, mood-killing atonal droning of a loudly amped guitar being brought into tune. And in the studio, or at home, imprecise intonation throws the guitar in and out of tune, up and down the neck, as the instrument requires tweaking with each season and at times with each string change. For as long as the guitar has existed, guitar lovers have had two choices—live with a temperamental and out-of-tune instrument or make frequent trips to the shop for setups. Not anymore. Introducing the Gibson Robot Guitar. All you have to do is play it. In Select Stores December 7, 2007 First Run Limited Edition, only 10 per store

Meet the Inventor of the Robot Guitar's Self-Tuning System

It took Chris Adams 10 years to perfect the lightweight and foolproof auto-tuning system on the revolutionary Gibson Robot Guitar. Aggravated by the never-ending tuning process, he devised a system that would automatically tune a guitar in no time flat. While he was at it, Adams developed the robotic technology that allows the Robot Guitar to switch effortlessly between multiple tunings, keep a guitar perfectly intonated, and even change strings.

What were your feelings about partnering with Gibson?
It's a dream come true. I'm proud of it because Gibson is the Mercedes of guitars. It's not just any brand; it's the most high-profile guitar manufacturer in the world, so it says something about the tuning system. It's a high-quality innovative product. That's why it fits so well with Gibson because Gibson's always cutting edge and a leader in technology.

What kind of guitarist do you think the Robot Guitar will appeal to?
It appeals to every type of guitar player. The total beginner can use it. It's so much more fun to have a guitar that is in tune from the start. The pro players are also very intrigued about the system because they can do so many things that they couldn't do before. A guitar tech can tune their guitar at the side of the stage, but the show happens on stage and a good guitar is very sensitive to changing conditions, concerning the climate and temperature. So no matter how good it was in tune on the side of the stage, it's not going to be in perfect tune on stage. This system gives the control back to pro guitar players. You have to think about so many things already when you're a guitar player that being in tune is one less huge hassle to think about.

Which famous musicians are already using your system?
Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins, he loves it. Matt Bellamy from Muse put it in his guitars. Uli Jon Roth, former guitar player of the Scorpions, says he actually can't live without it anymore. Steve Vai couldn't believe it unless he saw it, and once he saw it it was still very hard for him to believe. He's telling everybody about how great it is. Steve Lukather really loves it. I showed it to Pete Townshend, and he wants to get to know more about it. That's just the start of it.

How long does it take the average guitarist to feel comfortable with the Robot Guitar?
It takes less than two minutes to understand how to be in tune. Start with the basic stuff first. The only thing you have to do to start is pull the knob, strum the strings, and when everything on the display is blue, you are done. We checked the guitar out with some nine-year-old kids, and they picked it up immediately. It doesn't come easier than this—pull the knob, strum, push in, done.

How often do you have to turn the system on when you're playing?
Once you get this system, your tolerance for a guitar that's out of tune is lower. You get used to it very fast. After two weeks you hear so much more because you always have a guitar that is in tune. So you tend to turn the system on much more often because you have become much more aware of when you're out of tune. Who wants to be out of tune? Nobody. Now that it's no work, you tend to use this much more often. Once you get used to the system, it becomes second nature.