Dynamic tuning on the guitar?
My strings don't often go out of tune but i'm real lazy when they do and can't be arsed tuning them back to correct pitch. I mostly play through heavy distortion so it's no biggy but it got me thinking, is there a guitar out there which tunes the strings to the correct pitch whilst playing? The idea i've got in my head is some kind of on board system which analyzes whether each string is the correct pitch and then adjusts the string pitch dynamically via a tiny mechanical ratchet system or something at both ends.
Probably get loads of 'just tune it' answers but just curious as to whether this has been thought of before or even exists?
Probably get loads of 'just tune it' answers but just curious as to whether this has been thought of before or even exists?
Replies
Some googling might turn it up. You can set different tunings as well, and it'll adjust all the strings.
http://www.gibson.com/robotguitar/
The SG model is badass.
I'd be more interested in the end when it fits nicely inside the headstock or around the tuning peg itself instead of being bloated.
Plus all that money is going into the electronic hardware leaving you with crappier cheaper materials for the rest of the guitar.
Funny thing too I saw one of these on display at the guitar center here. I strummed the strings to try it out and one of the strings snapped off. Probably cause it's tuned up and down so much for the demo but still I don't trust them robot guitars :P.
But seriously how long does it take to tune your guitar anyway? If you have a floating bridge I could understand how that would be cool but for fixed it should only take you a minute.
It aint hard to tune them with harmonics, especially if you have heavy distortion, maybe you wont have actual pitch but at least they'll be in tune with each other.
this.
hearing pitch is a separate skill - just as you train your hands, so too must you train your ear.
My honest opinion - I play a lot of metal, and I can hear if I'm out of tuning immediately, even through all the satanical gain. Furthermore, tuning takes all of five seconds, because Ive had practice... just play more man, and tune your shit a thousand times...suddenly its trivial to even think about it, you just tune your shit.
fast forward ten years and now its just second nature. like cacophony says a 5 second job. Nowadays i feel like im tuning all the time instead, cringing when somethign is just a liiiiitle bit off not trusting the tuning machine etc etc..
so yea, forget the freaking "tunerobot" and just start listening and tune by hand (im not saying by ear. i use my tuner all the time)