Power tune !

[Gibson A5]

Just got this in the Gibson News Email. Maybe mandolins are next?
Bill P.
http://www.gibson.com/en-us....Gibson_ (http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Introducing%20Powertune_%20Gibson_/)

[earthsave]

Well aint that something.

[mrmando]

Freaky. If they ever brought back the EM200, maybe they'd consider putting a PowerTune in it.

[Kevin K]

Somebody got a raise for making that work.
Cool.

[bgjunkie]

A friend of mine works for Gibson and has one of the first Les Pauls that they put this system on. It works great and it's a trip to watch the tuners turn themselves.

[Jason Holmes]

They should retrofit that system to some old Loars. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif Oh the horror.

Really though it's a neat idea, and doesn't seem entirely out of place on an instrument that's electric/electronic anyway, but I couldn't personally imagine putting such things on a mandolin. Something tells me that those will be a bigger seller for kids who don't know how to tune their instrument properly (nothing against that, that's everyone at the beginning) than for performing professionals.

There must be strong motors in there to turn the tuners with the strings under tension.

[bgjunkie]

For the price, I don't see it being for kids. The ability to have one guitar and change from open or drop tunings just by turning a nob and strumming a couple of times, I think would be great for professionals. Even just retuning to standard A440 after playing a couple songs would be quicker with this thing. I haven't had the chance to play with it much, but if it not only tunes the individual strings, but makes sure that they are in tune with each other, that would be even better. When I tune my Taylor each individual string with be in tune, but I always have to tweak the G, B, and E strings to make sure they are in tune when playing a chord.

[Brady Smith]

They'd need a Chevy Motor on there to keep a mandolin in tune. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[MandoBen]

Really where this is needed most is for the banjo! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[Jason Holmes]

I never said it wouldn't be good for professionals, I'm sure it would be great for the folks that it appeals to for various reasons/capabilities. Instantly being in tune, changing tunings, etc. is really cool. Of the performing musicians that I know though, I don't know many who would spend $900 to have this. I see your point, not all kids will have $900 to put up either, but a lot of parents might, and the younger folks are often into the new thing, especially the hot new gizmo-tronics. I've sure seen a lot of impressively pricey new instruments leaving music stores with teenagers over the years, courtesy of their parents.

[JeffD]

#Something tells me that those will be a bigger seller for kids who don't know how to tune their instrument properly
The handwriting is on the wall however.

Soon enough there will be cheap and easy retrofit kits for all of our instruments, electric and accoustic, and within a couple of generations from now nobody will tune up by hand. Heck, in 20 years they will be building guitars and maybe even mandolins without tuners all together.

I avoided electronic tuners for years, preferring instead to tune with a pitch fork - and now I won't go back. I am addicted to my little intellitouch.

Lord willing I will live long enough to get addicted to a self tuning mandolin.

[DryBones]

no...no...no... there is just something wrong with this whole idea! What's next? instruments made from some foreign material like carbon fiber instead of wood? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[John Flynn]

Automatic tuning electric guitars have been around for years. The the Transperformance "Performer" system has been used by a long line of guitar gods going back a long time. There was also a brand of electic guitar at one point that came with autotuning built in, but I can't think of the name of it right now. Gibson is acting like they invented the concept. As you can see in any guitar store, the concept never took the industry by storm and I don't think it will now, although it will probably succeed well enough to stay around. I wonder if the hardware might not be too cumbersome to ever work in an acoustic mandolin.

[foldedpath]

I haven't had the chance to play with it much, but if it not only tunes the individual strings, but makes sure that they are in tune with each other, that would be even better. When I tune my Taylor each individual string with be in tune, but I always have to tweak the G, B, and E strings to make sure they are in tune when playing a chord.
One problem here might be that we all have slightly different ways of doing that kind of final tweak. I don't see anything on the product page about this being user-porgrammable, like the way you can set up a custom tuning on a Peterson virtual strobe tuner. You'll be locked into the tuning for open strings, and won't be able to fine-tune for intonation on fretted chords other than by doing it the old way... turning the knobs manually (assuming it lets you do that). I wonder how smooth those knobs turn manually?

I'm also a little surprised they didn't take it just a step further and include realtime control of the motors with either an analog or Midi pedal. Imagine the cool B-bender and pedal steel tricks that would have been possible (assuming the motors and strings held up). I guess they didn't do that to keep the costs down, but it would have been a way to actually add new functionality, instead of just being a fairly minor convenience. Klein was doing that several years ago, but I don't think any made it past the prototype stage into wide availability:

Klein Transperformance guitar (http://www.kleinguitars.com/KleinGuitarLinks/transperformance.htm)

(edit: dang! Mando Johnny beat me to it!)

[mrmando]

[quote=jasonh847,Sep. 13 2007, 14:21] Something tells me
I avoided electronic tuners for years, preferring instead to tune with a pitch fork ...
I tuned a banjo with a pitchfork once. Poked several huge holes in the head, but it did make the banjo sound better.

[PhilGE]

[quote=jasonh847,Sep. 13 2007, 14:21] Something tells me
I avoided electronic tuners for years, preferring instead to tune with a pitch fork ...
I tuned a banjo with a pitchfork once. Poked several huge holes in the head, but it did make the banjo sound better.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[fredfrank]

I noticed that the article said that there was no discernible weight gain on the Les Paul when this system is installed.

You'd need a fifth wheel trailer on a Les Paul to make a discernible weight change! Those things are as heavy as a bluegrass banjo.

[mando83]

Forget having something that keeps my mandolin IN tune... they need to make a mandolin that changes it's own strings! NOW THAT I'D PAY FOR! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[entau]

I remember my entire class of classical guitar students being admonished by the profesor for not being able to tune by ear.

for some reason when I tune by ear I am either a half step up or half step down from the 440 A.

I guess a self tunning guitar may be a blessing - I've heard some fair performances that really lost a lot because of "out of tune" instruments
but what will the guy do that is tunning the stars guitars up between songs ?

well some may say we are loosing touch, but I guess the shaman frame drumer and hollow bone flutest said the same thing when the archer started twanging away on his bow string some 15 thousand years ago or so.

[jim simpson]

I thought Joni Mitchell played an electric guitar a while back that allowed her to tune in many of her created tunings. I saw a video of her playing a Parker Fly but I think it was something else.

[foldedpath]

Joni Mitchell used a Parker Fly with six piezo pickups in the bridge -- basically the Roland GK-13 standard used for Midi guitar, but it wasn't Midi. She ran that into a Roland VG-88 (or maybe it was an earlier VG-8?), which is a realtime waveform processor that can do all sorts of neat transforms on the sound, since it has all six strings to work with. One of the cool tricks is pitch shifting, so it let her use one guitar and instantly shift tunings between songs (she uses a LOT of different altered guitar tunings). Unlike Midi guitar synthesis, this approach feels more intuitive because there are no "tracking" issues... it's just a fancy processor for the original sound.

This works best on a solidbody electric, or at least a thinline archtop that doesn't have much acoustic response, because it can be a little weird hearing the guitar making one sound acoustically, while completely different pitches are coming out of the speakers. I have a VG-88 and I use a semi-hollow archtop electric so I don't get too confused when I'm pitch shifting.

[jim_n_virginia]

I've seen the self turning tuners before (you slip it over a key and hit the string and it tunes to whatever to program it too) but they had a lotta bugs in them to work out. I wondered when the self tuning tuners would show up.

It's just progress fellas. Technology just keeps gaining speed every day. A hundred years from now they'll have a mandolin (or whatever) that not only do you not have to tune it by hand but you won't have to play it either. You'll control it by thought waves! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[Big Joe]

These have been in the final stages for many months. They are used programmable for alternate tunings. I have heard mixed reviews on them from those who were testing them. The control circuit is quite light and is installed in the electronics cavity of the guitar. Some may like them, but I prefer tuning myself. Besides, I haven't spend 900 dollars on all the tuners I've used in over 40 years of playing. But then I'm old and set in my ways http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif .

[Fretbear]

"Frees guitarists from the drudgery of tuning..."
Also know as: ear training, tuning into your instrument and possibly the single most important skill to be developed by a string player... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[Robert Moreau]

Nice idea if it saves time and such, but there's no substitute for ears, and knowing the relationship between the strings when tuning etc... I have an electronic tuner now but I'd hate to find myself becoming even lazier due to technology.

Sometimes I enjoy getting 1 string up to pitch with the tuner and then tuning the other 7 myself. If I'm not in a rush I don't find it a pain at all.

[BlueMountain]

Yes, a Parker Fly (nearly as light as a mandolin) with individual RMC piezo pickups (which work very well--much better than the Roland pickups) and a Roland synth. That allows tuning changes, but they are virtual, not actual. It's very strange if your amp isn't quite a bit louder than your guitar, as your guitar is actually playing in one tuning, but another tuning, quite possibly discordant, is coming out of the amp.

True, this sounds like it would be great for banjos, but doesn't string tension need to be taken into account? Aren't most of those alternate tunings on the Gibson drop tunings? Do any of them tune UP? (I'm not an expert on this.) Banjo strings might be able to withstand being automatically tuned from G to A, as their tension, I believe, is lower than mandolin strings, but could they handle being tuned to C or D? I think there might be a few broken strings.

[groveland]

I would go for it in a minute if the macro tuning was accompished manually by good old-fashioned standard tuning keys on the headstock, and additional automated micro tuning was accomplished in a motorized tailpiece, using a mechanism similar to the Steinbergers, or even a very simplified Klein. Similar to a violin. That would do it for me.

[markishandsome]

True, this sounds like it would be great for banjos, but doesn't string tension need to be taken into account?

If they ever made one for banjo, I doubt they would program it with impossible tunings.

Only time will tell, but this feels like one of those things we'll never hear about again. Like the digital magnetic pickup gibson came out with a few years ago that hooked up with an internet cable.

I think this is clearly meant for performance purposes and not to make it easier for some 13 year old to play smells like teen spirit in his mom's basement.

Besides, how many rockers play in so many alternate tunings?

[Mark Sullivan]

I'm looking forward to when they will install a chip in my brain so I can distinguish notes a litter better, maybe a little more finger dexterity, some stage presence, song writing ability, good looks - well I can dream! But it will probably come with some kind of sensor to track my every move & make me pay all my bills & visiting the white room with big brother.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Rick Cadger]

Forget having something that keeps my mandolin IN tune... they need to make a mandolin that changes it's own strings! NOW THAT I'D PAY FOR! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
same as that. i HATE changing strings...

[MandoBen]

Quote
True, this sounds like it would be great for banjos, but doesn't string tension need to be taken into account?

Wouldn't a banjo sound better if all the strings broke anyway? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[mythicfish]

""Frees guitarists from the drudgery of tuning..."

Next "big thing" ... an appliance that frees guitarists from the drudgery of playing.

Curt

[John Flynn]

Next "big thing" ... an appliance that frees guitarists from the drudgery of playing.
It's here! The Guitar Hero II controllers from the Play Station game of the same name. It also frees audiences from the drudgery of listening!

[bluemtgrass]

Well, I'm all for it. Now next on the list is a device that
will actually PLAY the mandolin for you. Imagine... no mistakes, perfect timing.. I want one..

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[Jkf_Alone]

we already have one, chris thile