EverTune challenges Robot Guitar for in-tune supremacy
By Donald Melanson 
posted January 10th 2010 11:32AM
posted January 10th 2010 11:32AM
Gibson's Robot Guitar may have gotten off to a head start, but EverTune is here at CES with an automatic guitar tuner of its own that promises to keep your guitar in tune forever. To do that, EverTune makes use of a simple mechanism that relies on springs to maintain the same amount of tension on each string as the tuner post loosens, which should ensure that your guitar won't go out of tune even while playing (something that other self-tuning guitars can't account for). Unfortunately, EverTune isn't ready to announcing anything about availability (or pricing, for that matter), but it saying it will "soon be available on a wide range of electric guitars," and that it'll also be available as an installation kit through select retailers.
I hope this comes to Fender. I would love to customize my Tele!
how about everyone just learns to tune their guitars. only takes a few seconds, so i have NO CLUE why i hear people boasting about their "gibson robot guitars tune to drop d in seconds!". drop d is ONE STRING DOWN A WHOLE STEP, OOH SO HARD.
okay that turned into a rant.
@DaveDS it still cant stop the ...BOOOIIIIIIYYOOYYOOYOOOIINNGGGGGGG
@DaveDS haha Dave. Drop D isn't the only alternate tuning. The Gibson also automatically tunes into a lot of open tunings that aren't a tone away on one string.
@DaveDS This product isn't an autotuner ... you still have to tune it manually.
@carnodriver
Uhm, all you "guitar hero's", there's this thing call a Floyd Rose bridge. It's a bridge that locks at the neck and bridge. You tune it and your done. It doesn't go out of tune, unless the strings stretch, which is natural.
Once tuned up, you can beat the shit out of it all day and it still stays in tune...all my axes have em.
Rock on!
@xCrunk True......until you attempt dive bombs and dimebag harmonics.
I will never get another trem lock ever again!!!!!
At least this solution should be cheaper.
@compmonl
At least it isn't somehing made by Gibson!
@zephyrsapphire: The Robot Guitar mechanism isn't made by Gibson, it's made by a German company called Tronical.
Unfortunately, a system like this would limit you to one tuning, whereas my Gibson robot makes switching to alternate tunings so easy.
Not sure you'd want this om a Fender or Tele, since it would cancel all the effects of the whammy and spring loaded bridge.
@TheBigKlosowski Exactly, the beauty of Gibsons robot guitar is I could drop tune it in seconds. You're basically stuck with standard tuning with this guitar.
@Hotrod & @TheBigKlosowski I was totally thinking the same thing when I read the article. In my opinion this option would be for beginner players only and would literally ruin a guitar if a kit were installed. Once you begin to understand the guitar better and want to try alternate tunings you are screwed. Gibson still seems like the best choice in this field. But others will come up with other ideas soon I am sure.
@Hotrod
OK, so you're using what, 10 guaged strings and going from standard tuning and then using the "robot guitar" to drop tune to drop c or B? How's that working out for you? What most people fail to realize is you cannot just go from one tuning to another without accounting for the differential in string tension. Lower tunings NEED thicker strings. This is not something a mechanism can account for, unless it's done via sound modelling.
I think most people accept that it's best to have one guitar stay in one tuning unless you plan on using different strings. If you're a touring musician, it's best to just get another guitar...I think this device in the article is more for keeping your guitar in tune 100% of the time (one tuning..) so you won't have to re-tune during songs -- in which case, I'm all for this..but using one guitar for multiple tunings with the same strings = fail, especially for live shows.
@chrissthomas
It's not just the tunings. Presumably a guitar equipped with this will lose a huge amount of sustain. On the other hand, the resulting sound may be interesting.
@surgex While drastic tuning changes can be an issue with your string gauge, the robot guitar is amazing when doing most basic alternate tunings. Take for example going quickly from standard tuned to Open G. The Robot Guitar tunes all the strings at the same time, so that they ring true on the first auto tune in less than a minute (it seems to relative tension on the neck changes evenly, reducing the need to tune several times to compensate). It really helps open up your creativity when jamming and practicing. Would I use it to drop B? No, because I'd need to recalibrate my bridge as well. Would I use it to use relatively standard alternative guitar tunings? All the time.
@TheBigKlosowski From the companies website this isn't setup for just one tuning, you can use alternate tunings.
How lazy do you have to be to spend, at the very least, hundreds of dollars just so you don't have to tune your own guitar? As long as you stretch and break-in new strings after putting them on the effects of stretching is minimal, and if I find a key is slipping too much, I tighten it. It's really not that hard, and I only have to touch up my tuning once every four songs or so if I'm playing hard.
Not worth the sacrifice in tonal characteristics, multiple tunings, and certainly not worth the added expense in my opinion.
Also curious, it looks like this would not work on a guitar that has locking tuners (how would it unlock them?)...
@surgex
That's a common misconception of the purpose of locking tuners. The only thing a locking tuner does is eliminate the need to wind the string around the shaft several times. It doesn't actually lock the tuner in place.
They already have bridges that lock and don't go out of tune (for as long as you would ever need them). And my bass guitar rarely goes out of tune (unless I bump it against something. I don't see how this is useful.
@Rocket Raccoon
Guitars go out of tune a whole lot more then basses.
@Tiptup300
I know ;) That's why I mentioned the locking bridges. As a bass guitarist, though, it is my duty to mention bass guitars whenever humanly possible!
@Rocket Raccoon
For one thing, guitars go out of tune for many reasons, not just the bridge. Loose or slightly worn tuners, imprecise tremolo system, binding nut, humidity... I mean the list goes on. I'd have to see how this thing actually works but I would doubt it accounts for everything - the only really foolproof system I could think of would be one that is constantly tuning while you're playing and making micro-adjustments at the source, ie. the tuning peg. But like others have said about this system, that would negate any trem bar use.
You seem to be assuming that a guitar string is of a constant tension and length, so why not just lock it in place and never have to tune again? But that's not the case. Many guitars have tremolo systems, for example, and the whole way they work is by varying the string tension - and in order to do that, they need to "float". How they float varies by guitar, but the point is the bridges on these guitars can't be locked in place without turning them into hard tail guitars.
Even on a hard tail guitar, though, every time you bend a string (and just pressing down is bending a string), you're risking putting your guitar out of tune because that string is going to come back to rest at a slightly different tension than it started out at - it's being pulled over the bridge and nut, and it's not always going to rest exactly the same way. Over a short period of time, that's going to throw your guitar out of tune.
No guitarist has a guitar that they never have to tune. Most guitarists have to re-tune their guitars every few songs during a live set - it's one reason why professionals have a bunch of guitars for each show, so they can rotate them in and out while a roadie re-tunes. (Or if you ever see a singer bantering with the crowd for a long period of time, chances are the guitarist is using that time to tune.)
I'm generally distrustful of new technology when it comes to guitars, so I wouldn't doubt that this system will create more problems than it solves. But going out of tune is a real problem that all guitarists face, regardless of what make or model they play. Some guitars are better at staying in tune than others, but it's only a matter of degree. No guitar stays perfectly in tune forever, and most don't last more than a couple full songs.
@(Unverified)
Not to be a jerk, but I'm graduate student in physics and I've played in a couple bands. I know alllll about how easy it is for guitars to go out of tune. Throw a pair of new strings on there and the guitarist will be out of tune in less than one song.
What I was referring to was a locking bridge that actually will keep the guitar in tune for a long time (long enough that you won't care, anyway) provided you don't do something crazy like grab the string and yank on it or bas the guitar around.
And my bass guitar really does stay in tune for absurd amounts of time. As you were mentioning, though, this is due to the very large gauge of strings on bass guitars.
I'm with you, though, on how I don't think this technology will be worth it (specially at whatever price point it's at).
Now if only we could do something about that non-conforming G string.
@DaveBach Uhhhh use a wound one?
@DaveBach right.....The g string always sounded tinny to me i hated it until i discovered flatwound mellow strings jazzy and sweet i highly recommend them. but not if you play EVH stuff or herman ri (think of of a very stereotypical accent when you read herman Riiiiiiiiii) he sucks anyway
@DaveBach
You guys got me all wrong. I'm not talking about the G string that is sandwiched between the D string and the B string as much as I'm talking about that unsightly and non-conforming one that is sandwiched between the left and right butt cheeks of that overweight gal that is bending over trying to tie her shoes but having trouble bending at the waist because she is looking semi-pregnant but hasn't slept with a guy in years. (Take a breath.) Yeah, that G string.
I wonder how this effects bending a string?
@scplayer4
You can still bend, it makes the bending feel a little more "springy" but is otherwise fine.
If you can't tune a guitar by yourself then you shouldn't be playing in the first place.
@puffthecat And if you can't repair a car, you shouldn't drive it, right?
@puffthecat This does not tune a guitar for you ... it keeps it in tune after you've tuned it.
@Pies That's just dumb.
@Pies
It's more like "if you don't know how to put the car in park, you shouldn't drive."
I don't get it. If it relies on strings, i.e. it's mechanical in nature, what is it doing at the Consumer _Electronics_ Show?
Springs, not strings
Having had an opportunity to see the bridge in person I just want to point out one thing that a lot of people seem to be confused about:
THIS IS NOT AN AUTOMATIC TUNER!!!
You still have to tune your guitar. The bridge then keeps the strings in tune forever (constant tension mechanism). You only have to retune when you put new strings on, but usually it's a just a tiny bit off (due to the small difference between stings).
This doesn't really compete with something like the Robot Guitar. The Robot Guitar goes out of tune just like any other guitar, and you (or the guitar) have to retune periodically.
@lookoutforchris So how is it better than a Floyd Rose? (Fixed or floating)
@Herr Synnberg
Break a string with a floyd and it'll go out of tune.
I think the idea with this is that since each string has it's own spring... break that one string, ONLY that string goes out of tune.
I just don't understand how this is supposed to compensate for less pressure on the neck if a string breaks... the neck will still bow up a little and pull the other strings sharp (just as with any fixed bridge guitar)...
I dunno, I try not to break strings...
"I asked for water and she gave me gasoline"
Its kinda like Steinberger Guitar's tuning system. Once you tune it, the tuning stays until you change the strings. To the previous post. I have a new Telecaster that stays in tune well after all night sessions. My 30 year old Les Paul just started to lose its tuning frequently due to two worn keys. I really like this idea though. Hope it is retrofit-able :)
The price point is all that matters with this. Real guitarists don't care about tuning their guitars, it's not even something that bothers anybody. New guitarists and young guitarists think that it's one of the great annoyances of life, and the only significant roadblock that prevents them from ripping tight solos.
If you can't tune your guitar, you shouldn't play.
If you can't keep your guitar in tune through a song, your doing it wrong.
If you look to gimicky spring loaded, robot controlled, self-tuning guitars to make you a "better" guitar player... you will never be "better". These devices make playing a guitar more convenient [when they work correctly]. Music should be about emotion; and there is nothing "convenient" about emotion... THAT'S WHY IT IS EMOTION!!!
Put strings on, tune, stretch, tune, and PLAY. As the strings settle-in, re-tune as necessary. PLAY, STRUGGLE, EMOTIVE that sumbitch, MAKE MUSIC DAGNABBIT!
It's a great idea... but my personal favorite is the original:
http://www.transperformance.com/
List of musicians that use it:
Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Rich Robinson, Mick Fleetwood, Eddie VanHalen, Peter Frampton, Sonny Landreth, Pete Townshend, Nile Rodgers, Graham Nash, etc...
Tell is to: STANDARD, strum, [3-5 seconds later] tuned. DADGAD, strum, [3-5 seconds later] tuned. 1/2 step down, strum, [3-5 seconds later] tuned.
Viola!