"Min-Etune"

Unobtrusive, installs on the back of the headstock.

Automatically tunes the guitar by using mini motors to actually turn the machines.

Can store different tunings, recall them at the touch of a button.

Right now is only available on either SG or LP models.

If they should make the decision to put this device on their jazzboxes, I'm ALL IN.

Matter of fact, I might go all in anyways, nuthin' wrong about beboppin' on a Les Paul, y'know. Or as Pat Martino would call it, "the machine"...

We live in amazing times.

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/min-etune.aspx#


--Mac

When Gibson introduced an LP with this technology installed it made national news. It is a game changer, but at six kilobucks a copy, I don't know for how many. Do we know the cost of this new doohickey? (Luv to have one for a Strat with a whammy bar.)

Cost of the gadget as an after market device is 299 dollars.

http://store.tronical-components.com/select-your-guitar-model-below/

Tronical is the company making these things for the stock SGs and LPs but they are also making after market min-etunes for Fender, Epiphone, Taylor, Ibanez, and a few other companies. They are also offering them for a pretty good number of Gibsons beyond just the LP and SG.

Three hundred makes it a game changer indeed. They don't list anything for my Ibanez Strat copy. I wonder whether the Fender jobbie would work . . . Thanks for the post.

If you get into each individual model they have a template that you can download and print out to see if that model fits your guitar.

Pretty cool, Mac. You're right, we live in amazing times. When I first started working we didn't even have electronic tuners. Tuning up in a crowded bar was a nightmare, lol. Local, low budget recordings here were always flat to some degree.

Times are changing. This is good.

Gibson has the SG at right around $1000US and that is the suggested retail, not the street price.

The retrofit sounds very interesting, though, I can think of a certain L5 and another certain Strat that just might have those Tronical units in their future... Coolbeans.


--Mac

What is the weight?

I haven't seen an exact weight stated. It is only described as not weighing significantly more than a regular set of tuners. Their advertising says that it will not change the normal balance of your guitar.

Varies per model. Check the specs page for your particular guitar. Seems to be between 257-287 grams (Approx 9 -10 ounces).


Regards,


Bob

.
Wow!

...sometimes I change the pitch of my B string from song to song.. There is a difference if I am playing lots of open strings in G versus mostly fretted notes in Bb. Look like this system allows for that. How cool would it be to have memory presets where the unit remembers my personal tunings...

Regarding added weight at the headstock -- there are quite a few luthiers who actually do that anyway, adding some weight to the headstock can change neck resonances, often for the better, it seems.

Anyway, a wee bit more weight on the headstock would not deter me from taking advantage of the gain that fast automatic tuning - and scordatura retuning - brings.


--Mac

One thing to remember when interpreting what a stated weight for the unit means as far as total weight added to your headstock. Your old tuners are coming out and being replaced by the motorized tuners.

Especially when our keyboard player was tinkering on the B3, could not hear anything!

PS: I'd pop for one/two of these at 300.00 a copy!

Later,

For the working guitarist this thing could be wonderful. Gotta get one.(or three!)