Gibson Says Self-Tuning Guitars Are Here To Stay, Even As Purists Fret | Nashville Public Radio

By EMIL MOFFATT • JUN 29, 2015

Gibson’s automatic tuner now comes standard on electric guitars made at the company’s main factory in Nashville GIBSON BRANDS

A Nashville instrument-maker has spent millions of dollars over the course of a decade trying to perfect a self-tuning guitar.

It wasn’t until this year, however, that Gibson, the brand behind the iconic Les Paul, started making automatic tuners a standard feature on most of its electric guitars.

With the press of a button, tiny motors twist the tuning pegs and within seconds, the guitar is ready to play. The tuner is a small black box tucked out-of-sight on the back of the headstock.

“You know, people see it and they’re kind of taken aback at first,” says Craig Anderton, a long time musician-turned-executive vice president for Gibson.

He remembers showing off the device to a longtime guitar tech in Santa Fe.

“I pushed the button and I strummed the strings and I watched it and he goes ‘I can die now. I think I’m in heaven.’”

Anderton says while there’s a common perception that a self-tuning guitar is only meant for beginners, he notes that it can save valuable time for even experienced musicians – whether they’re in the studio or on stage.

“Basically, I think that all that really matters is that once you try it, you can’t help but get addicted to it,” he said.

A ‘Non-Problem’ 

But many musicians who’ve tried the automatic tuning guitars say they don’t like them at all. Some of the pros who frequent Corner Music in Nashville are flat-out rejecting the 2015 Gibsons.

Find out why pros are rejecting the new tech, here:
Gibson Says Self-Tuning Guitars Are Here To Stay, Even As Purists Fret | Nashville Public Radio.