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1. Gibson Auto Tuning Guitar
2. Gibson Auto Tuning Guitar Review Video
3. Gibson Self Tuning
4. Gibson Auto Tuning Guitar Reviews

If you haven’t heard of the G Force Tuning System yet, then you might be surprised to know that you can get a guitar that can automatically tune itself!

The Gibson automatic guitar tuning system isn’t the only one available but it’s one of the most well-known.

What is the G Force Automatic Tuning System

Essentially it is what it sounds like it is. It is an electronic system that automatically tunes your guitar for you.

Like, really.

It’s not like an electronic tuner that tells you how far off you are from being in tune.

It figures out how far off you are and then tightens or loosens the strings automatically until they are in tune.

All you have to do is turn it on, strum the strings and it does it for you. You can also choose to do each string one at a time. But at no point do you ever touch the tuning pegs. They are tightened and loosened automatically.

Importantly you do still have the option to tune manually. But make sure the G Force unit is turned off before you do.

How it Works

Basically there are small, lightweight motors inside each of the machine head. These motors can tighten or loosen the strings. The motors are attached to a controller module.

The controller can sense the vibration of the strings. From those vibrations, the controller calculates the frequency. If the frequency is not what the string is programmed to be, then the controller sends a signal to the machine head motor and instructs it to either tighten or loosen until the string is vibrating at the frequency that the string is programmed to be at.

Tuning All the Strings at Once (speed tune)

To tune all strings at once all you have to do is to push the on button, strum all of the strings open and then when the G Force is done tuning (when all the LEDs are green) it turns off automatically.

If any of the LEDs remain red then simply pluck that individual string until it is green.

Tune Each String Individually (precision tune)

If you want to tune each string individually (for more precision) then you hold the on button until the LED for the E string turns red. Pluck the E string – once that turns green, the next string will come up. Then pluck that string.

Keep going until each string has turned green (again it will turn off automatically once all the LEDs are green (i.e. once all of the strings are in tune.

Alternate Tunings

The G Force tuning system is set to tune for standard tuning as default.

However, there are also several alternate tunings that you can select – plus you can program in your own custom tunings too.

The tunings that are pre-set are separated into Green and Red pre-sets. The blue pre-set is where you enter in your custom tunings. It starts out as standard tuning until you program in your custom tunings.

There are also low tuning pre-sets. These are the white and the yellow pre-set banks. Then there is a Magenta pre-set banks where you can do custom low tunings. The Magenta defaults to C tuning (which is C, F, A#, D#, G, C)

The pre-sets are outlined in the table below.

Once you select an alternate tuning and have the G Force tune to that tuning it becomes the default. So the next time you use the G Force to tune it will tune to that.

To make Standard tuning the default again you simply go to the red pre-set bank and select standard tuning.

Re-Stringing

The re-stringing process is slightly different – and you can use the G Force to wind your strings too.

However, you cannot use a string winder when you have the G Force tuning system.

Other functions

You can also set the G Force to tune to another instrument. This requires some tuning by ear – but still makes the process faster.

For example – you are playing with a pianist and the piano isn’t tuned perfectly. You just tune one of your strings to the piano and then the G Force can tune the rest based on that one string.

Can I add this to an Existing Guitar?

The tech that goes into this has to be pretty precise. So currently you can’t just buy a g force unit and install it on a guitar. To take advantage of the system you need to buy a Gibson guitar that already has the system.

Does it Work Properly?

A lot of people are skeptical of this type of thing actually doing the job properly. But this was also the case when electronic tuners first made it to the market.

Yes, a lot of those weren’t great initially but now a lot of guitarists stake their reputation on them.

Now, even if you haven’t heard of guitar automatic tuning systems before, don’t make the mistake of thinking they are new to the market. They have been around since 2008. So they’ve had 8 years and counting to actually make these things good.

That said, there are still people who think that jury is out on this. Whilst, there are others who wouldn’t buy a guitar without it – because they spend so much more time playing their guitar and a lot less time tuning it.

What’s been your experience? If you’ve tried, or own a guitar with the G Force tuning system, how well do you think it works?

Is it a Good Thing or a Gimmick?

Is this kind of technology actually helpful? Or is just a selling point?

Some seem to argue that this is something for lazy guitarists who don’t want to tune themselves – or for poor guitarists who can’t tune themselves – and that everyone should tune by ear.

Others say it’s simply a convenient and fast way to tune – and that it doesn’t replace tuning by ear but simply allows for quick tuning saving time – and for a quick convenient way to tune on stage or if you playing with an orchestra. You can quickly and silently get in tune.

What do I think?

I think that it would be more than handy to have for a stage situation. And for tuning to other instruments.

I also think that some guitarists could use it exclusively and never learn to tune by ear – which wouldn’t be a great thing – particularly if your G Force ran out of batteries! And also because it’s a skill worth knowing.

However, like electronic tuners didn’t, the G Force tuning system isn’t going to breed a generation of guitarists that can’t tune by ear.

There’s a bit of a debate in the link below (you can also learn more about how the G Force works there too). Check out the comments at the end of the article – there are two comments by Joe Quimby and Dlydianb7 near the top – then scroll further down and you’ll see the start of their debate – a total of 6 comments back and forth (in my opinion Dlydianb7 was the clear winner).

More importantly – what do you think?

Is this a good piece of technology?

Is this something that will enhance the guitar experience or dumb it down?

Is this something that you’d like to have on your next guitar?

Just leave a comment in the comments section below. I’d love to hear other people’s opinions on this.

About Your Gibson GForce Tuning System

The Gibson G-Force Tuning System is based on the Powertone® system which was developed the Tronical Company®. It’s purpose is to make tuning a guitar both easy and precise.

How Do Auto Tuning Systems Work?

Transperformance ® has offered an auto tuning system for decades. Adaption of the Transperformance system occurred because installation required extenzive work to route and install multiple components.

Introducing the G-Force System as a factory installed part of new guitars more or less forced consumers to at least try it. Besides ease of simple tuning, the G-Force electronics allow for easy non-standard tuning such as drop-tuning.

Wikipedia describes the workings of this systems as, “The Gibson system uses the standard Tune-o-matic style bridge typical on their guitars, but modifications were made to have individual piezo saddles that transmit each string’s pitch to the microprocessor.[7] The computer analyzes the signal, and then controls each of the Powerhead Locking Tuners. Each tuner is run by a small servo motor that works in sync with the bridge to bring the string up to pitch by altering the string’s tension until it is within a desired tolerance.[2] The entire system is powered by a nickel metal hydride rechargeable battery pack housed in the control cavity of the guitar.”.¹

Tuning Your Guitar with G-Force

During an electric guitar setup Tuning your Gibson Les Paul for Standard Tuning is actually quite simple. It’s much easier to do sitting down. Always make certain your battery is fully charged. Here are the steps for tuning your G-Force guitar:

• Press the ON button one time.
• Holding your guitar in a normal playing position, strum all strings at once. You will notice the tuning keys turning as needed to tune the strings.
• If all of the illumintaed string indicators are GREEN you are done. If any are RED, strum that string by itself.
• When all string indicators are GREEN, the system will turn off automatically.

Refer to the Gibson Owner’s Manual for instructions on Alternate Tuning. The website SixStringAcoustic.com offers this information for Alternate Tunings, “However, there are also several alternate tunings that you can select – plus you can program in your own custom tunings too.

The auto tuning feature available in Foundation Fieldbus valve positioner Yokogawa YVP110, which drastically reduces startup and commissioning cost. Also valve signature created during the startup of the wellhead provides the baseline performance of valve in a specific process application and can be used for detailed troubleshooting and performance analysis of valves. Persision auto tune apple valley.

The tunings that are pre-set are separated into Green and Red pre-sets. The blue pre-set is where you enter in your custom tunings. It starts out as standard tuning until you program in your custom tunings.

There are also low tuning pre-sets. These are the white and the yellow pre-set banks. Then there is a Magenta pre-set banks where you can do custom low tunings. The Magenta defaults to C tuning (which is C, F, A#, D#, G, C)”².

Restring Gibson Les Paul with G-Force Tuning System

Wondering how to restring your Gibson Les Paul with the G-Force Tuning System? It’s actually very easy. You simply install your new strings as you normally would, however; you need to pay close attention to how you wrap the string around the post. Find the small notch and guide the string down and through it, then engage the auto-tuner system.

To get more precise instructions on using a G-Force Tuning System to restring a guitar you shold watch this YouTube video by Yorkville Sound. We’ve shared it here under YouTube’s Creative Commons permissions

Gibson G Force Tuner Review

There are a lot of happy G-Force owners, and yet a rather large number of very disappointed G-Force owners. It’s fair to say that the customer satisfaction ratings seem to continually climb with each new and improved version.

Some may argue that the system was put into production far too soon, which led to an early but strong bad reputation. To make sure YOU are doing your part to get the most from this system you should implement the tips offered at the GuitarPlayer.com website.

Author Gary Brawer offers 7 fantastic tips which follow his comment, “Motorized tuners are very cool in many regards, but here are several things you’ll want to keep in mind to get the best out of them.”³.

Solving G-Force System Problems

Gibson Auto Tuning Guitar

There are many years worth of Gibson guitar owners documenting problems with the auto-tuning systems. Common reported problems are that the guitar will not stay tuned, it takes multiple attempts for it to successfully tune, you get caught out with a dead battery, and individual tuners failing to respond.

Users on the Gibson website forum have remarked about problems with even new guitars. One forum user stated, “I have had the guitar for one week, played it for at least 20+ hours and the G-Force tuners have presented me with nothing but problems. The last straw was at rehearsal last night and the guitar was out of tune more than it was in tune. I have purchased many, many brand new guitars over the years and never had the problems with tuning as I have had with this one.”⁴.

G-Force System Replacement Option

Forget the question, “will I have problems with my G-Force Gibson?”. You definitely will, the question is when. When that day does arrive you need to understand your what to do about replacing your faulty G-Force system

The most common solutions for problems with G-Force Tuning Systems are as follows:

• Buy a Complete New Auto Tuning System. There are many sources online, such as Reverb.com, for finding new and used systems.
• Buy Mini-Tune Parts. You can by individual parts to repair your system. More than likely you will find that you’re still replacing the entire system but dragging it out over a period of time.
• Remove and Replace with Traditional Tuning Machines. Certainly, removing the problematic system will end current and future problems. Installing traditional tuning machines usually requires very minor mods such as enlarging tuning peg holes or mounting screw holes. If you’re not setup to do guiatr modifications you should contact a nearby luthier or guitar tech. Once installed, you know you have a reliable tuning system that will last for many years.

Gibson Auto Tuning Guitar Review Video

Where to Buy New G-Force Tuning System Parta

For new OEM replacement parts you can visit the Gibson website. Buying items such as the G-Force battery directly from Gibson assures you that you are getting a genuine Gibson part. There are many sites that sell low-quality, knock-off products. Visit the Gibson website to get the right part at a fair price.

The auto tuning systems by Tronical Tone and Gibson G-Force get mixed reviews by users. If the tuning system is functioning properly it offers a lot of convenience. If it becomes problematic you’re better off finding a G-Force replacement than enduring the hassles and cost of keeping it repaired. If you have experience with G-Force Tuning Systems we encourage you to leave comments below to share your thoughts.

Gibson Self Tuning

FOOTNOTES

Gibson Auto Tuning Guitar Reviews

• ¹ Various Contributors, “Gibson Robot Guitar”, December 28, 2019, Available from Wikipedia
• ² Nate, “G Force Tuning System: Gibson’s Automatic Tuning System”, June 14, 2019, Available from SixStringAcoustic.com
• ³ Gary Brawer, “Tech: 7 Tips for Tronical Systems”, November 15, 2017, Available from GuitarPlayer.com
• ⁴ Gary T, “Problems with G-Force Tuners”, October 13, 2014, Available from Gibson Guitars Forum