Members KB Gunn Posted April 19, 2014 Members Share Posted April 19, 2014 Craig, I was changing my strings according to instructions on my left handed Gibson Les Paul Studio with min-Etune and the g string auto winder stopped functioning correctly. It appears to have jammed and does not tighten if a string is attached, but does turn without any tension applied. Also, it only does a few rotations before making a squealing noise. This is a new guitar and the first time I changed the strings. I was told that a new mechanism for that string will be sent and it will take 7 to 10 days to get it. I was hoping to use the Gibson for a gig next Saturday, 26 Apr 14. Is there any way to expedite this replacement? Also, is this a common problem with min-Etune? I hope not. I was told that a warranty replacement can not be sent quickly and the only way to get it overnight or second day is to buy a replacement part. Also, I hope they send the right part because my guitar is left handed and the winder is where the d string would be on a right handed guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted April 19, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 19, 2014 How hard is it to turn a tuning peg yourself? I ask this question on several levels. First, can you turn these damn things manually if you want? If not, could you swap in a regular tuner temporarily? And why do you (or anyone) need a self tuning guitar? Do you play a bunch of alternate tunings? To me, autotuners are just one more thing that can go wrong at a show. Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted April 19, 2014 Members Share Posted April 19, 2014 For those of us in the dark about what the OP is referring to: [video=youtube;g08c4lqfJw4] I do think the minE-tune is an ingenious device.... but I think it's de rigeur for ANY guitarist to know how to tune his guitar... and tune it quickly, even during a show, if necessary. Even a guitar cretin like myself can do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted April 19, 2014 Members Share Posted April 19, 2014 Craig, I was changing my strings according to instructions on my left handed Gibson Les Paul Studio with min-Etune and the g string auto winder stopped functioning correctly. It appears to have jammed and does not tighten if a string is attached, but does turn without any tension applied. Also, it only does a few rotations before making a squealing noise. This is a new guitar and the first time I changed the strings. I was told that a new mechanism for that string will be sent and it will take 7 to 10 days to get it. I was hoping to use the Gibson for a gig next Saturday, 26 Apr 14. Is there any way to expedite this replacement? Also, is this a common problem with min-Etune? I hope not. I was told that a warranty replacement can not be sent quickly and the only way to get it overnight or second day is to buy a replacement part. Also, I hope they send the right part because my guitar is left handed and the winder is where the d string would be on a right handed guitar. I passed this thread along to the head of customer service at Gibson, and asked if he could expedite the process. If he can, he will...that's how he's wired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted April 19, 2014 Members Share Posted April 19, 2014 For those of us in the dark about what the OP is referring to: [video=youtube;g08c4lqfJw4] I do think the minE-tune is an ingenious device.... but I think it's de rigeur for ANY guitarist to know how to tune his guitar... and tune it quickly, even during a show, if necessary. Even a guitar cretin like myself can do it. You might enjoy the article "Five Ways I Was Wrong About Automatic Tuning." Gibson lets me write anything I want so I often geek out (like doing spectral responses of pickups), but I have to say that Gibson gig or not, robot tuning has saved me a huge amount of time over the years. For me, time is very valuable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted April 21, 2014 Members Share Posted April 21, 2014 You should have the replacement part tomorrow (Tuesday). However, you were already being taken care of before my note reached customer service, so I'm sorry to say that knowing me didn't give you any special pull at Gibson. EDIT - update - it will be there Wednesday. I was told repair parts are sent out Fed Ex 2-day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted April 25, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 25, 2014 Well I had a question in my post that I'm still curious about: can these turners still be turned manually when the motor in one dies? Because if so, it's just a nuisance and not a big deal in the middle of a show. I don't "hate" any type of technology. In fact I'm a big user of alternate tunings which I currently get by using a Roland VG-88 which accomplishes this electronically. I would love to have a guitar that creates the alternate tunings mechanically as it would sound so much better, especially when playing clean stuff. Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted April 25, 2014 Members Share Posted April 25, 2014 Well I had a question in my post that I'm still curious about: can these turners still be turned manually when the motor in one dies? Because if so' date=' it's just a nuisance and not a big deal in the middle of a show.[/quote'] As far as I know you can still turn the tuners manually, I know you can if the battery dies but I haven't had one fail to know for sure. I'll ping Tronical to get a definitive answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Yeah, they'll definitely work manually with a dead battery... but I've never seen one die / seen a dead one either, so I don't know if they can fail in such a way as to prevent manual tuning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted April 29, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 29, 2014 I suppose KB knows the defnitive answer about whether his will turn. If I had to guess, it would depend on what the failure mode was (electronic or mechanical). If electronic it would either be turnable (no power) or turnable after removing the battery. If mechanical, the gear might be jammed so the motor can't turn it and that would be the time to pick up the spare guitar. Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members groovezilla Posted May 2, 2014 Members Share Posted May 2, 2014 This failure is a blessing in disguise. Now you're prepared if it happens at a live show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kenny Begun Posted May 24, 2014 Members Share Posted May 24, 2014 I just wanted to respond to all the posts and update what happened. I have been unable to log on as KB Gunn and joined again as Kenny Begun. The failure was mechanical and the string did not respond to the tuning knob. Gibson was great in sending me replacements. I say this as plural because they sent one of each orientation just to make sure they sent the correct one for a lefty guitar. I happen to have no problem tuning a guitar manually and have had more than a dozen guitars over the last few decades. I think the minE-tune is fantastic. I like the fact that I can talk to my audience and quickly tune the guitar without thinking about it. Also, I have a song that I wrote in DADGAD that until now, I did not perform live. Craig, thank you for your efforts to get the parts sent. I was able to perform with the new guitar. Also, it was incredibly easy to repair. It took only 5 minutes. It is a great guitar and the robotics is well worth the investment. Regards, Kenny Begunhttp://www.kbgunn.comhttp://www.begunaudio.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted May 25, 2014 Members Share Posted May 25, 2014 Craig, thank you for your efforts to get the parts sent. I was able to perform with the new guitar. Also, it was incredibly easy to repair. It took only 5 minutes. It is a great guitar and the robotics is well worth the investment. Thanks, but as mentioned above they were already on the case when I alerted them to your post...so the only effort I made was redundant Regardless, I'm glad to hear it's so easy to repair, I've never had to repair one. I think I might see if there's a spare Min-ETune sitting around that I can put on my Melody Maker...I've really grown to love the pickups on that guitar. In other "Tales of Gibson," I've been borrowing a Les Paul Standard to do my GearFest workshop. Phil, I think your review really nailed it. It's obvious you spent quite a bit of time with that puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Like I said in the review, what a wonderful guitar! philthumb To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, if you had access to a guitar like this, wouldn't you spend quite a bit of time with that puppy? I certainly would - and have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted June 3, 2014 Members Share Posted June 3, 2014 So in order to have the mini-etune I have to buy a new guitar or is it a unit that can be retrofitted on my Les Paul or SG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author MikeRivers Posted June 3, 2014 CMS Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 So in order to have the mini-etune I have to buy a new guitar or is it a unit that can be retrofitted on my Les Paul or SG? http://www.tronical.com/ Craig can tell you (or not) if it's the same thing. Looks like it to me, though Gibson may have made some enhancements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 They're the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted June 4, 2014 Members Share Posted June 4, 2014 Ok, very cool! I'm on to it now, this deserves some serious consideration. Thanks guys! Update 6/7/14: I went ahead and bought a "low end" Gibson Les Paul at the Sweetwater Gear Fest just to get the min-etune. I haven't had much time to work with it yet but I'm thinking this could really be fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted June 10, 2014 Members Share Posted June 10, 2014 Here's my new baby.... hmmmm.... can't seem to post the photos for some reason...... I can't help but notice that intonation could be a problem with these guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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