Introducing Gibson's Dusk Tiger: A World Premiere!!

[Northstar]

 

This is typical for Gibson - they make bold strokes, drenched in marketing hyperbole - but lack any ability to actually support end users with the small details - like never supplying the advertised Roland 13 pin conversion cable. Dark Fire owners had to wait 4 months for a proper Owners Manual. Before you write the check for the new Dusk Tiger, remember Gibson has a policy of NEVER selling replacement Robotic tuner parts, electronics, batteries, directly to end users. If a robotuner goes out - you cant drop it it off at your dealer and have it swapped out while you wait - instead you are forced to send the whole guitar back to Nashville and (with luck) wait a month for its return - Gibson will never simply send you or your dealer a replacement part for their latest Robot guitars. Since all Gibson electronics only have a 1 year warranty,and the Tronical components are always changing - you have to reconcile this is a product with a finite useful lifespan, that ends when something fails, only to discover no replacement parts are available anywhere. Read the official warranty here: http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Support/WarrantyRegistration/GibsonUSAWarranty/ This Warranty Is Subject To The Following Limitations THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER: Any instrument that has been altered or modified in any way or upon which the serial number has been tampered with or altered. Any instrument whose warranty card has been altered or upon which false information has been given. Any instrument that has been damaged due to misuse, negligence, accident, or improper operation. The subjective issue of tonal characteristics. Shipping damages of any kind. Any instrument that has been subjected to extremes of humidity or temperature Normal wear and tear (i.e., worn frets, worn machine heads, worn plating, string replacement, scratched pickguards, or damages to or discoloration of the instrument finish for any reason). Any instrument that has been purchased from an unauthorized dealer, or upon which unauthorized repair or service has been performed. Any factory installed electronics after a period of one (1) year following the original date of purchase. Cracking, discoloration or damage of any sort to the finish or plating for any reason. Gibson does not warranty the playability of a instrument whose "action" is lower than the standard "action" as defined in the owners manual. Its no secret that Echo Audio designed and builds the RIP firewire interface, but Echo refuses to support Gibson RIP owners with driver updates or provide user support for tweaking the driver settings to reduce latency. Gibson CS is clueless about the RIP driver settings, and will tell you they are a Guitar Company - not an Electronics company. Henry J will tell you Gibson is a Lifestyle Company - but you have to be able to afford his lifestyle, and have disposable funds to be able to discard last years model when it breaks, and buy the new improved version that arrives each year at this holiday season like clockwork. Dec 2006 - HD.6X-Pro Dec 2007 - Original Robot Dec 2008 - Dark Fire Dec 2009 - Dusk Tiger Dec 2010 - ? Most companies stand by the products that bear their name. But Gibson Corp will provide zero support for owners who buy their products 2nd hand, so the resale value for these high tech Gibson guitars is extremely low - since Gibson refuses to sell parts to end users to keep them running. Gibson Customer Support reps will actually laugh at you if you need help with a used Gibson Robot- after you reveal you purchased it second hand. By contrast -Most other manufacturers like Fender, Godin,Yamaha, Roland will sell replacement parts directly to anyone for all their products - to keep them running for years and multiple end users who need to rely on their tools year after year. PS - looks like the Bridge design for Dusk Tiger is identical to Dark Fire, so this means the Piezo Acoustic Mode and the Hex Output Mode will be useless on stages with high stage volume, as (Like Dark Fire)it produces high pitched feedback when played at high decibel levels. Here's typical issues with last years Model - the Dark Fire: http://www.futureguitarnow.com/forum/index.php?topic=361.0 http://www.futureguitarnow.com/forum/index.php?topic=418.0 http://www.futureguitarnow.com/forum/index.php?topic=257.0 I wonder if they got RoHS/ CE / WEE / FCC approval for this yet? It does use 4 embedded Microprocessors.

 

 

I agree 100%.

 

That being said, if the guitar fails (as it eventually will), it can be gutted of excess electronics and it will still make a decent electric guitar. Not the kind of message that Gibson wants to advertise anyway...

[elantric]

That being said, if the guitar fails (as it eventually will), it can be gutted of excess electronics and it will still make a decent electric guitar.

 

 

Yes - a Decent UGLY Electric Guitar.

 

That top looks identical to the fake 4' x 8' wood paneling from a cheap 1960's suburban tract home.

 

 

 

Gibson could fix all my complaints - just act like a responsible modern company that cares about their products and their customers - Like Fender, Roland, Yamaha, or Peavey!

 

* Open your eyes and realize ALL owners of ALL products which have the "Gibson" label (New or Used, under warranty, or out of warranty) deserve to be treated with equal respect and attention by your Gibson Customer Support Staff.

 

* Develop a comprehensive Gibson Service Parts department - with Service Manuals for your high tech offerings and maintain an inventory of Service replacement parts which you sell to anyone with a telephone and a credit card.

 

* Gibson could easily send a few spare Robotuners to your Robot Dealers, and maintain an inventory of replacement parts for past models you have built - instead of running out of inventory, then having to pay retooling charges to recreate older parts to keep the older guitars functioning.

 

* Offer a three year warranty on Electronics.

 

* Be straight up and truthful in your advertising - people are more worldly and aware today and tend to develop severe irritation when something is being oversold to them like an old 1960's Ronco commercial - like that dreck you call a press release here:

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/gibson-dusk-tiger/

 

Instead, why not try:

"Ladies and Gentleman, the most astounding innovation in the history of the guitar - a pledge of truth in advertising from Gibson Guitar Corporation."

 

as John Lennon sang:

 

I

[Northstar]

Yes - a Decent UGLY Electric Guitar. That top looks identical to the fake 4' x 8' wood paneling from a cheap 1960's suburban tract home .

 

[Bob411]

...and they wonder why the Peavey buying Gibson rumor keep popping up.

[Uma Floresta]

 

Between this Dusk Tiger, the Plywood Zoot Suit SG, and Hendrix Estate Strat Model - Gibson today exemplifies bad taste.

 

 

+10000

[Downer]

All of these complaints are valid and as a company Gibson should be embarrassed.

 

However, just a couple months ago I had a customer with a Dark Fire tuner failure and was able to contact a gentleman at Gibson that was quite helpful and sent the tuner out, no questions asked despite the fact I'm not even a Gibson certified tech! Whether he could do the same thing for me again if need be I don't know. Maybe you need to know the right people in those circumstances, it is a big company after all. They could probably do well to incorporate a LEAN management approach.

 

Don't forget too that they were moving the parts division from Chicago to Nashville. I don't know if that's still ongoing but something like that is bound to put a kink in the works.

 

Anyway, besides replacing that one tuner I haven't had a chance to really dig into all the features of the Dark Fire (though from the grievances posted here, many owners haven't either). So What I'm wondering is from what I read on the Gibson sight it almost leads one to believe the RIP interface can act as a regular guitar to computer interface. If so, can it still differentiate the individual string output of a regular, mag pickup equipped electric guitar?

[elantric]

However, just a couple months ago I had a customer with a Dark Fire tuner failure and was able to contact a gentleman at Gibson that was quite helpful and sent the tuner out, no questions asked despite the fact I'm not even a Gibson certified tech! Whether he could do the same thing for me again if need be I don't know. Maybe you need to know the right people in those circumstances, it is a big company after all. They could probably do well to incorporate a LEAN management approach.

 

 

I'm happy to hear that!

 

But it seems they have no consistent policy for acting responsible, and if you get the bad attitude Customer Service rep, they tend to ruin your day. On the Dark Fire forum I run, I get all the horror stories.

http://www.futureguitarnow.com/forum/index.php?topic=298.0

 

What I'm wondering is from what I read on the Gibson sight it almost leads one to believe the RIP interface can act as a regular guitar to computer interface. If so, can it still differentiate the individual string output of a regular, mag pickup equipped electric guitar?

 

The RIP works only as a basic mono audio Firewire interface with a normal guitar, but no hex processing

 

You can even get an XLR to 1/4" adapter and connect an SM-58 to the RIP, to record mono vocals in your DAW application - (Live, Reaper, Nuendo, Sonar, Logic, Performer, Cubase, etc.)

 

The dark fire employs a Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) Analog Multiplexer, which handshakes with the RIP to demux 8 channels ( Mono Mag, Mono Piezo, + 6 individual string channels. Its not digital.

 

Circuit is a modern CPU controlled version of this, employing 4066 analog Switch IC's in Dark Fire, and RIP.

 

Dark Fire (encoder) on the Left, RIP (decoder) on the right

 

Circuit above is from a 1977 TI CD4066 Datasheet. After Demux, Its not full audio bandwidth (20-12k) at the RIP, due to the Low Pass filters used to eliminate hiss - but its suitable for guitar.

 

I'm working on using a similar Mux/DeMux method for a highly modified GK-3A Hex PU, to replace the fragile 13pin Roland cable with a robust TRS type - to feed my VG-99.

 

 

A similar hexaphonic audio transport scheme was employed by Shadow Electrionics years ago for the GTM6 MIDI Guitar interface. - they were marketed by Kaman Music over 20 years ago as the Takamini, Ovation and Charvel MIDI guitars with built in Analog Multiplexers - to feed a 1/4" cable.

 

http://jpsongs.com/troubadortech/mgtr.htm#discon

 

MIDI guitar pioneer Shadow's first offering was the rack-mounted GTM-6 guitar-to-MIDI converter and companion hex pickup. Kaman briefly distributed this system, and offered four acoustic guitars--Ovation and Takamine, steel-string and nylon-string-- with Shadow hex pickups built in. To the best of my knowledge, these were the first nylon-string MIDI guitars in the world. An electric guitar version of the GTM-6 was sold with the Charvel nameplate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nik]

 

The dark fire employs a Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) Analog Multiplexer, which handshakes with the RIP to demux 8 channels ( Mono Mag, Mono Piezo, + 6 individual string channels. Its not digital.

 

 

I take issue with that.

The eight signals are each being quantised in time if not level.

 

Each is being transmitted for just 1/8 of the cycle time. The MUX in the guitar takes a slice of each signal in turn and sends it down the cable. Each signal will need to be low pass filtered before the mux. There is no discrete Sample and Hold circuit, but the fact that each signal has just 1/8 of itself transmitted is analogous to S&H.

 

The interface then reconstructs the signal from these slices. It will need to use a reconstruction filter to do this, removing high frequency energy.

 

And the distortion, crosstalk and other defficiencies of the CD4066 will make the over-all performance significantly lower than 16-bit, 44.1KHz digital.

[elantric]

Agreed,

I'm just repeating what Craig Anderton stated in his blog here:

http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Blogs/Dark-Fire--The-Inside-Story.aspx

 

 

 

One of the goals for Dark Fire was to increase the possible tones compared to a standard guitar, but without going the modeling route. This is a very

[elantric]

 

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/84790

 

 

Gibson Dusk Tiger

 

You have a rare wealth of creative potential lurking deep within, but until now no guitar has had the power to fully tap into it. Enter the Dusk Tiger, simply the most astounding innovation in the history of the guitar. In the wake of Gibson

[elantric]

Free MIDI Cable ?

 

Thats False Advertising, since this is NOT a MIDI cable

 

Its a Roland 13 Pin cable - you still need an external Guitar MIDI converter

 

Some Doctor or lawyer buy this for Christmas and complain he can't hook this directly to his Casio Keyboard and scratch his head when the Roland 13 Pin cable from the RIP wont fit the 5 pin MIDI Input on the Casio.

[elantric]

1975 Gibson Marauder

 

 

I do hear the Faces are touring again in 2010 - maybe they will give one to Ron Wood?

 

[Agreed]

Man don't talk smack on the Marauder, I love that guitar. One of my favorites in my collection.

[elantric]

In the UK These are priced at

[Cry Logic]

Dusk Tiger is possibly one of the most hideous names

I've ever heard of for a guitar!

And I agree with other posters here ... it's ugly.

 

I reckon I'll stick with my Strat, my Zoom G7 and my little

Sonnus Guitar to Midi converter.

[drunkinminer]

Thanks Henry for putting out another guitar I wouldn't dare be seen with. Keep up the good work.

[Agreed]

I really can't wait to see what the price on this thing comes out to. Geesh.

[elantric]

I understand MSRP will be $3600

 

could get

 

* Blow Out 2007 Gibson Robot $1200 (new)

* Roland VG-99 ( Altomusic) under $1000

* Roland GK-3A ( Altomusic) under $200

* RMC Fanout box $350

and have a guitar that surpasses this Dusk Tiger.

[Mats Nermark]

 

I understand MSRP will be $3600 could get * Blow Out 2007 Gibson Robot $1200 (new) * Roland VG-99 ( Altomusic) under $1000 * Roland GK-3A ( Altomusic) under $200 * RMC Fanout box $350 and have a guitar that surpasses this Dusk Tiger.

 

 

By far. Very far!

 

Cheers,

 

Mats N

[mfergel]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A face only a mother could love. Hideous guitar.

[(⌐■_■)]

why does gibson make such ugly guitars now

 

a les paul recording model look would be more appropriate for the type of guitar

 

 

its a specialist instrument BUT that means you have to have a generic body design/look to avoid turning potential users off

 

the selling points are the electronics whose gonna go "oh which expensive controller/recording guitar am I gonna buy... COOL TIGER STRIPES SOLD!"

 

not gonna happen

 

or even just a simple studio or double cut

[elantric]

Hands on Dusk Tiger - and Pics

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=634066

 

 

That dark rectangle and LED near the Neutrik Combo 1/4" TRS / XLR OUTPUT jack is just the on / off switch for the Hi/Lo impedance output. (D.I. Box)

 

Of less utility is the requirement to carry a custom "male to male XLR mic cable

 

But who checks their Press release copy. Seems Most UK stores (Andertons, GAK) are spreading false rumors that the Dusk Tiger includes a 5 pin MIDI output

 

It doesn't

 

Instead - Gibson simply decided to bundle our "missing in action" RIP to Roland 13 pin cable free with every Dusk Tiger.

 

Just watch when Dark Fire owner's try to order this cable for ourselves - I figure we will only hear:

"this will be Gibson's decision"

[elantric]

 

 

 

Hmmmmmm. . . .

 

 

 

Planks of wood with Crescent Moon shapes ?

 

 

where have i seen that before?

 

 

Now I remember!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[(⌐■_■)]

god of all guitars thats ugly

[tratra]

Gibson