Wilkinson ATD HT440 self-tuning hardtail bridge

[Annoying Twit]

Does anyone know if the Wilkinson ATD HT440 self-tuning hardtail bridge can be bought separately, and if so, how much does it cost? Or, do you have to buy the Fret-King Super-Matic to get one?

 

gC1LE9PDk6k

 

Edit: According to this it will be available "to all manufacturers".

 

Doesn't Gibson or someone have a patent on self-tuning guitars? Or did someone invent it long enough ago that the patent has expired?

[Ratae Corieltauvorum]

Now that is ultra cool as {censored}

 

Trev hits the jackpot again

[IamBurnout]

Now that's cool!

[Frets99]

Wicked!!

 

Pretty damned amazing stuff!!

[webwarmiller]

 

Doesn't Gibson or someone have a patent on self-tuning guitars? Or did someone invent it long enough ago that the patent has expired?

 

 

You could only patent the method/device used to self-tune....not self-tuning itself.

[Annoying Twit]

 

You could only patent the method/device used to self-tune....not self-tuning itself.

 

 

Yes, that's a good point. I wonder if that's part of why the Wilkinson auto-tuner is at the bridge, unlike the (I believe) tuning machines of the Gibson.

 

Personally I think Wilkinson has been very canny making it available "to all manufacturers", and in making it fit a standard strat route. As loads of manufacturers can now release their own "robot" guitars with minimal development cost. They don't even have to design a new body!

 

Since it has a hex pickup, I wonder if he'll release a model with a 13 pin output for guitar to midi converters.