New Gadget Tunes Guitar Nearly Instantaneously

Have you ever seen a band that forgot, or just plain refused, to tune their instruments? By the end of the third song, the members sound so mismatched that it becomes difficult to tell who is even playing what anymore. Tuning is a nuisance, sure, but it is definitely of the utmost importance when performing a show at professional levels. However, a new gadget called the TronicalTune, seeks to eliminate the inconvenience of tuning while still tuning up a guitar.

Many players are familiar with Gibson’s Robot guitars, which can tune themselves to a variety of different settings. The TronicalTune uses that same technology, but can be applied to fit almost every type of guitar. The TronicalTune does require drilling, soldering, or wiring, instead users simply have to replace their tuning pegs with the mechanical tuning pegs of the TronicalTune. Then, turn it on, select a tuning, and strum all of the strings at once. The gadget will pick up all of the notes individually, and adjust the strings to be perfectly in tune. The entire process takes about five seconds. The TronicalTune also listens for the overtones produced when the strings are plucked, and takes them into account when tuning the guitar.

Currently, the TronicalTune costs about $299, but Gibson has already begun installing them on some of their models. Due to the ease of use and the ability to retrofit the TronicalTune, it would not surprise this author if the TronicalTune becomes the future of tuning.