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Robot Tuners Practical Maintenance


Buffalo

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I have the Min e-Tune on a 2014 SG. Recently had some trouble with it and couldn't find a solution online so posting my experience here.

 

While restringing the guitar, one of the tuners stopped turning, so it wouldn't tune the string.

 

I think the gears have become stuck. Anyway, trying to manually tune the string I snapped off the plastic part of the tuner.

 

So I was stuck with a guitar I couldn't tune, and was worried "what if this happened at a gig?". I tried looking up a solution online and didn't find much help. I did see people recommending switch it out for Grover locking tuners...

 

Happened to call my band mate who also has the device and he said he had the same problem. He replaced the single string tuner part, and now keeps two spares in his case (bass tuner for low strings and treble tuner for high strings)...

 

The tuners are not expensive on their own (Gibson sells them, look up tuner replacement parts). They are removed simply by unscrewing one nut and sliding it out. Something you could easily do on a break during a show.

 

I'm giving the robot tuners a second go even though they gave me a bit of a scare. I play live a lot and have been enjoying the convenience of the auto tuner. It doesn't need any electrical signal so you can turn down your volume if you aren't playing and tune up anywhere you happen to be on the stage.

 

In summary, the tuners have gears & electronics, they might break, and having a spare part on hand is a good idea if you are gigging. Just like spare tubes, or fuses, or even spare strings!

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I have the Min e-Tune on a 2014 SG. Recently had some trouble with it and couldn't find a solution online so posting my experience here.

 

While restringing the guitar, one of the tuners stopped turning, so it wouldn't tune the string.

 

I think the gears have become stuck. Anyway, trying to manually tune the string I snapped off the plastic part of the tuner.

 

So I was stuck with a guitar I couldn't tune, and was worried "what if this happened at a gig?". I tried looking up a solution online and didn't find much help. I did see people recommending switch it out for Grover locking tuners...

 

Happened to call my band mate who also has the device and he said he had the same problem. He replaced the single string tuner part, and now keeps two spares in his case (bass tuner for low strings and treble tuner for high strings)...

 

The tuners are not expensive on their own (Gibson sells them, look up tuner replacement parts). They are removed simply by unscrewing one nut and sliding it out. Something you could easily do on a break during a show.

 

I'm giving the robot tuners a second go even though they gave me a bit of a scare. I play live a lot and have been enjoying the convenience of the auto tuner. It doesn't need any electrical signal so you can turn down your volume if you aren't playing and tune up anywhere you happen to be on the stage.

 

In summary, the tuners have gears & electronics, they might break, and having a spare part on hand is a good idea if you are gigging. Just like spare tubes, or fuses, or even spare strings!

 

Thanks for the tip. I haven't gigged my G-Force LP yet. TBH I have only minimally used these tuners at all, preferring to make small manual adjustments when needed. When I have used it, I've selected the slower method of one string at a time.

 

Would it be that easy the replace one at a gig though?

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Thanks for the tip. I haven't gigged my G-Force LP yet. TBH I have only minimally used these tuners at all, preferring to make small manual adjustments when needed. When I have used it, I've selected the slower method of one string at a time.

 

Would it be that easy the replace one at a gig though?

 

It would be that easy to change at a gig.

 

My replacement part arrived today and it was about as fast to install as change a string (undo 1 nut). Unfortunately when I installed it and was tuning up the guitar another one went out. I was already scared of manually turning the tuners, and was being super careful. This time it just stopped auto-winding the string (high E). I called Gibson support on the phone and they said the gears occasionally fail. They offered me places I could go to have it fixed in town (not under warranty though), but the product isn't cost effective for me anymore. The one replacement was $40 plus $17 to overnight it. I'd have to pay that again now if I wanted to fix this second tuner that failed.

 

Instead, I went out and bought a $60 set of Grover Tuners. Took me 20 mins to remove the Min E-Tune and and install the new tuners.

 

I wanted to like the technology, until this week I'd been gigging with it all summer without any trouble. I'm giving my tuner to my band mate who has one so he has spares and doesn't get stuck like I did.

 

Hopefully next generation robotics will continue to improve. Until then I'm back in the traditional tuners camp. On the bright side, there is no difference in tone and I still love playing Gibson guitars.

 

Best of luck, and rock on.

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