The Morpheus DropTune

Hey wow! Another gadget to handle alt. tunings! Well not exactly…

This gadget, the Morpheus DropTune, allows you to downtune your current tuning. So if you’re in DADGAD, the DropTune allows you to go instantly to CGCFGC and so on. Cool in its own right but I’m not overly impressed by the tone produced. It’s digitized modelling after all. Anyway, it might come handy in some cases…

Here’s a demonstration of the DropTune:

The Gibson Dusk Tiger…

The new new “robot” guitar from Gibson:

The Dusk Tiger

Beautiful guitar with trilogy bridge…

I have to get one of those Trilogy bridges…

http://homepage3.nifty.com/soulalone/HP/hss.htm

Alt. tuning gadget

I can’t decide if I like this gadget or if it is ridiculously over the top. This will not help you play better. I’m not even sure it will help you understand alt. tunings better. However, the construction looks solid and it’s actually beautiful, as a trophy to hang on the chimney over the mantelpiece.

I’m not putting down the invention because I might well decide to buy it sometimes.

See for your yourself:

Here’s the company link: Chordstar

First tryout of the Varichord capo

As expected, no particular difficulties in writing new music with this beautiful tool. However, a notation system is required in order to properly archive and reference how the capo is set-up for a particular song. Here’s what I’ve come up with: string #: fret #

For this first tryout, I’m using:

6:2

5:2

4:open

3:1

2:open

1:2

Here’s the video:

Cette création par Jimmy St-Germain est mise à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Paternité-Pas d’Utilisation Commerciale-Partage des Conditions Initiales à l’Identique 2.5 Canada.

Gibson robot acoustic guitar prototype

Excerpt from Gibson’s Lifestyle blog:

“I could see a magnetic pickup in the “neck” position and there’s a Piezo underneath the bridge. A stereo jack carries both outs on a stereo cable, like the Dark Fire. There are three three banks of tuning, but the inventors are toying with the idea of adding yet another bank, as alternate tunings are so popular with acoustic guitars…although too much of a good thing can indeed be too much, so that decision remains to be made.“

Identifying a chord in a given tuning

I just found a nice online tool that gives possible names to a given chord. Of course we all know that without proper harmonic context, it can be difficult to properly identify any given chord. However, the tool provides a good starting point.

The tool is called “Chorderator Chord Generator“.

Just click on the button “More options” to access the alt. tuning field

The Varichord capo

The Varichord capo is another gizmo allowing the use of alternate tunings without actually retuning the guitar (on the other hand, you could tune the guitar to a tuning of your choice and use the Varichord to put the guitar in standard tuning…).

The Varichord is not available right now because the inventor, Martin Furey, has stopped selling them a while ago. Considering it is possible that information about this gizmo becomes less available over time, I’m quoting the complete review of the Varichord capo from the following web page:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/coleman005/Varichord.htm

The idea behind this device is that it lets you stop strings with a capo at places other than straight across the fretboard.  You can treat the strings individually (within limits).  The first thing I tried was to make it “finger” a D chord in dropped D tuning (DADGBE low to high).  After a few minutes I started finding new sounds on the guitar – sounds I could not have made without the device.  Next I tried an open Esus4 tuning (EBEABE).  This sounded, predictably, like DADGAD tuning with an ordinary capo at the 2^nd fret.  There was a big difference though.  I could play standard tuning chords above the capo without needing new fingerings as the string tensions were unaffected.  This is much easier to appreciate with a guitar in your hands than having it explained in words.

I think the main value in the Varichord is in helping a guitarist to create new sounds. I am not saying it’s indispensable but it could certainly come into its own during one of those uninspired periods that I’m sure we all go through.  It keeps you playing and gives you a fresh way of approaching something.

——————

This review is simply my opinion of the device.   I am not connected with the company and do not sell the device.  It can, however, be obtained from … http://www.varichord.co.uk/

The inventor is also an accomplished musician. Here’s a link about one of his recordings (“Howl“) which features, incidentally, the Varichord:

A new iteration of the robot guitar

Here’s the new version of the robot guitar, named “Dark fire”, which, I must say, looks stunning. The original robot guitar didn’t do anything to me but this one really looks good.

Gizmos coming out of the woodwork

I just found this ingenious invention on the web, the Timara String Drop which is basically a detuner but the detune speed is controllable and the inventor is some kind of crazy inventor:

Another path to alternate tunings: the partial capo

Like all previous options listed below, this one has advantage and disadvantages. The partial capo by Shubb allows the fingering of strings D, G and B and if you place the capo at the 2nd fret, you have an open tuning which is an isomorphism of the DADGAD tuning. It allows you this particular tuning while retaining the ability to form scales as you know them higher up the neck. You are severely limited however with what kind of tuning you can get.

The partial capo by Third Hand Capo however is more flexible and you can even place more than one on the fingerboard to obtain a wide variety of alternate tunings. You also retain the possibility of fingering scales as you know them higher up the neck.

Yet another option: the Variax guitars by Line 6

I’ve never been a fan of the Pod line of products by Line 6 (you might even say I snob the company). This may explain why I’d never heard of the alternate tuning abilities of their line of guitars, the Variax. From what I can see, the principle is the same as Roland VG series of effects.

The alternate tuning is computer modeled regardless of the actual tuning to which the guitar is tuned to. They are cool looking guitars and I’ll be keeping an eye on this from now on.

The acoustic self-tuning guitar

I’d heard about this guitar but I thought it was still in the prototype stage, but no… Here it is in all it’s glory:

An ‘acoustic’ guitar with automatic tuning

As a follow-up to my previous post…

I forgot to include another alternative: the double-neck guitar. Having two (or more) necks in different tunings allows the player to change between tunings seemlessly, during performance.

Alternate tunings in a snap

Tuning and retuning might be a drag if you use several tunings. However, there are a few options (meaning gadgets) that can help you.

For my part, I own only one of these: the Strobostomp tuner. However, I have my eyes on the Trilogy bridge for my Strat and possibly one Keith tuning peg for my Tele.

The Transperformance guitar

This is an electro-mechanical device which tunes your guitar to the tuning of your choice from an onboard database of tunings. This is absolutely the top-of-the-line, with a price to match. How do you get one? You have to send your guitar to the Transperformance company and they will hack your guitar to install the mechanism. Don’t send your ‘59 Les Paul…

You might be interested to learn that Transperformance is working on an acoustic prototype.

Tronical

The company behind Gibson’s so-called robot guitar. This mechanism works pretty much the same as the Transperformance guitar but modifications are less dramatic: you have to change the tuners and install a special pick-up close to the bridge. Whereas the motors of the Transperformance are at the bridge, the motors of the Tronical system are in the tuners themselves. In regards to alternate tunings, you are somewhat limited. You have a small bank of user presets (less than a dozen) from which to choose. You can, however, reprogram the presets.

The Gibson robot guitar costs several thousand dollars but Tronical markets their bare system at less than 2000 dollars.

Roland VG-99

The VG-99 and its predecessor, the VG-8 are sound modelers. The onboard computer simulates a guitar tone and, more importantly for us, virtual tunings. The guitar of your choice stays in standard tuning but the VG-99 will simulate any tuning you may wish to use. As with all computer modelling, a slight delay occurs between the strike of the strings and the sound produced. The VG-8, however, was deemed powerful enough by Joni Mitchell to bring her out of semi-retirement and go on tour again.

Hipshot Trilogy

A special-purpose bridge (models exist for many types of guitars) that allows three presets per string. The tuning is changed mechanically (with a lever). This system can theoretically give you 729 distinct tunings. At about a couple of hundred dollars, this system is cost-effective.

Keith tuning pegs

These tuning pegs, designed for banjo, can also be used on guitar (as can be seen on the picture below). There are other makers of so-called detuners but Keith was the first one to make them and they are highly regarded. These pegs have only two presets each (normal position and detuned) and installing one on each post will cost you a lot more than a Trilogy bridge. However, if you only need to detune for specific strings, this is the option for you. These pegs can be bought directly from the Beacon Banjo company, which manufactures them.

Peterson Strobostomp

Last but not least, you need a good ear. However, a tuner has never hurt anyone and the Strobostomp is the best bet you can make short of buying more expensive gear from Peterson. The Strobostomp has many presets that allow you to intonate the guitar to your liking.

The Strobostomp will also help you tune the guitar more precisely than all the usual guitar tuners on the market.