Musikmesse 2013 at Frankfurt will feature many interesting products, and one particular standout is the TronicalTune Automatic Tuner.
Here at Guitarsite, we’ve always wondered why mechanical tuners are not being pursued by manufacturers, thankfully we are now seeing a renewed interest for the manufacture of products like these.
Just by looking at the product images, you can easily say that the TronicalTune system is a clone of the recently released Min-ETune system from Gibson. You have to understand that Chris Adams of Tronical is the man behind Gibson’s original Robot Guitar auto-tuning system, so this is essentially the same Min-ETune hardware with a different branding.
The good thing about this mechanical tuner is that it is not as intrusive as previous products. It features a box that mounts discretely onto the back of the headstock and connected to the tuning machines. It then mechanically tunes the instrument to the tuning that you have set by pressing its controls.
Unless you look at the back of the headstock, a guitar equipped with TronicalTune looks and feels the same. Its discrete and easy installation makes it viable even for expensive vintage instruments.
Another key feature of the TronicalTune is its ability to adjust its tuning to match another instrument’s imperfect tuning, ideal when you find that you need to adjust your tuning to match a guitar player or bassist that does not realize their out of tune – in real time.
The built-in software that controls the tuners offers up to 12 types of tunings, and it gives you room to save up to 6 of your own custom tunings. This virtually eliminates the need for having to use a different guitar for songs with different tunings! Note that it can tune your guitar in about 5 seconds with just 2 strums!
This mechanical tuner is powered by an internal lithium battery that can last up to 300 tunings on just one charge, more than enough to handle studio or live performance tuning duties.
Finally, the tuner is being made available to fit on a wider range of guitars, unlike the MinETune which was only meant for Gibson instruments. The TronicalTune for Gibson or Fender is expected to retail for €349. To find out if your guitar is compatible with the TronicalTune Automatic Tuner, you can head over to Tronical.
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