Gibson Robot Flying V Review

With the recent revolution in technology, nearly every industry has delved into some pretty amazing innovations, making their products sleeker, cooler, and easier to use. The guitar industry is no exception to these developments. Take, for example, the Gibson Robot Flying V electric guitar. It has, as you might guess from the title, an automatic machine built within that actually tunes the guitar for its player. Let's take a closer look at it to see if this is just a gimmick, or if the overall quality matches the cool specifications.

Features: The body of the Gibson Robot Flying V, like most all Gibsons, is made of mahogany wood. There is just one finish available, and it's a bit unattractive - a burnt red with lacquer coating. That's really a matter of taste, though, kind of like yellow cars. The neck is set into the body, and is also made of mahogany wood. The fretboard, meanwhile, is mahogany with an ebony fretboard, twenty two frets, and trapezoidal pearl inlays. The hardware is where the Robot Flying V gets interesting. It has what are called "powerhead" tuning heads, and a Tune-O-Matic bridge with a CPU in it that detects the frequency of the strings when you hit them. Just by hitting the strings, the bridge will detect what pitch they are and sen the message on to the automatic tuning heads, which tune the guitar to perfect pitch on their own. Electronically, the Robot Flying V has two Gibson brand humbucking pickups, and a master control knob that can change tuning, volume, and tone.

Playability: Despite all the weird stuff going on inside the Gibson Robot V, the playability is virtually unexpected. You certainly won't ever have to worry about the strings going out of tune. The body is nice and light, as well. The only thing that takes some getting used to for shredders, as it is with all Gibsons, is that the neck of the guitar is a little thick.

Sound: Gibson brand pickups, though not glorified all that much, have great rich sound. The mahogany build helps improve sustain and resonance. The Robot Flying V is best when playing metal and high distortion, but, realistically, an instrument of this grade and price can handle just about any genre or style well.

Overall: The Gibson Robot Flying V is a great example of new technology. It may be a glimpse into the near future of guitar making. If you're really into the automatic tuning feature, like the look and sound of a Flying V, and are willing to pay the high price, you won't find many instruments that fit better than this one. You can find the Robot Flying V in music stores for about $1,600.