I like the
idea of the robot tuning. I've watched a few videos of it in action and it does seem quite groovy...
BUT!! I just can't get over what it looks like on the back of a headstock... And what happens when it wears/conks out? I know you can use the tuners in the "old-fashioned" way, but you've still got this black plastic thing, looking like an i-thing of some description stuck to the back of the headstock of your otherwise nicely organic rock and roll beastie... (I know, I'm going to be a luddite when I grow up!
)
And the new "zero-fret" brass nut thing just looks horrid and unfinished to me. I do like the idea of a nut that can be raised or lowered... but I've heard tales of the strings catching in them and lots of fiddling required to stop it (and how does the G-force/min-etune robo-tuner cope with that?).
If not for these two features, I probably would have bought an SG a couple of weeks ago instead. I even roughly priced up what a set of tone-pros and tusq nut would add to the price of a new guitar... (plus the added annoyance of "wot are those extra holes in the back of the headstock for?")
As far as I can make out, only one current "looks-like-a-traditional" SG doesn't have these features, and that has the 50s neck like my Faded SG - which kind of defeated the object of why I was after one!! (I love my Faded, but I fancied having one of them slick SGs as well... I really should've bought a 61 re-issue a few years back when they were doing them... I told myself I was silly for wanting one when I had the Faded that rocked like a bar-steward!!).
But... luckily, this is all academic for me... it means I have this Les Paul!
I'm currently sat at work waiting to go home to her again
(oh, and the missus, obviously!)
