Honest opinion about the G Force tuners

sunburst · Jul 19, 2015

Hi. I am thinking of getting a new Gibson just for the G Force tuners. It seems many people are not crazy about them. I am just wondering if there is any compelling reason I should not get them. Let me tell you where I come from:

1. I already have two Les Pauls, so I am not getting my first Gibson and want it "organic" or "pure".

2. I don't mind that it does not have a display and you have to memorize the settings. I am not using in on stage and I can have a cheat sheet.

3. It doesn't have to be super accurate. I can always fine tune the strings. This is going to be a pure practice guitar.

4. Like all technology I know in a few years it will be much improved. But life is short and it will be a few more years where I am too lazy to practice many of the songs in alternate turnings just because I'm tired always having to remember tuning my guitar this way and that way.

5. I am thinking of getting the Studio with the super light hallowed out body and skinny neck. I have two Les Paul with fat necks and a light guitar would make a good practice guitar.

6. Resell value is not a concern. I don't mind if the guitar does not hold up in value because the tuning technology becomes outdated in a few years.

So with these said, is there any compelling reason I should reconsider getting one of those G Force guitars?

Thanks for any opinion. I just don't want any buyer's remorse and have it gathering dusts in the garage.

rgrace · Jul 19, 2015

I think the Studio would be a very good choice. They have a decent selection of finishes and are Avery good guitar when set up. I wouldn't let the Gforce stop me.

duaneflowers · Jul 19, 2015

Haters gonna hate... I have 7 or 8 guitars with G Force installed and I really like them. I don't really care how the technophobes feel about them. I pick up a guitar, hit 1 button, strum the strings a few times and I am in perfect tune. No muss, no fuss. With the number of guitars I have it's nice to have a few a few that tune themselves. I've been tuning my own guitars for 45 years and am perfectly capable of doing it myself... I'm sure my wife is also perfectly capable of bringing the laundry down to the crick and banking it with a rock instead of using one of those new fangled suds machines. I've gigged them with no issues whatsoever. Changing strings is a breeze. I've had a few units fail but with Tronicals 2 year no questions asked warranty (and my supply of extra parts) I wasn't down for very long. For gigs or rehearsals I always have at least 1 backup guitar. I don't use them on any of my historics but really can't think of 1 reason for you to not get one if you've a mind to. I'm sure you will get a bunch of reasons below, but again... haters gonna hate. :salude

jrfisher · Jul 19, 2015

I say "Bravo to you Sir" for analyzing your needs and making a decision based on your needs, desires, experience, and information gathered from other users.

Unfortunately Consumers often make decisions based solely on what they hear from Advertisers. Advertisers will always tell you the features of their product are "the best there is", regardless of what those features are.

Sadly, the government allows advertisers to stretch the truth to ridiculous proportions with no consequences.

Remember, the motto of our business system is: "Caveat Emptor", meaning "let the buyer beware". People must do their own research and make decisions based on their own needs.

Getting back to advertising, Gibson used to say their products were the best because they used Hand Craftsmanship and Vintage Techniques. Today they say theirs is the best because they use machines to control quality. They want you to believe whatever will get you to buy the product.

I've been reading political stories this morning and the whole "Lie to people to get their vote" is really bugging me. Politicians will tell you whatever they think you want to hear in order to get elected, then fail to follow through with their campaign promises, but not suffer any consequences for lying to the public.

sunburst · Jul 19, 2015

Well I went and test played the Les Paul Studio today, and I have to say I liked it. The only things I did not like were the finishes and the weight. I thought the Studio body is pretty much all hollowed out. They must use pretty dense mahogany if it's still this heavy. The finishes were either too candy like (red and blue) or just not my thing (desert burst). I did not like the dark cream color pickup rings and switch ring either.

But I did like everything else that mattered. I like the G Force tuners. They were very fast and accurate. I liked the neck, I liked the width, I liked the perfect fretboard with excellent action and no dead spot. I liked the coil tap wiring.

If I were to get one, I think I would go with the wine red and replace all the dark cream plastic with white ones and call it a day.

Big Al · Jul 20, 2015

I like very much the idea of the Gforce and especially the Zero Fret Nut. These things are an improvement and used right they offer excellent utility. The only problem I have is using the Gforce. My tired old eyes have a hard time finding the right button to push. I wanted, and still hope to, find a Jr that I liked for slide guitar. Having the ability to adjust the nut for optimal height and have automatic tune features for open tunings, like G and E would prove very useful to me.

duaneflowers · Jul 20, 2015

sunburst said:
Well I went and test played the Les Paul Studio today, and I have to say I liked it. The only things I did not like were the finishes and the weight. I thought the Studio body is pretty much all hollowed out. They must use pretty dense mahogany if it's still this heavy. The finishes were either too candy like (red and blue) or just not my thing (desert burst). I did not like the dark cream color pickup rings and switch ring either.

But I did like everything else that mattered. I like the G Force tuners. They were very fast and accurate. I liked the neck, I liked the width, I liked the perfect fretboard with excellent action and no dead spot. I liked the coil tap wiring.

If I were to get one, I think I would go with the wine red and replace all the dark cream plastic with white ones and call it a day.

Have you checked out any of the Tribute models? They have some different finishes and some don't look half bad. The 50s Trib retains that fatneck if that is what you are after while the 60s and 70s thin it down a bit. I think most of the Tribs are weight relieved... the two 50s I have weigh in under 8 lbs (the GT is heavier now because of the Bigsby) and they are really great playahs that you might want to check out. They all come stock with G Force and get quite a bit of play time around here. :salude

Big Al said:
My tired old eyes have a hard time finding the right button to push.

Better 'tired old eyes' than 'tired old ears' for musicians, eh? :hee

RNELEE · Jul 20, 2015

I have never used the system so I can not comment on it per se. But, there is something about looking at a Les Paul and the G Force does not fit. Something else to look for is the neck weight with what looks like heavy tuners. Those would be my concerns. One of my Paul's has the Grovers and I wish that they were the Kluson's because of the weight issue. Note, the guitar is not out of balance but I am aware of the weight. I don't know if the auto tuners do alternate tunings or not. But, if they do there may be a need for a truss rod adjustment. I admit that at 65 years old that auto tuning just does not resonate with me. You have to do what is best for you and this system might be just great.

renderit · Jul 20, 2015

I don't like them. I think they look terrible, and unfortunately for Gibson, appearance is the second reason I buy a particular guitar. To me they just don't fit. The first reason is sound. Those things are noisy. OK, it's while they are working, but I find it annoying. Many people find me annoying, so feel free to ignore what I just wrote (typed, scrivened).

I also don't like something that leaks acid anywhere near my guitars.

Smolder · Jul 20, 2015

I tried... I really did. I removed both sets I had. Slow, inaccurate... And the hand tweaking I had to do was a pain. They don't turn by hand well.

toxpert · Jul 21, 2015

I tried them one time...two different guitars on display at the local GC. I wanted to see want all the fuss was really about.
The G-Force tuners tried and tried a number of times...to finally settle on at a point the guitar was seriously out of tune.
Neither of the two guitars would tune.

The sales staff just rolled their eyes and nodded when I remarked that the tuners struggled without hitting the mark.

CDTGuitar · Jul 23, 2015

duaneflowers said:
I've been tuning my own guitars for 45 years and am perfectly capable of doing it myself... I'm sure my wife is also perfectly capable of bringing the laundry down to the crick and banking it with a rock instead of using one of those new fangled suds machines.

:salude Cheers to you sir for not being afraid of new technology! Now if they could just get that new tech to be reliable...

Kutt · Jul 25, 2015

"...but with Tronicals 2 year no questions asked warranty..."

Therein lies my issue with this sort of technology. In and of itself it's definitely useful. The reason I am opposed to it is that I expect all of the hardware on my guitars (with the exception of strings, if you want to label them as hardware) to last many, many, many years. I would argue that with proper care the instrument and its hardware should outlast me. Potentiometers might be the exception, but I now have guitars that are around 20 years old with their original pots which are still working like new.

I don't think anyone can say with a straight face that auto tuners like this will last more than say... oh I don't know... 12 years with regular use. Even with proper care. No dice. It's a moving, mechanical device. If Tronical wants to up their warranty to 10 years then maybe I'll try it. But most anything consumer-grade that's made today is not made to last for the long haul. You won't be able to find parts or replacement units for your G Force tuner in 2025 (give or take a few years) unless they're from an existing, used piece. That's gonna be a fact.

My .02

montesada · Jul 25, 2015

Washing machines tend to work, G-Force tuners don't.

Les'isMorePaul · Jul 26, 2015

I have 1.
I like it enough that I won't be selling it anytime soon.

May not be a ringing endorsement, but when it has a good charge, the tuners work.
I have a Variax too. it gets you to the same place, just by a different means.

I still sound like crap with either guitar.:laugh2:

Would I want those changes on a R9? No.
But, in the modern line, I think it has a place.

hextall27 · Jul 27, 2015

I have a 2015 Studio and it's my favorite guitar. The 57 Classics are great. Sounds like a Les Paul should.

I had the G-force removed after about a month because the gears stripped inside on one of the pegs. Replaced with locking grovers. It also would not hold tune very well slipping out of pitch every 5 minutes. The gears are plastic and while I had gotten used to the auto system, it felt very cheap and tuning by hand was like winding up a plastic toy.

I really liked the nut at first as well but the constant auto tuning wore groves in the zero nut that would ping when you bent the strings. My tech ended up filing the grooves deeper to act like a regular nut. So while I don't have the benefits of a zero nut I do have the ability to raise and lower the nut height.

All in I love the guitar but it took some work to get it to where I wanted it. Also of note, I bought this used from someone who bought it and was utterly digusted with it - for $800 Canadian, which is about half price if you figure in taxes.

I'd love to get a higher end gibson but can't put myself through paying big bucks and then having to customize it.

Kabatt · Sep 1, 2017

This problem still exists. I just bought a 2017 LP Traditional with the "New & Improved G-Force Tuners. On my very first gig (on stage during a set), while tying to tune, the low E tuning machine started spinning, detuned my string to the point at which it was hanging, and then ceased working at all. When I switched it off to tune the string up manually, the gears wouldn't turn and had apparently stripped out.
I've already changed to manual tuners. I would never recommend G-Force!

hextall27 said:
I have a 2015 Studio and it's my favorite guitar. The 57 Classics are great. Sounds like a Les Paul should.

I had the G-force removed after about a month because the gears stripped inside on one of the pegs. Replaced with locking grovers. It also would not hold tune very well slipping out of pitch every 5 minutes. The gears are plastic and while I had gotten used to the auto system, it felt very cheap and tuning by hand was like winding up a plastic toy.

I really liked the nut at first as well but the constant auto tuning wore groves in the zero nut that would ping when you bent the strings. My tech ended up filing the grooves deeper to act like a regular nut. So while I don't have the benefits of a zero nut I do have the ability to raise and lower the nut height.

All in I love the guitar but it took some work to get it to where I wanted it. Also of note, I bought this used from someone who bought it and was utterly digusted with it - for $800 Canadian, which is about half price if you figure in taxes.

I'd love to get a higher end gibson but can't put myself through paying big bucks and then having to customize it.

c_wester · Sep 1, 2017

Well I have them on my new Firebird 2017.
And all my other guitars are getting the robotuners as well.
I think you need the Titan nut for it to work properly.

Kabatt · Sep 2, 2017

Mine has the titanium nut. I still have my tuning machines and it's clear that one of them won't turn properly. I hope others have better luck!!

c_wester said:
Well I have them on my new Firebird 2017.
And all my other guitars are getting the robotuners as well.
I think you need the Titan nut for it to work properly.

Froggie · Sep 7, 2017

Had a 2015 Traditional, could not get it to stay in tune.

One thing to note is you can set the level of accuracy vs speed of tuning (Page 15 of the manual). I could not believe that the tuning was not set to the highest level of accuracy.
When I changed the tuning setting to maximum accuracy it helped. Overall, I did not get on well with it. Sold the guitar and bought another with 'standard' tuning pegs.

Honest opinion about the G Force tuners

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