Conference napalm::guitar

3104.0. "DTS-1 Self Tuning Guitar (Extract from Inet)" by OCTAVE::VIGNEAULT (Minister of chiles) Wed Jul 26 1995 14:57

    
From: dhaile@csn.net (David Haile
Newsgroups: alt.guita
Subject: Re: Anyone know about Self-Tuning Guitar
Date: 25 Jul 1995 13:41:14 -060
Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc
Message-ID: <3v3hcq$vs@teal.csn.net
References: <3v1eae$nkt@ixnews4.ix.netcom.com

In article <3v1eae$nkt@ixnews4.ix.netcom.com>,
Jim Doherty  <cic1@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Anyone,
>
>I'm dying to know more about the DTS-1, self tuning guitar.  Can anyone
>help me??!! I hear it can store up to 200 alternate tunings, all
>electro-mechanically changed.  Help?

I just returned from the home of Neil Skinn, one of the two people who
invented the automatic tuning guitar that Jimmy Page uses.  I'm
setting myself up as the Internet Expert on this automatic tuning
system, since they do not yet have internet access.  I'll include
their phone and address if you want more information, but anybody can
e-mail me directly at <dhaile@csn.org> and I'll try to answer the
questions myself or will forward the question to Neil & Co.  I do not
have any financial or otherwise beneficial link with the company.
They are a small local company that has invented and manufactured a
well-designed and useful product.


Quick Summary:

The company is TransPerformance and the product is the Digital Tuning
System (DTS-1).  It is a computer-controlled system that uses 6 small
motors, one attached to each string, to modify guitar tunings
on-the-fly.  It comes with 120 pre-programmed standard tunings with
room for you to add 200 more in memory.  At the push of a button or
footswitch, motors are activated and string tensions are adjusted.  It 
uses some sort of sensor for each string to determine its frequency.
You can jump among tunings with complete, reproducible accuracy.  It 
can tune up/down one whole step in one second.  The belt-mounted 
battery pack is good for 90 minutes of playing, assuming 90 separate 
tuning changes; longer if fewer tuning changes are used.  It uses small 
12 volt lead acid batteries for performance or a wall-plugged power 
supply for practice.

They successfully answered the questions that I had about tuning
temperaments.  They completely understand the different temperaments
and the unit comes with the more common ones already installed.  You
can customize it for your own temperaments, of course.

It mounts on any Les Paul style guitar, though all (or nearly all)
installations use genuine Gibson Les Pauls.  One of the articles that
I've seen mentions that they are working on an acoustic guitar
version, but I didn't specifically ask them about it.  It looks like
it is extremely well designed and very strong.  The adjusting lever
assembly replaces the bridge.  The electric motors, gear boxes, and
controller assembly mounts in a cavity within the guitar.  The top of
the guitar contains a row of six switches which select and modify the
various tunings.  A small character display is mounted on the upper
edge of the guitar and displays current settings and programming
menus.


Price:

$3995 - you supply guitar
$4995 - TransPerformance supplies the guitar
The Digital Tuning System comes complete with a one-year warranty,
power supply, footswitch, battery charger, two batteries, and the
owners and service manuals.


Famous Owners:

Jimmy Page - owns 3
Mark Slaughter - owns 3
Joe Perry (Aerosmith) - uses one in their encore
Tom Keifer (Cinderella)
Ed Roland (Collective Soul)
Graham Nash (Crosby, Stills.. you get it) - owns 2, uses them for
  recording
Dave Beegle (local Ft. Collins guy) - does amazing things with his
  guitar


Location Information:

Neil Skinn
TransPerformance, Inc.
2526 Courtland Court
Ft. Collins, Colorado, 80526-1324 (USA)
(303) 482-9132

They will have a Web site soon.

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 /         David W. Haile - Ft. Collins, Colorado - dhaile@csn.org      
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| David W. Haile, Ft. Collins, CO <dhaile@csn.org>  - Will work for $$$.
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