Gibson Digital Guitar Page 4 Owner'S Manual Download

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To the new Gibson owner:

Congratulations on the purchase of your new Gibson electric guitar—the world’s most famous

electric guitar from the leader of fretted instru m e n t s .

Please take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the information in this booklet re g a rding

materials, electronics, “how to,” care, maintenance, and more about your guitar.

And then begin enjoying a lifetime of music with your new Gibson.

Summary of Contents for Digital Guitar

Page 1: ...OWNER S MANUAL ...

Page 2: ...1550 07 GUS ...

Page 3: ... 2007 Gibson Guitar Corp ...

Page 4: ... s most famous electric guitar from the leader of fretted instruments Please take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the information in this booklet regarding materials electronics how to care maintenance and more about your guitar And then begin enjoying a lifetime of music with your new Gibson ...

Page 5: ...tars 8 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Body 13 Neck and Headstock 13 Pickups 14 Controls 15 Bridge 17 Tailpiece 18 CARE AND MAINTENANCE Finish 19 Your Guitar on the Road 19 Things to Avoid 20 Strings 21 Install Your Strings Correctly 22 String Gauge 23 Brand of Strings 23 NEW TECHNOLOGY The Gibson Robot Guitar 24 ...

Page 6: ...body Electric Guitar Featuring a Les Paul Standardin Heritage Cherry Sunburst 12th Fret Marker Inlay Neck Fret Nut Headstock Fingerboard Tuning Keys Machine Heads Truss Rod Cover Single Cutaway Pickups Body Tone Controls Input Jack Three way Toggle Switch Binding 4 Volume Controls ...

Page 7: ...ts of the Solidbody Electric Guitar Featuring a V Factor Faded in Worn Cherry 12th Fret Marker Inlay Neck Fret Nut Headstock Fingerboard Tuning Keys Machine Heads Truss Rod Cover Pickups Tone Control Input Jack Volume Controls Pickguard Body Three way Toggle Switch 5 ...

Page 8: ...ic guitar the ES 150 1947 P 90 single coil pickup introduced 1948 First dual pickup Gibson the ES 300 1949 First three pickup electric the ES 5 1949 First hollowbody electric with pointed cutaway the ES 175 1952 First Les Paul guitar 1954 Les Paul Custom and Les Paul Jr introduced 1955 Les Paul Special introduced 1957 First humbucking pickup 1958 Flying V and Explorer introduced 6 ...

Page 9: ...Les Paul Personal and Professional with low impedance pickups introduced 1979 L P Artist with active electronics introduced 1982 First solidbody acoustic the Chet Atkins CE 1983 Les Paul Studio introduced 1990 Les Paul Classic introduced 1996 Les Paul SmartWood introduced 1998 Double Cutaway Les Paul Standard introduced 2002 Gibson Digital Guitar introduced 7 ...

Page 10: ...the ES 150 ES for Electric Spanish 150 for the retail price of 150 for the guitar and amplifier set The original ES 150 bar pickup with its hexagonal housing is now known as the Charlie Christian pickup because it was installed on the ES 150s and ES 250s that Christian used to establish the new concept of electric jazz guitar Gibson made several improvements in pickup design before World War II al...

Page 11: ...dbody Gibson designed the new model with a carved top not only to give it the look of a traditional archtop a style invented by Gibson but also to make it difficult for other makers to copy Les who had been playing a homemade solidbody guitar nicknamed The Log since 1941 specified a maple top cap to increase sustain coupled with a mahogany back to lighten the weight Les also speci fied the famous ...

Page 12: ...e slab body model called the Les Paul Special The Special was further distinguished by its yellow stained TV finish The double coil humbucking pickup invented by Gibson engineer Seth Lover debuted in 1957 on the Standard and Custom introducing the sound that would shape rock n roll music in the 1960s In 1958 Gibson introduced more important design innovations than in any other year in the company ...

Page 13: ...orn double cutaway shape and was renamed the SG Special SG for Solid Guitar In 1960 all four models were revamped and given a new SG body shape featuring a thinner double cutaway body with pointed horns The Custom Standard and Jr retained the Les Paul designation through 1962 after which they became SG models Gibson s design innovation continued into the 1960s when Ted McCarty hired legendary auto...

Page 14: ...sic and Double Cut Standard in order to give musi cians all the features they wanted in a Les Paul guitar In the 50 plus years of the Les Paul Gibson has offered more than 100 different variations In 2003 Gibson honored Les Paul for his achievements as a performer recording innovator and guitar designer by presenting him with a special Artist for Eternity Award As Gibson celebrated the 50th annive...

Page 15: ...with lighter weight mahogany used for the main part of the body and maple for the top cap Most of the carved top Les Pauls have the combination maple mahogany body while the slab or flat top models have a solid mahogany body Flying V s Explorers and Firebirds have a solid mahogany body Neck and Headstock Mahogany is a time proven material for guitar necks and the necks of most Gibson USA models ar...

Page 16: ...eostats and other electrical interference They accomplish this with two coils of wire wound in opposite directions so that they cancel out interference Also they produce a powerful sound that is the foundation of rock n roll music Gibson produces humbuckers in a variety of subtle variations achieved by the use of different magnets and different combinations of winding turns In addition some Les Pa...

Page 17: ...ickups on each Les Paul are set to Gibson standards at the factory they can be adjusted The height of the pickup can be adjusted by the two screws found at either end of the pickup in the mounting ring Individual string volume can be adjust ed by turning the polepiece screws Bringing the pickup or pole screw closer to the strings makes the signal stronger or hotter Controls The standard Gibson ele...

Page 18: ...ther than the addition of bass The tone control turned all the way counterclockwise results in maximum reduction of treble and produces the dark est sound The tone control turned clockwise to its maximum position allows the pickup s full harmonic frequencies to pass through producing the guitar s brightest sound Pickup selector switch The selector switch has three positions The up position selects...

Page 19: ... gauge or climate can affect the intonation and cause a guitar to play out of tune in some fret positions When this happens the string length needs to be adjusted and this is accomplished by moving the individual saddles forward toward the neck or backward toward the tailpiece The screw heads are on the pickup side of the bridge although there are many Gibsons that have the screw heads facing the ...

Page 20: ... string lose its intonation due to wear we strongly recommend changing the string and not the bridge setting Adjustable Stopbar Tailpiece The stopbar tailpiece may be adjusted up or down to change the downward pressure across the bridge There is usually no need to adjust the stopbar unless the strings are moving out of the saddles in which case the stopbar should be lowered ...

Page 21: ...itar polish fretboard conditioners string cleaner lubricant and polishing cloth will restore a finish to like new condition Gibson s nitrocellulose lacquer finish not only looks great it is also easily repairable by a professional Minor scratches and dings can be fixed without completely refinishing the instrument Keeping Your Guitar on the Road Your Gibson is a durable instrument It is likely to ...

Page 22: ...ain it can cause ugly water spots in the lacquer Sun Avoid direct rays of the sun on your Gibson Direct sunlight can blister or discolor the finish More Things to Avoid When using a shoulder strap for a standing playing position check that all contact points and strap fasteners are secure Guitar stands with rubber supports that contain dye or plasticizers can eat away at the lac quer finish or lea...

Page 23: ... edge and as the strings undergo further wear and tear they go dead Your Gibson will sound its best with new strings How often should you change strings That depends on how much you play your guitar how hard you play and also on your individual body chemistry Some professional musicians change strings before every show in order to maintain the brightest edge on their sound More casual players may ...

Page 24: ...vely for Gibsons Although the string set from the Gibson factory is suitable for virtually any style of music Gibson offers a variety of string styles and gauges for specialized purposes Install your strings correctly Improperly installed strings can slip which will cause your Gibson to constantly go out of tune To correctly install strings 1 Be certain the first winding of the string around the m...

Page 25: ... The set is designed so that all strings are in proportion to one another ensuring that the action and the volume will be consistent across the entire fingerboard Gibson offers 9s 11s and a variety of other gauges and compositions all of which are balanced for consistent tension What brand of strings should be used Gibson has been offering its own strings since 1907 and Gibson has more experience ...

Page 26: ...he calibration method as described in the Setup Mode section of this guide However since each Powerhead is self regulated with a Dynamic Runtime Algorithm DRA which ensures the change of runtimes according to each string after several tunings the system will perfect itself automatically A special eFunction algorithm is provided by the software to assist the tuning process We recommend using it in ...

Page 27: ... are pulled away from the peghead so they are in the disengaged position Otherwise the Powerheads can be damaged BASIC OPERATIONS The Robot Guitar s Master Control Knob MCK is what is commonly referred to as a push pull knob When in the normal position it behaves as a regular volume or tone pot depending on which series you have When the MCK is pulled out the system is activated When the system be...

Page 28: ...ing process they will behave as follows String LEDs Display Actions During Tuning Operations string not tuned solid red measuring frequency red flashing Powerheads turning yellow flashing signal clipping solid blue string frequency at extreme range solid purple individual string in tune solid green all strings in tune all LEDs flash blue 3 times During the tuning process the guitar will be nearly ...

Page 29: ...ad electronics the Powerheads or the body CPU as this will void your warranty Do not fret a string while attempting to tune the Robot Guitar Strings must be open for the system to function properly unless you are performing the intonation routine It does not require much force to detect pitch and to tune each desired string accurately and quickly Strumming the strings gently will provide best resu...

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Page 32: ...turned all the way down to 0 counter clockwise Pull MCK out and turn to E LED Strum all strings gently Enter by pressing the display once b and all string LEDs will shine red See above While you strum Powerheads start turning individual strings will shine green when in tune all LEDs will flash blue 3 times when tuning is complete After blue lights flash push MCK back in See above See above All str...

Page 33: ...to D LED Pull MCK out and turn to G LED A LED shining blue D LED shining blue G LED shining blue Enter by pressing the display once b and all string LEDs will shine red See above See above While you strum Powerheads start turning individual strings will shine green when in tune all LEDs will flash blue 3 times when tuning is complete After blue lights flash push MCK back in See above See above ...

Page 34: ... Pull MCK out and turn to e LED B LED shining blue e LED shining blue Enter by pressing the display once b and all string LEDs will shine red See above While you strum Powerheads start turning individual strings will shine green when in tune all LEDs will flash blue 3 times when tuning is complete After blue lights flash push MCK back in See above ...

Page 35: ...sured and stored Now strum all strings and the Powertune system will tune your guitar to normal tuning based on your chosen reference string LEDs will behave the same as during normal tuning When the reference tuning is achieved the I will flash on and off in blue Should you wish to store your new Reference Tuning simply turn the MCK to one of the factory preset positions E A D G B or e and press ...

Page 36: ...ured and stored their corre sponding LEDs will shine green When all strings of your Custom Altered Tuning have been registered the string LEDs will flash blue 3 times You may now store your Custom Altered Tuning to one of the factory preset positions Select E A D G B or e and press the display once The display LEDs will flash blue 3 times to indicate your new Custom Reference Tuning has been store...

Page 37: ...Press the display once and it will toggle to String Down Mode indicated by the Revolving Arrow switching from green to red Now activate String Down Mode by pressing the dis p lay for 3 seconds Powerheads will begin winding strings up close to normal tuning When they stop turning activate Normal Tuning mode to finish tuning your instrument Powerheads will begin to unwind all strings When they stop ...

Page 38: ...For unwound strings allow two windings around the post before lock ing down the nut Whether you are going to manually tension the strings with the Powerheads disengaged or using String Up Mode the point is to ultimately have at least a full wrap around the bass keys and at least two full wraps around the treble unwound posts when the strings are fully tensioned Cut the loose end of each string clo...

Page 39: ...ove or it could damage its connector TO ACTIVATE STRING UP MODE FOR A SINGLE STRING as in the case of replacing a string broken while playing Install the string in the manner described above remember saddle contact is crucial Simply select the LED for the string you are replacing turn to the green revolving arrow and toggle it from green to red and back to green Press the display for three seconds...

Page 40: ...one of the strings until the according LED shines green For example D After 2 seconds b LED turns off and LED shines green Pick the same string now in the 12th fret and strum it I LED shining blue INTONATION MODE ONLY GIBSON MODELS Pull MCK out and turn to LED Before starting the Intonation Mode we recommend to perform Normal tuning 440Hz ...

Page 41: ... turn counter clockwise Now a colored blink code displays the appropriate correction for the intonation screw For example 5 half turns clockwise For example 6 half turns counter clockwise Repeat Intonation Mode for each string A correctly intonated string is indicated by a blue LED I LED shining blue MCK is now in the position of the string you are intonating ...

Page 42: ...te while selecting your fundamental pressing the display will toggle the red LED on and off and the other displayed LEDs will remain blue 435Hz C and E LED blue 436Hz C and E LED blue LED red 437Hz C and A LED blue 438Hz C and A LED blue LED red 439Hz C and D LED blue 440Hz C and D LED blue LED red 441Hz C and G LED blue 442Hz C and G LED blue LED red 443Hz C and B LED blue 444Hz C and B LED blue ...

Page 43: ...Calibration Offset pull MCK out and press LED C for three seconds Now a colored blink code displays the fundamental in Hz red hundreds green tens blue ones yellow 0 Example 440Hz 4 red LEDs Pause 4 green LEDs Pause 1 yellow LED Example 436Hz 4 red LEDs Pause 3 green LEDs Pause 6 blue LEDs red LED Spin lower than 440Hz Concert Pitch Example 445Hz 4 red LEDs Pause 4 green LEDs Pause 5 blue LEDs gree...

Page 44: ...tton Now press the display again for 3 seconds It will flash 3 times and stop Now the Peg LED will be solid white and b will be red You are now in Setup Mode This is the first step to Enter Setup Mode SETUP MODE The various important functions in Setup Mode can be accessed individually once Setup Mode is activated We will now describe how to enter and exit Setup Mode and we ll list the various fun...

Page 45: ...aving changes Exit Setup Mode saving changes Push MCK back in Dependent on Setup Mode function last utilized Setup Mode switches off Setup Mode function applied You can exit Setup Mode at any time Your Setup Mode function is now stored All outer LEDs will flash blue green 3 times ...

Page 46: ...ion Data set to default Dynamic Runtime Correction is switched on eFunction Correction is switched on Tuning accuracy is set to 4 out of 6 Calibration Data is restored Red Major Release Number Green Minor Release Number Blue Revision Level For Example Software Release 2 3 5 would be shown as 2 red flashes followed by 3 green flashes followed by 5 blue flashes FUNCTIONS INCLUDED IN SETUP MODE Funct...

Page 47: ...ce LED C shining blue Peg LED shines white Turn MCK left Counterclockwise to switch off Global Calibration red B LED indicates OFF Turn MCK left clockwise to switch on Global Calibration green LED indicates ON Press Enter to store When a Calibration Mode is in effect your selected fundamental frequency will now apply to all your presets ...

Page 48: ...d Preset Tuning Enter Setup Mode and turn to LED and press Enter Enter Setup Mode and turn to LED and press Enter Turn MCK to I and press Enter Turn MCK to one of the Presets and press Enter Last Tuning is activated on startup Select Preset Tuning is activated on startup FUNCTIONS INCLUDED IN SETUP MODE ...

Page 49: ...tting will show 4 green flashing LEDs indicating that you are using an accuracy setting of approx 1 Cent which is practical for most applications Relaxing this setting will cause the overall tuning process to run at a faster rate and this can be useful in live applications In the studio you would want the maximum accuracy measurable In this case range will be changed and adjusted by rotating the M...

Page 50: ... b will be shining red B LED shines blue Peg LED shines white shines green when DRC is on b shines red when DRC is off shines green when eFunction is on b shines red when eFunction is off Function MCK Position Display LEDs Action Remarks TurnMCK left to switch off DRC turn MCK right clockwise to switch on DRC Press Enter to store TurnMCK left to switch off eFunction turn MCK right clockwise to swi...

Page 51: ... the system will perfect itself automatically MANUAL CALIBRATION OF POWERHEADS Enter Setup Mode and turn to LED I press display The Peg and I LEDs will shine white Now you are ready to calibrate any or all of your Powerheads First turn the MCK to the Powerhead you want to calibrate selected strings are indicated by solid blue and press the display once Strum the string and it will begin to alterna...

Page 52: ... need to open your guitar to access any of the battery charging functions When the system is enabled but inactive for more than one minute the battery will switch off automatically A special protection mode is built into the charging system so always begin the charging process by connecting your guitar cord to the charger last Short patch cords are most effective during charging BATTERY LEVEL Each...

Page 53: ... normal position when charging is complete A full charge should take no more than 90 minutes Function MCK Position Display LEDs Action Remarks Now you will see a flashing red battery symbol on the MCK indicating your system is looking for its charger Plug in the AC power plug of your charging unit and the charger will flash red too Connect the charging unit to the guitar with a standard guitar cor...

Page 54: ... the charger and power it up The charger will soon blink red seeking a guitar The charger will recognize the problem and after 30 seconds will blink yellow It will soon provide enough charge to activate and switch to normal charging mode automatically The length of time it takes to re activate the normal charging mode can be from a few seconds to a minute or more AUTOMATIC SWITCH OFF MODE If the M...

Page 55: ...e employed SHORT CIRCUIT WARNING In the event of a short circuit from negative to ground Strings E or A to D or G the white peg symbol will flash This can be caused if strings are not trimmed properly at the headstock If the short circuit runs from B or hi E to D A or low E the peg will flash yellow Check to make sure no strings touch one another ...

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Page 63: ...6 309 Plus Park Boulevard Nashville TN 37217 USA 1 800 4GIBSON www gibson com ...

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