2007 Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar, First Run, Blue Silverburst Nitrocellulose & OHC

Now for something completely different! 

Here we have a super 2007 Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar First Run, finished in Blue Silverburst nitrocellulose.

Firstly, before we explore the guitar & its obvious playable attributes, let me say that the auto tuning mechanism does not work! It appears that the previous owner had disconnected it & used the tuners manually, which many people do seem to prefer to do, but in doing so, he has disturbed the functionality of the auto tuning system! My engineer has had a very close look at it & replaced the battery pack, as that was missing (Probably removed, due to the previous owner not wishing it to leak!!) & spent quite a few bench hours trying to figure out the problem, but to no avail, as its quite a specialist field of electronics! We have also contacted Tronical, the company that manufacture the auto-tune system, to try and ascertain the problem. but they have not replied to our emails at this time!  So basically, now when you engage the auto function, the lights on the rotary push-pull bridge tone control knob light up, but for some odd reason the signal is not being transmitted/received to the head gizmo that controls the auto tune facility! I’m sure that if you really required the auto-tune to work, then you could pursue it further, but it does not stop the guitar from being tuned manually. All you have to do to tune it manually, is just pull the tuning keys out slightly to “unplug” it from the robot mechanism & they operate as standard tuners, or of course you could just replace the tuners with a standard set for little money.

Therefore, as Tronical are not forthcoming with a reply, we have decided to offer it up for sale in this condition (This is reflected in the asking price!) If you can get this up & running, it would be worth circa £1,500, as these are true collectable guitars now.

Now onto the guitar itself:

This is a beautifully playable Gibson Les Paul, the action and overall playability is superb & the two chrome covered humbucker pickups (Alnico ll 490R, 498T) really kick. She weighs in at 8.2lb, so nice & comfy to hold. This guitar has little or no wear & tear, just some slight nitro crazing around the knobs & toggle switch, but all-in-all she is close to mint condition. Her frets are 100% perfect & she comes with her limited edition silver case, COA, charging adaptor & even her original shipping box. If you do get the auto-tune working & want to charge the Tronical system up (It still has charge in it at this time) you will just require a standard 9v power supply, they can be bought for as little as £5.

Regarding the history of this guitar then below is taken from the original media launch blog:

Robot Guitar Joins Gibson’s Historic Lineup of Limited Editions

The Gibson Robot Guitar, a new limited edition first-run Les Paul, continues two great Gibson traditions: cutting-edge innovation and a limited edition first run that will surely go on to become a highly sought-after Gibson instrument.

These limited edition Les Pauls, featuring Gibson’s amazing self-tuning robotic technology, launch globally on December 7, 2007, at select dealers, each of whom will have only 10 of these beautiful guitars. If previous limited run releases are any indication, they won’t have them for very long.

Each limited edition, first run Gibson Robot Guitar will feature a dramatic Blue Silverburst nitrocellulose finish, created especially for this limited run. It will never be used on any other Gibson guitar. Also featured is a certificate of authenticity, a power adaptor for the system’s rechargeable lithium battery, and a limited edition first run case with silver tolex and a plush silver interior. Each Robot Guitar’s serial number will also be sequentially exact, beginning with “RG0001,” and continuing through the end of the limited run.

Many of Gibson’s limited run models of the 1950s-guitars that could be purchased for as little as a few hundred dollars-now command huge sums of money as some of the most desirable collectables in the industry, and the same is proving true with Gibson’s recent limited runs. If history is any indicator-and it usually is-the Robot Guitar will soon join the ranks of such models as:

• 1958 Flying V (only 81 produced; typically sell for $100,000 and up)
• 1958 Explorer (only 100 produced; one example with original Bigsby and custom made plate cover sold for $611,000 at a Skinner Auction in Boston in October 2006; it was purchased new in 1958 for about $250)
• 1958 Les Paul Standard (only 434 produced; typically sell in the $50,000-$250,000 range)
• 1959 Les Paul Standard (considered the Holy Grail of guitars; only 643 produced; typically sell in the $100,000-$500,000 range, and up)
• 1960 Les Paul Standard (only 635 produced; typically sell in the $50,0000-$250,000 range)
• The 2004 Gibson Custom Shop Duane Allman Signature Les Paul (only 57 produced, and rarely available for purchase)
• The 2005 Gibson Custom Shop Eric Clapton “Crossroads” ES-335 (250 guitars produced, sold out in 72 hours)
• The 2006 Jimmy Page Custom Authentic Les Paul (first 25 were signed, played, and numbered by Page himself; $25,000 original price tag, but now typically sell for $80,000-$100,000)
• The 2007 Custom Shop Jimmy Page Signature EDS-1275 Doubleneck (25 Aged, 250 VOS models, sold out in less than two weeks)

The limited edition, first run Robot Guitar will certainly follow in the footsteps of these legendary Gibson instruments.