The Gibson G-Force Auto-tuner, a feature on 2015 Gibson guitars, promised effortless tuning. However, my experience, and that of many others, proved otherwise. This auto-tuner review explores why I ultimately chose to remove the G-Force from my Gibson SG.
My 2015 Gibson SG Standard, a fifth-anniversary gift, was a dream come true – initially. Beautiful mahogany finish, warm tone, excellent pickups – it had it all. But the tuning process quickly turned into a nightmare. A loose knob led me to Guitar Center, where a technician revealed the culprit: the G-Force automatic tuning system. Neither my husband nor I knew auto-tuners were standard on Gibsons that year. Every Gibson I’d played previously had traditional tuning pegs.
The technician explained the G-Force’s functionality, and I decided to give it a try. At first, it seemed to work fine, automatically tuning the strings with a few strums.
But a month later, the G-Force malfunctioned. My A and low E strings both registered as E on a standard tuner. This unusual tuning was sonically interesting but rendered my song repertoire unplayable.
Calls to Gibson’s customer service proved fruitless. Their advice: read the manual. Despite diligently studying the 29-page document, including recalibration and reset attempts, the problem persisted.
Further research revealed I wasn’t alone. A quick Google search for “Gibson G-Force sucks” reveals countless complaints about the auto-tuner’s unreliability and slow tuning speed. The Guitar Center technician confirmed this, stating hundreds of Gibson owners had opted to replace the G-Force with traditional tuners.
Faced with this information, I weighed the pros and cons. The G-Force offered the ability to switch between ten alternate tunings, a feature I never used. Removing it would decrease the guitar’s resale value. However, the prospect of reliable tuning and avoiding further technical headaches outweighed these considerations.
Ultimately, I chose to have the G-Force replaced with traditional tuning pegs. As a busy working mom with limited time for music, reliability and ease of use were paramount. The auto-tuner, while theoretically convenient, proved too unreliable and time-consuming. My newly refurbished Gibson SG now plays flawlessly, allowing me to focus on making music, not troubleshooting technology. For me, traditional tuners proved superior to the complexities of the G-Force auto-tuner. This experience highlights the importance of considering personal needs and prioritizing functionality over novelty when choosing a guitar.
