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Body
Species
The body of the Robot Les Paul Junior Special is constructed from a solid slab piece of mahogany wood.
  Average Weight
The average weight of a Robot Les Paul Junior Special body is 5.21 lbs, which is about average for a Les Paul body. This particular range of weight helps create more balance, a solid feel, and brighter tones that prove compatible with the P-90 pickup configuration.
  Tonal Characteristics
Mahogany is a time-tested tonewood known for its warm tonal qualities and clear resonance. In this type of solid body, it tends to help yield maximum sustain of notes and chords, and enhance the resonance of the overall sound.
  Other Materials
The glue is a proprietary Type 1 glue that forms an everlasting bond, and enhances the tonal characteristics of the body.
Neck and Headstock
Species
Like many other Gibson models, the neck of the Robot Les Paul Junior Special is constructed from a solid piece of mahogany, which delivers the various preferences that most players demand: strong, rigid and light. Milled and cut to the proper “quarter-sawn” wood grain orientation and kiln dried for true climate acclimation, mahogany is highly machinable but extremely expressable in the hands of the detailed craftsmen at Gibson USA.
Truss Rod
Through the center of the neck is the same historically proven and recognized truss rod for the fine adjustments needed to ensure ultimate and personalized string action and sustain.
  Profile
Through the center of the neck is the same historically proven and recognized truss rod for the fine adjustments needed to ensure ultimate and personalized string action and sustain.
  Joint Angle
3.0°
Headstock Angle
The headstock is carefully angled at 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.
Headstock Logo
The classic Gibson and “Les Paul Model” logo are silk-screened onto the face of the headstock veneer. Together they form one of the most recognizable logos in all of music, representing more than a century of originality and excellence. There is simply no equal.
  Tonal Characteristics
The angled, classical-style peg head, when matched with the larger tenon, offers enhanced sustain. Fingerboard
  Average Weight
The average weight of a Robot Les Paul Junior Special neck is approximately 0.94 lbs.
Fingerboard
Species
The fingerboard on the Robot Les Paul Junior Special is constructed from the highest grade ebony on the planet. The resilience of this dense and durable wood makes the fingerboard extremely balanced and stable.
  Grade
C-grade
  Radius
The 12-inch radius of the fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.
Frets
There are 20 frets on the Robot Les Paul Junior Special. The traditional “medium/jumbo” fret wire is a combination nickel and silver alloy (approximately 80 percent nickel and 20 percent silver) specifically designed for long life and superior wear. After hand pressing it into the fingerboard, a machine press finishes the job to eliminate the gap between the bottom of the fret wire and the fingerboard.
  Inlays
Traditional Gibson dot inlays made from figured acrylic grace the fingerboard, and are inserted using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn’t require the use of fillers.
  Average Weight
The average weight of an ebony fingerboard is approximately .21 lbs.
  Tonal Characteristics
Ebony is always rich in tonal response, and gives each chord and note unparalleled clarity and bite.
Nut
Material
The nut on the Robot Les Paul Junior Special is made from Corian, which is mainly composed of acrylic polymer. It’s a very durable material, delivers enhanced sustain, and holds the tolerances of the precision cuts made by the PLEK machine. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard, which ensures proper tone and sustain transfer between them.
  Width
The width of the nut on the Robot Les Paul Junior Special is approximately 1.695”.
Neck Fit
Joint
The style of joint used in joining the neck to the body is called a Mortise & Tenon joint, which has been used for years in joining two pieces of wood to make one solid piece, especially in the building of ancient ships and cabinetry. It actually enables the neck and body to become stronger together than if the instrument was made from one piece of wood. The Robot Les Paul Junior Special is equipped with a larger neck tenon that increases the guitar’s level of sustain.
  Adhesive
The adhesive used to join the neck and body is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today.
Tolerance
Precise measuring equipment are implemented when fitting the neck and body together so that all angles, pitches and alignments exhibit a tolerance of less than .005”, which is required to maintain accuracy and proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard.
  Joint Angle
0.0° (+/- 15 seconds)
Finish
Color
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special comes in a Worn TV Yellow finish.
  Surface Texture
A grain textured satin finish with 30 sheen is used on the Robot Les Paul Junior Special. It is designed to emulate the aesthetic character found in aged instruments. Additionally, the flattening agent used to reduce the sheen compliments the finish by yielding a faster neck.
  Process
A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. It ends up a softer finish, which makes it easily repairable. It is also very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not “seal” wood in an airtight shell — as a poly finish does — and allows the wood to breathe and age properly.
Pickups
Model
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special is equipped with Gibson’s legendary P-90 singlecoil pickups in both the neck and bridge positions.
  Winds
The coil of each P-90 pickup is machine wound 10,000 times.
  Wire Material
The wire used in these pickups is made from 42-gauge polysol copper, which is insulated to reduce capacitance leakage. It is the same wire used in pickup manufacturing in the 1950s and 1960s.
  Coil Material
The coil of each pickup is made from ABS plastic, which is hard and durable and can withstand a broad range of temperatures.
  Magnet Material
The magnets used in Gibson’s P-90 pickups are Alnico Five magnets manufactured at just the right temperature to ensure high intrinsic coercive force, providing slightly higher output, and a stronger, punchier tone.
  Tonal Characteristics
The legendary P-90 – introduced in the early 1950s – is Gibson’s truly legendary singlecoil pickup, and offers the soulful, classic tone that only a P-90 can. Delivering more warmth than a standard singlecoil pickup, with higher output and sweet treble response, the P-90 continues to be one of the most popular pickups today, offering a distinct and powerful tone that remains unmatched in the face of relentless impersonation.
Hardware
Tuning Keys
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special is equipped with Robot Tuners™ Locking Tuners. Each tuning peg is equipped with a tiny, but powerful, servo motor that kicks into action once the system is activated. The Robot Tuners™ rely on the strings themselves to send the signals, eliminating any potential for interference. Made of lightweight metal with a satin nickel finish, the Robot Tuners™ weigh only 46.5 grams each. A standard Gotoh tuner weighs in at 49 grams. That means a set of Robot Tuners™ weigh a full 15 grams less than a set of Gotoh tuners, which is another indicator of the Robot Les Paul Junior Special’s true innovation.
Bridge
The revolutionary Robot Les Paul Junior Special sports a unique, highly specialized Tune Control Bridge which acts as one of the main components of the self-tuning robotic system. The Tune-Control Bridge is a modified Tune-o-matic that measures the individual tuning of each string via special saddles. The signal from each string is then transmitted to the control CPU in the control panel, which then transfers the signal to the Neck CPU and the Robot Tuners™ Locking Tuners, which, in turn, tune the strings.
Tailpiece
At first glance, the tailpiece on Gibson’s Robot Les Paul Junior Special looks like a normal tailpiece. But look a little closer and you’ll see that it’s far from ordinary. Gibson’s new Data Transmitting Tailpiece is a hub of activity. First, each string is separated by ceramic insulators that isolate each individual string signal and avoids confusion as to which string is being processed and tuned. There are also special isolating inserts that keep the ball ends commonly found on electric guitar strings from making contact and disrupting signal flow. Underneath the tailpiece is a tiny circuit board that processes each individual signal to the ribbon cable, which is then transmitted to the on-board CPUs.
Strap Buttons
The strap buttons are the same style and design that Gibson has used since the early 1950s. They are made from aluminum.
Plastics
Pickguard
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special features the 5-ply black pickguard.
  Truss Rod Cover
As with most Gibson guitars, the truss rod cover on the Robot Les Paul Junior Special is a 2-ply, “Blank Bell” design made from vinyl plastic. It is the same truss rod cover found on many of Gibson’s models.
  Control Knobs
The control knobs on the Robot Les Paul Junior Special are Gibson’s traditional Black Top Hat knobs with silver inserts.
  Control Plate(s)
The control plates on the back of the Robot Les Paul Junior Special are made from smoked acrylic and black ABS plastic.
Accessories
  Case/Gig Bag
Each Robot Les Paul Junior Special comes with a deluxe gig bag that features the classic Gibson logo silkscreened on the front, and plush lining on the inside to protect the guitar.
Electronics
Multi-Control Knob (MCK)
The MCK — the control knob with the illuminated top — serves as the master control for all aspects of the Robot Les Paul Junior Special’s amazing, self-tuning system. The MCK is what is commonly referred to as a “push-pull” knob. When in the normal position (down), it behaves as a regular volume or tone pot. When the MCK is pulled out, the guitar’s self-tuning system is activated and ready for use. It immediately places the guitar in standard tuning mode (A440). A quick turn of the MCK presents six factory presets, all of which can be customized. At any time, you can also restore the tunings to the factory presets and start all over again. The LED display on top of the MCK also lets you know when a string is out of tune, or when all strings are in tune, and even when the tuners are turning to get them in tune. It even guides the setting of accurate intonation. At the end of the tuning process, the blue lights on top of the MCK flash. Push the MCK back in and it’s ready to go.
Neck Central Processing Unit (CPU)
On the back of the Robot Les Paul Junior Special’s headstock, between the Robot Tuners™ Locking Tuners, is where you’ll find the Neck CPU. This genius little device is responsible for receiving and processing the data signal from each individual string and feeding it to the Robot Tuners™ Locking Tuners, which then tune the guitar.
Volume Control
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special features one master volume control with a potentiometer made by CTS. The pot (short for potentiometer) has an ohm reading of 300k, which allows for a smooth variation from soft to loud.
Tone Control
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special features one master tone control with a potentiometer made by CTS. The pot (short for potentiometer) has an ohm reading of 500k, which is the highest value for a panel pot, and allows for a very smooth transition from highs and lows.
Toggle Switch
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special features one three-way toggle switch made of stainless steel, which acts as the instrument’s pickup selector. In the down position, only the bridge pickup is active. In the middle position, both pickups are active. In the up position, only the neck pickup is active.
Input Jack
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special features a ¼” input jack made by Neutrik. It is manufactured from strong, high-grade thermoplastics and housed in a rugged diecast nickel shell. A retention spring inside the jack ensures optimum grip on any guitar cable, thus avoiding the chance of lost connection.
  Charging System
At the core of the Robot Les Paul Junior Special’s pioneering technology is a lithium rechargeable battery system, which takes about 90 minutes to generate a full charge that keeps the robotic system going for approximately 200 tunings. Included with the guitar is a power adaptor that plugs into any standard power outlet. Take any quarter-inch guitar cable and plug one end into the adaptor, and the other end into the guitar. In approximately 90 minutes, it’s ready to go. Use the shortest guitar cable you can find, because the shorter the cable, the less time it takes. You can always check the status of the system’s charge by turning the MCK knob to the C position. The LED display will give you a value between 1-10, with one being the lowest charge, and 10 being the highest.
Strings
  Dimensions
The following two graphs show the Robot Les Paul Junior Special’s string dimensions for the headstock, and between the Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece.
  Guage
The Robot Les Paul Junior Special is fitted with genuine Gibson strings, sizes .010 - .046.
 
 
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