Gibson Digital Guitar User manual

Gibson Digital Guitar Owner’s Manual
Congratulations on your purchase of a Gibson Digital Guitar.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Caution, risk of electrical shock.
Caution, refer to manual.
Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug
has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a
third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the
provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the
obsolete outlet.
Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched, particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus
has been damaged in any way, such as: power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has
been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, apparatus has been exposed to rain
or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
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Gibson has invested more than ten years in the development of the
world’s first digital guitar, with the goal of enhancing and advancing
the instrument, opening up a virtually unlimited range of new sonic
opportunities without altering or diminishing in any way the traditional
sounds and functions of the electric guitar.
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR
MOISTURE. OBJECTS FILLED WITH LIQUIDS SHOULD NOT BE PLACED ON THIS APPARATUS.

ABOUT YOUR GIBSON DIGITAL GUITAR
The Gibson digital guitar is a genuine Gibson Les Paul, with all of the features and capabilities of a traditional
Les Paul, and with revolutionary digital technology. Here’s how it works:
Hex pickup captures a separate signal for each
individual string and sends it to…
Onboard digital converter using Gibson’s patented
MaGIC™ digital transport technology to send the
signal out of the guitar via…
Cat-5 Ethernet cable, which is capable of carrying
the signal 100 meters with no latency issues or loss
of quality (thanks to MaGIC technology). The cable
plugs into…
Breakout Box (BoB), which converts the digital
information back to analog and outputs it in Sum,
Stereo or Hex configuration. In order to minimize
noise, all input jacks and output jacks on the BoB
are balanced.
MORE FEATURES
Classic Mode™ delivers traditional
sound from the humbucking pickups
only.
Headphone with volume control lets the
player listen to a monitor mix or any
other incoming audio signal.
Audio Out adds a microphone or any
other audio signal to the digital mix.
PLUG IN AND PLAY
1. Plug in BoB. The Breakout Box comes with a power source. First, connect the power cord to BoB’s POWER jack.
Then plug the standard three-prong plug into a grounded wall outlet. This is the safest way to power BoB.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MOUNT THE BREAKOUT BOX INTO A RACK SHELF. You may cause damage to the unit. The unit
you have received is a Beta unit. While the production model will have rack-mount capability, this unit is not
intended to accept a thread for mounting.
2. Connect BoB output(s) to analog audio inputs such as your guitar amplifier(s). Use a standard guitar cord
with quarter-inch plugs. There are three ways to connect the outputs:
STEREO output – 2x3 separation with EAD
(lower pitched) strings through one amp and
GBE (higher pitched) strings through a second
amp. Plug the cord from the amp for the EAD
strings into BoB’s 2-B FROM GUITAR output jack
(also labeled 4-5-6 R). Plug the cord from the
amp for the GBE strings into BoB’s 1-E FROM
GUITAR output jack (also labeled 1-2-3 L).
SUM output – all six strings together through
one amplifier. Plug the cord from the amp into
BoB’s SUM output jack.
FROM GUITAR
TO GUITAR
ACTIVE
POWER
DC 48V 0.8A
LR
1-E 2-B 3-G 4-D 5-A 6-E
OUT
4-5-6
R
1-2-3
L
™
SUM
DIGITAL
VOLUME
FROM GUITAR
TO GUITAR
ACTIVE
POWER
DC 48V 0.8A
LR
1-E 2-B 3-G 4-D 5-A 6-E
OUT
4-5-6
R
1-2-3
L
™
SUM
DIGITAL
VOLUME

3. Connect your guitar to BoB. Plug one end of the Cat-5 cable into the guitar’s MaGIC jack and the other end
into BoB’s MaGIC jack. The Neutrik Ethercon locking connectors were designed to maintain a connection, without
signal breakup, under typical guitar playing conditions.
CAUTION: DO NOT PLUG THE CAT-5 CABLE INTO A COMPUTER OR ANY OTHER DEVICE EXCEPT THE BREAKOUT BOX.
4. Play. In digital mode, only the Master Volume control (the knob closest to the neck) is active.
PLAYING IN CLASSIC MODE
Classic Mode engages the humbucking pickups only and also activates the traditional Tone and Volume controls
for each individual pickup. The Digital Guitar offers two ways to access the Classic Mode output: directly from
the guitar or from BoB:
FROM GUITAR
TO GUITAR
ACTIVE
POWER
DC 48V 0.8A
LR
1-E 2-B 3-G 4-D 5-A 6-E
OUT
4-5-6
R
1-2-3
L
™
SUM
DIGITAL
VOLUME
From jackplate: The standard quarter-inch guitar jack on the jackplate bypasses all digital electron-
ics and operates as a conventional, completely analog electric guitar. Use a standard guitar cord and
plug directly into a processor or amplifier.
From BoB: The signal to BoB’s Classic Mode jack starts out as analog from the humbucking pickups,
gets converted to digital inside the guitar in order to send it through the Cat-5 cable as data packets,
and then is converted back to analog inside BoB. Use a standard guitar cord to connect from BoB to a
processor or amplifier. Connecting through BoB using the Cat-5 cable allows your guitar signal to be
sent over 100 meters without the interference, signal degradation and other tonal drawbacks of a
standard guitar cord.
HEX output – each string with
its own output. This connection
requires six separate analog
audio inputs such as six amps
or a PC audio card with six
inputs. Plug each analog input
into one of BoB’s FROM GUITAR
output jacks (1-E through 6-E).

USER ADJUSTMENTS
GIBSON HIGHLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU DO NOT ADJUST YOUR HEX PICKUP. If adjustment is
necessary, Gibson recommends taking your guitar to your nearest, authorized repair center.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
For a list of authorized Gibson repair centers, please
visit us online at www.gibson.com or call 1-800 4GIBSON
Strings: The Digital Guitar is set up with Gibson Humbucker electric guitar strings, Medium Light
gauge. String gauges are: .011, .014, .020Wound, .028W, .038W, .050W. Gibson recommends replacing
strings with the same set.
See your Gibson Guitar Owner’s manual for additional information on the care and maintenance of
your guitar.
Clean the outside of the Breakout Box with a soft cloth and mild detergent. Do not use solvents or
other harsh chemicals.
There are no user serviceable parts inside the Breakout Box. Do not open the box. Refer service to
your nearest Gibson repair center. For a list of authorized Gibson repair centers, please visit us
online at www.gibson.com or call 1-800 4GIBSON.
USING THE HEADPHONE AND AUDIO OUT FEATURES
Because your Digital Guitar uses Gibson’s proprietary MaGIC protocol, it can send audio information
bi-directionally over your Cat-5 guitar cable.
HEADPHONE: To receive an audio signal, such as a stereo monitor mix, plug the incoming signal into
the L and R jacks on BoB, labeled TO GUITAR. The signal is transferred to the guitar through the same
Cat-5 cable that connects the guitar to BoB. Plug your headphones into the jack on the guitar’s jack-
plate and listen to monitor mixes, recording playback, talkback from the console, etc. The player can
adjust the HEADPHONE VOLUME with the rotary control on the jackplate.
AUDIO OUT: To add another audio signal, such as a microphone, to the digital signal coming from
your guitar, plug into the MIC input on the jackplate of the guitar. This signal is sent to BoB along the
Cat-5 on its own channel, separate from the six string signals, and is output from BoB’s OUT jack
(with microphone symbol).