Welcome! The Dark Fire is the most innovative new guitar in several decades.

While the guitar may look very traditional, it has many features that go well past what the world has seen before. We have worked very hard so you can begin to enjoy the instrument with very little instruction. To get the most out of this instrument, you will be delighted to explore its features via the Dark Fire website (www.gibson.com/darkfire), where we have instructional videos, manuals and a thriving community of fellow owners trading tips and secrets. As always, you can call with any questions (1.800.4.GIBSON in the USA, or other numbers worldwide) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

1 Charge the battery .

The guitar works on battery power and the battery must be charged for the electronic features to work. A charger and a transformer are included with the guitar. Make sure it is in the case if the case has been opened by your dealer. You must use a stereo cable like the one included with the guitar to charge the battery. It takes about one hour to fully charge the battery. The charger shows the battery is fully charged when the blue charging LED is no longer on. You can play the instrument while you are charging.

2. Make sure you reCeived all aCCessories

The guitar comes with: Stunning white case printed with Dark Fire Limited Edition First Run Charger with a wall wart power supply which connects to it Full manual High quality stereo cord Redemption certificate to redeem your welcome kit which includes: a. Computer interface box (Robot Interface Pack) which allows you to use computer software to further enhance your playing experience b. Full version of Guitar Rig 3 software c. Special Gibson Studio Version of Ableton Live d. Various instructional manuals The redemption requires you to call 1.800.4.GIBSON with the serial number of the guitar, the store and salesperson from which you purchased the instrument, and the sales receipt number.

3. eNJoy your robot ii power tuNers

The powerheads can be turned by hand or by Robot tuning technology. Unlike conventional keys, they all turn in the same direction. To tune your guitar to A440Hz standard tuning, pull out the MCK and strum all 6 strings. The powerheads will turn and a flashing marquee on the MCK will confirm when you have reached pitch on all strings. It should only take one or two strums. Push the MCK back in and you are ready to play!

Master CoNtrol kNob (MCk): the key to taMiNg dark Fire

The Master Control Knob (MCK) is a highly sophisticated push-pull knob. When pulled out, its many functions can be accessed. You are also able to change some of the settings using the MCK.

ChaMeleoN toNe teChNology: 8 great souNds to start with

To activate Dark Fires Chameleon Tone Technology, pull out the MCK, rotate it to the letter C LED and press down. The display on the MCK will now show your current pickup configuration. To select a new tone setup, rotate the MCK to one of 8 possible positions which correspond to an LED that lights when selected. The display will change, indicating your new tone setup is activated. Press the center of the MCK to set this pickup configuration as your default (it will be activated automatically on next startup). The MCK should still be pulled out. led toNe settiNg
B
G

led toNe settiNg

Push the MCK back in to resume playing with your selected setup. All of these tones can be modified by turning the tone knobs and changing the position of the 3 position toggle switch. The varieties of tones you can achieve are astronomical.

piezo bleNd
Dark Fires toggle switch also acts as a volume knob to blend in the piezoelectric signal from the bridge. To activate the piezo signal output, pull the MCK, turn it to Letter I LED (Blue Bank) and press. The guitar symbol on the MCK will turn green and the acoustic tone of your Piezo will mix with your regular signal as you ramp up your toggle-volume knob. With a mono guitar cable, your piezo signal will blend with your regular output at the tip of the cables plug. When a stereo cable is connected, the piezo signal routes independently to the sleeve of the plug. Thus the piezo sound is heard in one of the stereo outputs and the electromagnetic pickups can be heard in the other channel. You can then use your charging adapter to split both signals.

altered tuNiNg, FaCtory presets & baNk switChiNg

Dark Fire has one blue, one green and one red bank of six factory presets each. The presets are selected by the lettered LEDs on the MCKs display (see page 3).

aCtivate presets
Pull out the MCK and turn counter-clockwise to the #b symbol. Press the display a few times and the color display matrix will alternate between blue, green and red. Stop on the color of the bank you want to pick a preset from. Now rotate the MCK to the letter LED that coincides with the desired preset. Press the display and strum the strings. Push the MCK back in and you are ready to play.

E A D G

Classic Gibson Texas Blues Funky Twang

B e #b

Acoustic L-5 Solid Rock Metal

blue baNk (robot ClassiC)

E : (E Major) A : (DADGAD) D : (Dropped D) G : (Delta Blues) B : (E Flat) e : (Dbl Dropped D) E B E G# B E DADGAD DADGBE DGDGBD Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb DADGBD
G
e

* When using extremely low tunings (such as C and B) use heavier gauge strings (e.g., .013 to .062). If you do change to extra-heavy gauge strings this way, do NOT use the Green and Blue Banks presets as you may risk damage to Dark Fire.

D D D

A A A

C
E

greeN baNk
E : (Delta Blues G) A : (Delta Blues Ab) D : (Delta Blues A) G : (E Major) B : (E Flat Major) e : (Open D) DGDGBD Eb Ab Eb Ab C Eb E A E A C# E E B E G# B E Eb Bb Eb G Bb Eb D A D F# B D

C
E

red baNk (low tuNiNgs)*

E : (E Flat) A : (D) D : (C#) G : (C) B : (B) e : (Dropped Db) Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb DGCFAD C# F# B E G# C# C F Bb Eb Gb C B E A D F# B Db Ab Db Gb Bb Eb

Thank you for honoring us with your business.

welcome to the futuRe!

A second Quick Start Guide will be sent with the Robot Interface Pack (RIP). This will show you how to set up and use the powerful software that comes with the Dark Fire. FinD more in-DepTh & Technical inFormaTion aT www.GIbSon.com/dARkfIRe