The demise of the pickup winder

[kevinT]

Ok pickup makers... is this device going to eventually put us out of businsss? Digital pickup tone modelling....

I came across this....seems interesting...anyone have any experience with it.

http://www.precisionmusictech.com/gmax.htm



,,

[Dave Kerr]

Seems to me its intent is to replace this, not to emulate any pickup.

[Tom Phillips]

...Digital pickup tone modelling....

It doesn't appear to be that.
It's described as a "programmable pickup switching system"
A fancy substitute for the mechanical pickup switching in your guitar.
More combinations possible but I wonder how many would be useful.
Regards,
Tom

[kevinT]

I'm just thinking that it could evolve into something more... with all the techno geeks out there it's bound to happen. ...Using the same principles as amp modeling...and if it is something new, and if money and patents are involved...just give it some time and somebody will invent it....everything is going digital anyway....something to think about...that's all.

[defaced]

Hasn't Line6 basically already done that with the Variax guitars?

[kevinT]

yep ...pretty much...but don't you have to program the guitar with a computer though?....a work bench is what they call it? ...sorry I'm not familiar with the Variax.

I was thinking the next generation could be a small box like the one in the link that is made into the guitar without having to program anything....just push a button to switch to a variety of programmed selections. All a guitarist would need is one pickup...and be able to manupulate it via the processor in the back of the guitar.

If I were Duncan or DiMarzio I would be looking into something like this...maybe they already are

[cminor9]

I'm just thinking that it could evolve into something more... with all the techno geeks out there it's bound to happen. ...Using the same principles as amp modeling...and if it is something new, and if money and patents are involved...just give it some time and somebody will invent it....everything is going digital anyway....something to think about...that's all.

Is everything going digital these days? Do any serious musicians use amp modelers? Haven't subscribed to Guitar Player for several years now, so I guess I am a bit out of touch with what people are doing these days. I'd be shocked if serious musicians actually used amp modelers.

I don't know about you, but I am not giving up my tube amps for some stupid modeler. It's seems like everyone builds tube amps these days, so much so that the market is saturated. I think pickups have the same future as tube amps.

[David King]

Duncan has been way involved in this already via the Dtar "Mama Bear". It's guitar simulator for acoustics. I believe actual instruments were sampled...

[chevalij]

The variax comes with about 22 preset tones and NO pickup. I would assume it's a piezo bridge. There are 3 switch positions available to select your own patches. Yes, the patches can be programmed (similar to amplitube kind of stuff I think) and have to be uploaded. I may be off on the numbers, but I believe that's the basics. As for this device, why not install a mega-switch? Do you want to be up on stage and have to hunt for the small button to press?

[Possum]

....

Look at it this way, do you actually know anyone who bought a Variax and plays it as their main guitar? I don't.

[David Schwab]

Hasn't Line6 basically already done that with the Variax guitars?

I played in a band for a while with a guy (Clive Smith for anyone who has heard of him... a pioneer with the Fairlight CMI.. real interesting guy) with a Variax. It was cool and all, but the modeled electric guitars never sound like what they are supposed to be. The acoustic instruments are very cool.. but if you were blind folded and someone played you one and said "what guitar is it?" you probably wouldn't be able to tell the Les Paul from whatever. I remmeber I flipped though the models and said "if they say so!" It is cool though, but it needs a way to go. He mostly went from generic electric tones to things like sitar.

The other problem is there a slight latency. It's small, but you can feel it when you play. He was also using a Line 6 floor Pod, and with his Gretsch he was using the GuitarRip setup with a PowerBook, and his guitar was always in the distance. It was never up front like with a real rig.

Getting back to the original post... this is a pickup switching gizmo. My experience is half of these settings wont even be that interesting. I used to have all kinds of switches on my guitars... phase switches, series/parallel/coil cut.... and so on. You get a few good tones and a lot of redundant stuff.

Roland has their VG guitar synth setup, and that had virtual guitar and pickup models years before Line 6. You could even move the pickup where you wanted, and stick a Tele pickup on a Les Paul, etc.

I remember talking to an engineering student friend of mine back in the 70's (who ended up working for Xerox and then Tektronix designing 'scopes), about using digital manipulation to drastically modify guitar signals in real time. We talked a lot about it, and figured out how it would be done, but the CPU's back then were obviously not fast enough! It's getting there, slowly. So I obviously think it's real interesting, but haven't had a desire to own a Variax after playing one a few times.