Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a potential customer that plays solo in a restaurant.  He wants to use MIDI using the strings to activate.  I looked in the archives and did not see anything.  Has anyone installed one in/on/outside an instrument and where would one procure such a beast if it exists?

Do you need separate pickups (such as LR Baggs Hexaphonic)?

Thanks,

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

Steel or nylon strings?

For steel, the easiest installation is the Roland GK pickup system.   For nylon you'll have to go to the RMC. I do them both, and they're both a pain in the a...

Rick, do you think the Graphtech hexaphonic on the Carvin NS1 will ever be generally available or are they locked in solely to Carvin?

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

I'd simply email Graphtech and ask; the press release for the NS1 states "Graph Tech’s new pickup system will not be directly available for guitarists until mid-2007." so chances are good that that's a 'yes'. Won't be cheap, though.

They already sell their acoustiphonic+hexpander setup and about a hojillion different electric guitar saddle setups, so...

Thanks all!  I will try contacting each of the above mentioned vendors.

After looking at the prices I will have to sell him on the possibilities............

Thanks again,

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

FWIW....and you may already know this....none of the pickup systems
will produce a MIDI-out signal (note-on, note-off, etc etc), you still
need run the guitar to a guitar synth controller to produce a MIDI
signal that you can use to drive external sound modules.

I have one of the first guitar-MIDI controllers ever made. At the time I was the head of AOL's "PC Music and sound" forum (10 years with them) and one of the vendors sent me one of his new systems to try out. As much as I knew about MIDI and about guitars, I never did get this system to working like I thought it should work and so I abondoned it. It was made by a company out of Canada called "Howling Dog Systems".... not sure if they are still around or not.

Some time after this came around, VOX made a guitar-MIDI controller which I also have, but it had the same results as the first one. I have played the Roland MIDI guitar and although it does work a little better than the first two systems I tried, I still think there is alot to desire in the system.

I wish I had some advice to tell you what system was the king of MIDI guitars, but I honestly cant reccomend one. If I were to suggest any brand, it would definitely be the Roland though.. they have been at it longer and have poured more research into MIDI controllers than any other company by far. There may be a MIDI controller other than a guitar MIDI setup that could easily adapt to your customer's needs. Again, I would look to Roland for this information.

 

PS: if you are bored and looking for something to do on the Internet, do a search for "Ken Hodges MIDI" and you will find some of my old MIDI files. After over 20 years there are still quite a few out there in cyber land. One of my MIDI files is actually on the official James Taylor web site (or at least it was for a long time). Most of them are written for the RAoland GS series MIDI controllers but they will play on most computer sound cards.

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Reguards,

Ken H

I think the Roland GI-20 is a controller only, i.e. it has no internal
preset sounds.  So you could use it as the master to drive your
own favorite slave modules IIRC.

I really dont mean to sidetrack the thread, but take a look at THIS LINK and scroll down to "James Taylor"

Those files were made back in the early 80's and I was at my prime back then..... seems like yesterday! Fire and Rain was one of my best works.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Ken - that is too cool!

So, you've seen fire and rain, gone down country roads with Carolina on your mind, asking her to not let you be lonely tonight, showered the people you know with love and saw something in the way Carolina moved.  Now you can see my smilin face.  The face of the friend you've got!!!

Thanks for the great info on MIDI.

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

There is a guitar out there that does proper compliant MIDI signals, but I a) forget what its called and b) am certain they don't sell the hardware seperately.

It is a Roland GK3 and can be found HERE

Be sure to read the Sam Ash reviews on this product though. It will tell you the same thing I have been telling you in previous posts on this subject. The pickup in this link will also need the GI-20 interface module and the 13 pin MIDI cable in order to make it all work. (if it works at all) These pickups are not adjusted like a normal guitar pickup. The tolerance is quite close to the string and that is the reason it is installed as near the bridge as possible. Also, unless some change has been made in the technology since the last time I looked at it. There is no such thing as volume control VIA the string either. This MIDI interface is merely an on/off switch which is sensitive to differing tones. Plucking the string harder or softer wont make any difference in the final output. Also if you are a rapid picker, especially with chromatic runs on the same string, the MIDI pickup may not see the change in tone and just continue to play the tone that is saw the best. Of course, if you dont pluck the string hard enough, it may ignore the vibration all together. The more polyphonic the input the more likely you are to experience these problems also. At least this was my findings on these type of controllers and pickups.

As a disclaimer I will admit that it has been several years since I have tested one. There may actually be some situations where the pickup would be ok, especially if you are using it to trip MIDI clock events like switching lights on and off and not necessarily to play a tune or melody.

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Reguards,

Ken H

[QUOTE=Hodges_Guitars]

It is a Roland GK3 and can be found HERE

 

[/QUOTE]

Dang it, try THIS LINK

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Reguards,

Ken H