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Onboard pickup/tone computer?

Bloodhammer

Bloodhammer

Twinkle Twinkle Black Star
Jul 7, 2009
1,721
10,056
Shreveport, Louisiana
#1
Has anyone seen one of these? Seems like it could be either really awesome or just pointless butchering...

guitar_max_programmable_pickup_control_circuit.jpg



GuitarMax Programmable Guitar Pickup Control System
 
#4
Cheesy as hell, but front-mounted on a hacked up p.o.s. guitar, it would look cool in an industrial band! I just wonder how you would work such a thing "on the fly." Seems, like you said, that it would crap out on you.

I was browsing for parts (always need MORE PARTS! No project can ever go smoothly! :rolleyes: :D) today when I saw that and thought: "Gee, that looks like the most complicated thing one could do to a guitar short of installing an optical pickup system. I wonder if anyone's done it...."
 
#5
That looks cheap qaulity to me. And quite pointless imo for a bass, esp compared to one with 3band eq preamp, series/parralel and phase switches onboard. For guitar? Well a average guitar player can learn to use the 3way toggle switch and seperate vol and tone controls and any other switches just fine. So unless this little cheap looking box can make your guitar sound like a flute or outer space flying saucer, I dont see any possible value. lol. Maybe I;m being to cynical. But good grief all those exposed solder joints, cheapo looking little push switches. What is program v5.1"? Solo'd bridge pup perhaps? Lol.
 
#8
Everything it claims it can do, can be more easily (and passively!) done with some switches.

I'm currently in the middle of rewiring my Strat, for example, which has two full-size humbuckers and a humbucking single-coil - I'm replacing the 5-way lever switch with three DP3T center-off switches.

I'll be able to toggle any combination of pickups, in series or single-coil, on the fly, in seconds, without batteries, and with no chance of failure. I'll also be able to tell exactly what my settings are at a glance, or on a dark stage, with a touch.

So my vote is, gimmick. And a silly one at that.
 
#10
SGD Lutherie said:
It is cool because you can make presets of complicated switching combinations, but it doesn't take that long to flip a few switches.

The other thing you learn is you wont use a good number of those sounds.
Click to expand...

Presets, schmeesets. As you say, it doesn't take very long to flip a switch. Also as you say, most of those sounds just don't sound very good. Sure, there are hundreds of ways you *could* possibly wire up a three-pickup guitar...

...but there's really only a few that the average player *wants* to use. You find the tones you like, and you design your control scheme to fit.
 
#11
line6man said:
Did they use the display from an old cell phone or something, or does it really show you your cellular reception?
Click to expand...


Bassist Answers Instrument During Performance

A band was playing a bar gig last Friday when suddenly the bassist stopped in the middle of the song and picked his bass up to the side of his head with his ear and mouth to the pickups and said "Hello? Uh huh, yeah... I'm in the middle of something..."

-Reuters
 
#12
line6man said:
Cheap junk. It's cheesy to put things like that on instruments.

Not to mention the possibility that it could suddenly fail on you.
Click to expand...

Obviously you don't know what your talking about.

in this article it mentions midi switching capabilities

Invalid Link Removed

"However, if they work with the Game Changer for a bit, they will quickly realize it can be programmed to be as simple or complex as they like, with classic or completely unheard of tones. The pickup selector switch can be programmed to have only one tone, if desired, so no matter which position it is in, the tone is the same. It can also be programmed to have five different 'crazy' tones that change things up a bit. The best part is, it can be changed at any time by the user so that the instrument is the right tool for the job, no matter if in a studio or live setting, with any style of music that is desired!"

The aforementioned digital control over the analogue world of pickup wiring is something the Game Changer places in your hands via MIDI switching, or more simply through a web browser application and USB lead that is used to connect the instrument to a computer.

They used this cheap little plastic box in there music man game changer.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Mus...2Fforum%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D1526.15;550;413

Although in this thread it says music man stole the the tech, and there is a patent dispute between the two companies, and that is why they haven't sold it yet. It seems music man is selling there guitar anyways.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

If your interested in a other variations of pickup switching systems. I recently found these ones. Which are not currently midi switchable.



[This invalid link has been removed]
 
#13
agilereaper said:
Obviously you don't know what your talking about.
Click to expand...

Which part of my statement are you disputing? The quality of something like that, versus a traditional setup that can be repaired in fifteen minutes; the cheesiness of having '90s cell phone displays on instruments; or the chance of failure?

I sincerely doubt that a super cheap DSP board can stand up to the quality and durability of handwired pots and switches. And if you made your living as a musician, would you want to bother with Chinese junk, or use high quality parts?
 

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