I have a Godin with a GK Hex pickup and I no longer have those interfaces, nor do I want to invest in them, and of course they are physically too big. My larger interest is to have a way of splitting off the lower E and A strings so that I can play Acoustic bass with them and use the upper 4 for stuff in the normal octave range with different patches.
I saw various posts of people heading in this direction I would be interested in this type of device, don’t have the DIY skills, and would be willing to pay
Hi Kendoori,
The only available USB separate string devices are GP-10, SY1000 & GM800, and it’s not likely there will a simple device available soon - this is so niche, and not likely to happen.
On the otherhand, it would be easy to break open a standard GK cable 13-pin plug, adding a short six inch breakout cable with two P5/P6 Bottom E & A string connections. A mini 3-way XLR inline socket is ideal for E & A strings out. Finally, you would need a custom length cable with a mini XLR male plug > separate strings jacks/XLRs > DAW/Mixer etc.
Regards, Bill
Thanks Bill… this puts things in perspective So are you saying that assuming that I could plug such a cable directly into the XLR into my interface and have an instance of MG3 per each input that I’m plugged into? No other device would be needed for the conversion?
We seem to have a misunderstanding. No, you need a hex pickup/preamp for separate strings access, and sending six strings down a single cable is only available with the new BOSS GM-800 and divided pickup. The solution is total overkill and very expensive. Other options are a GP-10, and an SY1000 with usb separate strings, but that’s a lot of money to do something quite simple.
Your best bet is a standard GK hex pickup/preamp like a GK3, and a separate strings breakout cable.
See topic: Let's build a GK-3 break out cable - #26 by Separate-Strings
Just found your website and have a better understanding of what you can provide. One question (which will be useful for other stumbling on this) is, assuming one has this type of device, one would need 6 available channels on an interface (e.g. at least a 6 channel interface). I use Reaper, and then Reaper would be able to see each string separately via MG3 Hex? So per my use case, I would be able to send out Low E and A to whatever I want sound wise, and the other 4 strings however? This may be a stupid question, but does one end up having to use 6 separate tacks and run 6 instances of the MG3 VST? or does the Hex version of MG3 manage that?
the breakout cable will need 6 inputs on your audio interface, once you have that you can run multiple instances of mg3, in your scenario, you could use two instances, one for low E/A and the other for the remaining strings.
mg3hex would give you more flexibility and simplify things a bit, but it isn’t necessary to achieve the above.
Funny thing is after installing MG3 upgraded from 2 channel to a 4-channel interface immediately, so that I can have enough ports to keep my other inputs AND the MG3 input. I may be back on Reverb.com soon for another upgrade
One or Two String Pickups for Sound hole or Pickup Cavity:
Two string pickups in a strat-style case, set for the lowest two strings. Available as a single coil for each string or humbucker for each string… either way fits in the strat-style case. A height-adjustable sound hole adapter is available. Also available with an inline jack.
$50 -$75 and a bit of soldering gets you your scenario, with a caveat: low E and A will be present on both tracks. might not be too hard to work around that, for some situations.
Probably not too far away anymore. The first prototype PCB will be produced within the remaining weeks of the year. Pending on the tests and possible modifications the “HexBox” will be out sooner or later!
I’ll keep you updated here in the forum.
Hi @Dutti, I like your solution, good that you chose a stable USB socket.
Is it possible to connect 6 audio outputs from this board directly to a USB interface?
As far as I know, Windows can currently only operate a stable and conflict-free USB Asio audio driver. How would it be possible to connect other audio inputs to the same computer?
The board is currently 85 x 70mm and about 25mm high due to the 13 pin socket. Theoretically adaptor cables and sockets for the in- and output can be made to place elsewhere on the guitar but probably a separate version for “on board” is more feasible. Then the size could also be reduced. I have to think about this. It would also be a question of the demand.
Hi @Dutti, the separation between external and built-in version would be good.
Could several guitars each with such a board be connected to the same computer, e.g. for a DAW?
Could the board be enlarged to 8 audio inputs?
Then it would be possible in the future to process a voice input (for possible later MG3 control) and a normal guitar magnetic pickup at the same time. Of course, a 7-string or 8-string guitar could be connected instead.
@JamO: Could MG3 in future process several guitars or basses equipped with such boards simultaneously in a DAW in the way you suggested (i.e. as raw data directly in MG3 without Asio)?
Hello @anjo, thanks for all your comments, I’ll consider all of them. The chip used has 8 input channels, sure the PCB layout, components and connections must be updated for such a 8CH version. It all comes down to the first tests after receiving the prototypes. The variations suggested are all possible when the concept has proven. Please be patient.
Hi @Dutti, it’s a very important project for MG3HEX and I’m sure we agree: accuracy before speed
Does the solution work equally well for basses?
One more suggestion for a later internal version:
It would be nice if you could use the space of the battery compartment. In this case, the circuit board could perhaps be packed on top of each other. A 9V power supply (derived from USB) instead of the battery for the active pickups would also be an advantage.
@anjo I see what you mean with the battery compartment (like the Ghost piggy-back thing). I don’t see how to get 9VDC from a regular USB port, some power supply might be necessary. Thanks for the donation offer, just keep the money in the meantime and buy a HexBox or any following product when available. Thanks!
I would be interested in this type of device, don’t have the DIY skills, and would be willing to pay 