Are there guitar pickups and amps that do this already?

[Yamdiddle]

I hate how unclear my guitars sound, even my acoustic guitar, being played through an amp.

 

I want guitar pickups that are very very good at having each pole pickup only one string, or at least close enough to just isolating the individual strings. Along with that, a stereo (or poly stereo, whatever the next levels are called) cable that can transfer the strings more individually to the amp. Along with THAT, an amp that has multiple speakers, or a high tech head plugged into a couple or more cabinets, that only play the strings they are assigned to.

 

I at least wanna have good separation of the high and low strings. Actually I think having every OTHER string on one speaker would be better separation, so the low strings won't still bleed into each other and the high strings won't bleed into each other. What I mean is have strings 6 4 and 2 to one speaker, and 5 3 and 1 coming from the other.

 

If there isn't something like I described out already, is there anything close to that, or is anyone working on something like that? Thanks.

[Nik]

I think someone needs to practise more.

[Yamdiddle]

I think there needs to be an age requirement to post here. Anyone here with more than half a brain understand where I'm coming from? This isn't a question about how to play better, it's about getting my guitar strings to sound more clear and isolated because I'm unhappy with the fact that it's 2011, and we're still using gasoline to fuel cars, electricity could've been free since over 100 years ago, and guitars still send 6+ strings of sounds through mono cables through 1 speaker amps (or stereo amps which basically just double the mono signal or are only used for rotary, reverb, delay, etc effects).

[BryanMichael]

I think what you want is a hexaphonic pickup run through a mixer and then through a full range PA system. Roland GK pickups are in fact fully analog mini-humbuckers. There are breakout boxes available for separating each string's individual signal and processing it as you see fit. This technology has been around since at least the late 70's and several manufacturers have toyed with it - I think SHADOW had a line of guitars with stereo outputs that had volume and pan controls for each string. Anyway, it sounds like you are interested in HEXAPHONIC processing, which is totally do-able and has been for almost 40 years. The thing is that most guitarists just haven't been up to the hassle or need of working with hexaphonic systems, but there is plenty out there for you to explore.

[Yamdiddle]

Yea I figured it must've been associated with MIDI technology. My uncle plays with this Chapman stick guy who has like half of the stick set to lead guitar and the bottom was like synth bass. Thanks Bryan. Yea I really want to experiment with surround sound and separate effects and isolation among the strings. I want it to sound like a surround sound heavy string quartet when I fingerpick or strum chords. Hopefully I'll find cheap versions of what I'm looking for. I wish they made that Moog Guitar even cheaper. I would give away my Fernandes Revolver Elite and my double signed (Peppino D'Agostino and Stef Burns) Martin D-15 and Squier Strat for one of those bitches. Or maybe I could get much more just from my signed D-15.... I mean I know those two players are pretty famous and extremely virtuoso and musical, but I dunno how much someone would be willing to pay. God damn, hexaphonic processing and a full range PA system and a moog guitar just have me creaming in my pants right now just thinking of all the amazing {censored} I could play and how awesome it would sound.

[Nik]

As you say - an age limit.

 

The Roland VG series do pretty much what you are describing, expecially the older VG8 and VG88.

[BryanMichael]

Yes, a Roland VG-88 or VG-99 would be a great place to start. There are "breakout boxes" for the GK pickups available from 3rd parties, but of course that is the sound of the GK, not the sound of the guitars actual pickups. But Roland guitar pickups are NOT "MIDI guitars" NO MIDI comes out of a 13pin Roland GK pickup.

[aliensporebomb]

VG-99 does this in spades. Multiple guitars, different tunings per guitar, super clarity.

[mlabbee]

Any guitar with a 13-pin out will isolate strings. You can use this to process: http://www.keithmcmillen.com/stringport/overview

[Will Chen]

 

...God damn, hexaphonic processing and a full range PA system and a moog guitar just have me creaming in my pants right now just thinking of all the amazing {censored} I could play and how awesome it would sound.

 

 

Sure it might sound fantastic. Guys like Pat Metheny forgo amps entirely and has a surround sound system on stage tuned to his performance position. Jimmy Herring has a complex rig with a bunch of expression pedals set up so he can manually control his stage monitoring mix. Victor Wooten recorded a piece with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in which he played a six string stereo bass with every other string panned to the opposite side of the stereo spectrum. There's no end to the experimentation, but in each player's case the tech comes second to the technique.

 

Now the guitar experience is an individual one for many and no one can tell you what the "right" way is to spend your time with the instrument, but the phrase "thinking of all the amazing {censored} I could play" should be measured carefully. Certainly, there are many modern devices for creating unique tones, but there's no device which will make you a better player than practice. I've been though a ton of gear for which I thought "this is just going to take my tone over the top" which ended up not working the way I envisioned it (though I should add that I've wanted to get into guitar synth for years personally).