Midi Pickup for Steel Guitar

Jim Marconi · Post by **Jim Marconi** » 18 Jul 2005 9:12 pm

Hi There...does anyone know who or where a person can pick up a midi pickup for a steel guitar... and if it will work with a Roland GR-33 Synth..
Thank You
Jim

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 19 Jul 2005 5:33 am

Jim, if you can't find one, you can use the 6-string pickup. I have heard of people mounting the pickup under the 6 strings that are most important.... probably 3-8 or 4-9. You can play a lot of melody and chords with those strings. You won't be playing steel guitar sounds when using that pickup.

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 19 Jul 2005 10:26 am

Wasn't Marconi and Tesla the inventors of raido? Just kidding Jim. Your post is the work I am interested in. I know of some guys who have used the Roland 6 string guitar pickup on their 10 string steel, with great results. Of course you lose 4 strings. All the Roland pickup seems to be is magnetic down in the level of TTL. If I ever get time, I have wanted to experiment with a infrared 10 string pickup that is non-magnetic. I am certain I can build one. I have a better idea than using the Roland unit. What if you could connect the steel, by midi, to a electronic piano. Today's electronic pianos are loaded with all kinds of cool program effects,and even rhythum tracks built in. A keyboard is nothing more than a bunch of on, and off, switches. To connect a steel guitar to the midi of a electronic piano would take a microcontroller, such as the PIC or the Basic Stamp IIsx. If you look in the May issue of "Nuts and Volts" magazine you can see how to build one of these midi controllers. In the article by John Williams, the controls come from switches, but these switches could come from a infrared guitar pickup. This sounds like something John Daugherty, my friend, and I should work on.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 19 Jul 2005 12:52 pm

Yeah, Marconi & Tesla played with "broadband" data communications. It was so broadband as to have the frequency spectrum of 0 Hertz thru sunlight, all in one pulse

Too much radio Hertz my head...gives me a megaHertz.
Infrared guitar pickup? Does the string modulate an infrared light beam? Not yet heard of such a thing. Gotta check into this. Thanks for the info. [This message was edited by Ray Minich on 19 July 2005 at 02:00 PM.]

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 19 Jul 2005 3:09 pm

Yikes !!!, Keith, you're scaring me !!!
I do wish I could find time to visit and let you scare me some more. I want to come to the Branson Jam the 31st. I have a rehearsal scheduled for the 30th. If we finish, I'll catch you in Branson. Michael Breid should be there also. Maybe we can scare up some kind of pickup for Jim.

Jim Marconi · Post by **Jim Marconi** » 19 Jul 2005 4:35 pm

Thanks Guys for the information...It would be nice if a 10 string pickup was available..
I want to use it in my studio to score music.
Guess what I am related to Marconi who invented the wireless he was a cousin of my Grandfather...but let me tell you that no royalties came my way all I got was the name.
but I did save money going to Geico.. LOL
Regards
Jim

Doug Rolfe · Post by **Doug Rolfe** » 19 Jul 2005 7:49 pm

Would it be possible to use two 6 string pick ups on a 12 string Uni???[This message was edited by Doug Rolfe on 19 July 2005 at 08:49 PM.]

Wes Bakken · Post by **Wes Bakken** » 19 Jul 2005 11:57 pm

Doug, I have an IVL SteelRider, they don't make the unit any more and I worry that someday it will fail. I too have thought that one could use two 6 string pickups and two of the 6 string converters. Problem might be the freqency of the 6 lower strings would not work well because the converter would be looking for the frequency of the higher strings. The result might be that the lower strings would have more delay than the first 6.

wes

Frank McBride · Post by **Frank McBride** » 20 Jul 2005 4:00 am

I use a GR-30 with a GK-2A picup, I slant the picup for string spacing,I use strings 3-8, work's OK for me never needed strings 1-2 or 9-10 to imulate other inst.{ just my 2 cents }

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 20 Jul 2005 9:57 am

OK, here is the exact thing you want Jim. Go to-- http://www.stick.com/instruments/midi/gk2a/
The GK-3 Divided Pickup is compatible with VG-88,VG-8,GR-33,GR30, GI-20 and GI-10. Also, if you read the stuff on Stick Enterprises, Inc. They say dual Roland MIDI pickups can be installed under all 10 or 12 string instruments, but it requires the use of two Roland guitar MIDI interface units. Go to---www.stick.com I am really into DSP and micro controllers like PIC and Basic Stamp IIsx. I am certain I can build my own interface using the Basic Stamp IIsx. Hope this information helps. Bobby Flores just sent me his new CD. Bobby Flores is my favorite singer and fiddle player. Why can't we hear that kind of stuff on the radio any more???????????

Dave Potter · Post by **Dave Potter** » 21 Jul 2005 3:14 am

Why can't we hear that kind of stuff on the radio any more??

There's bound to be someone here who understands the industry and how it's got to the state it's in. I'd like to know, too.

Bob Lawrence · Post by **Bob Lawrence** » 26 Jul 2005 6:01 pm

Keith,

The Steel Rider uses several Intel P8031AH -15 Microcontrollers. So far I have used the Microchip PIC for two MIDI projects. One is a single string pitch to MIDI converter. The other one is a controller box with a series of push buttons to allow PODXT program control. The box clips on the leg of my guitar and when a button is bushed it sends a MIDI messages to the POD XT which in turn change the program . i.e Digital Delay to Leslie etc...

More info here: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/007095.html

The PIC is a great microcontroller for MIDI designs. I also have a dsPIC (for Digital Signal Processing) developer board but I'm still waiting for the software librarys to be developed before I can work on my designs. I hope to get started by end of Sept.

The Nuts and Volts article (Even Mo' MIDI) that Keith mentioned is in the June edition (starting on page

and not the May one.

Wes,

Most things on the Steel Rider are repairable. To keep them going there are a few technical challenges (because of the age of the units) but It' a great system.

I was able to design and build new pickups as replacements. Mike Brewer is currently testing them.

New Preamp Pictures here: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/003803.html

The old pre-amps are repairable as well.

A few of the guys have been able to repair the pickups. I haven't repaired one yet but have one to try.

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 27 Jul 2005 11:30 am

Bob, how good are you at "Assembly Language"?
That is what it really takes for the PIC's. PBasic is the simpler language for the Basic Stamp. Heck, if you are good at Assembly Language, maybe I can hire you to design some programs I am wanting for some PIC's.

Bob Lawrence · Post by **Bob Lawrence** » 27 Jul 2005 8:45 pm

Keith,

I've only been using PIC assembler for for a couple of years (as a hobby) but generally speaking I am able to do what's required. My worst emeny is time

Send me a email to discuss it.

For the record you are not limited to Assembler for the PIC. You have other language options such as C, Basic, Pascal
etc... I use Pascal or a combo of Assembler and embedded assembler (for the PIC) more that straight assembler and usually only use assembler for special requirements.

chuck abend · Post by **chuck abend** » 31 Jul 2005 8:11 am

Hi Guys For sale or trade D-10
I have a custom dual pitchrider 7000 thru
a anatek pocket merger into a M3R Korg rack
synth.I custom built the pickup which tracks
as fast as I can play.I have around 800 sounds with 4 program cards.Cables included.
All in rack mount case with power supplies.
For 12 stg steel.It fits s-12 zum between
pickup and changer,Amps clamp on leg.
onll takes a couple of min to attach pickup
and amp.2650 invested.Works best with box
on leg to sw steel to midi.
Chuck Abend.....
Pics on request
countrysteel@hotmail.com

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 4 Aug 2005 6:39 am

Keith,
If you can design and get a midi pickup that will track well with steel guitar, you will be FLOODED with orders.... I wil be the first one on this line .....Midi pickups for 10 and 12 string steel's has been needed for a LOOOOOOONG time....Please keep us posted with your results.....Thank's for making a great pedal also .....Sincerely, Jim