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Post by ssstonelover on Mar 22, 2023 1:20:42 GMT -5
Well, I suppose the day had to come, 5-way switching controlled by a phone app using bluetooth technology. It does have some interesting features such as handling a wide range of pickup types and combinations, of being stored in "memory" as groups of presets that can be recalled, and being basically solder-free yet very creative in coil selection and combinations. So yes, 5 combinations per preset, but that is just with one preset, and as you can have many presets stored in your phone app, you could call up lots of possible combinations without ever touching a soldering iron. All this courtesy of Seymour Duncan, but amenable to use with other brands, and as you can reverse coil direction, etc, all electronically, I guess it means that if you partially miswire something you can correct it by software without ripping into the guitar. You control the tone pots and capacitors by bluetooth presets too.... Cost of admission is not cheap, but it seems to be user friendly for the 'app generation' who do most of their sound by computer anyway (amp simulations, protools and whatever), are hooked on digital and know little about analog, nor care much about it. Here might be a a good place to check out this 'brave new world'.... Seymour Duncan HyperSwitch Bluetooth 5-way SwitchAt the same site are many more videos showing use, installation, and so on. Seymour Duncan presents HyperSwitch™Seymour Duncan HyperSwitch Video Manual #4: HyperSwitch App GuideSeymour Duncan HyperSwitch Video Manual #1: Quickstart GuideSeymour Duncan HyperSwitch Video Manual #2: HyperSwitch Installation PrepSeymour Duncan HyperSwitch Video Manual #3: HyperSwitch Installation |
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Post by newey on Mar 22, 2023 5:41:34 GMT -5
Seems to me like "Tech for Tech's sake". How many presets will one actually use? If there's only 2 or 3, a couple of switches will do it better. And, if there are two sounds I want on different presets, I have to pull out my phone to change it? So, as you say ssstonelover, maybe good for someone sitting at their computer, no good for gigging musicians. |
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Post by ssstonelover on Mar 22, 2023 13:23:05 GMT -5
We will have to see if the sales story resonates with the public. For the newly initiated and younger set, they may see more pluses than minuses given they 'live' on their phones, that live playing and jams keep shrinking, and that their musical worlds are mostly internal (home studios, etc). It may fit their world view / reality just fine.
To make it better, Seymour Duncan may be able (in a future iteration) to do what the Free-way switch people did, have another bank of 5-way combos that you could flick to, so you could have 10 possibilities without needing to reach for your phone.
I suppose the sky is the limit, why not 3 banks of 5 in total, since this is semi-virtual anyway? Then the price of admission would justify itself, and one could leave one's phone in the pocket. Tech tends to have tech creep, so that is all possible, though not in this current 1st generation iteration -- but I could see this happening in which case it could really make some sense and give this kind of switching some strong legs to stand on even in a gig context.
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Post by cynical1 on Mar 22, 2023 16:01:51 GMT -5
Yeah, $149.00 for a bluetooth enabled switch sounds like a solution in search of a problem...
I have to wonder about how easy would it be to hack the switch at a venue...not so much the audience...but another guy in the band...not that I'd know anything about stuff like that...
HTC1
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Post by newey on Mar 22, 2023 19:49:59 GMT -5
I suppose the sky is the limit, Put Musk on the case, and we can have electrodes implanted into our brains; you can just think of the capacitor you want . . .  I, too, will be interested to see how they do in the market. There will certainly be an initial "gee-whiz" factor, people buying it just to be able to say "Lookit what I got" to their bandmates. But that tends to fade over time. |
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Post by ssstonelover on Mar 23, 2023 0:06:28 GMT -5
Ah Newey, I appreciate the dark humor. 3 thoughts -- in random order You are bringing to mind the 1982 Clint Eastwood movie, "Firefox" in which the good guys face this threat: "The Soviets have developed the MiG-31, a fighter that flies at six times the speed of sound, is invulnerable to radar, and worst of all, has a lethally sophisticated weapons system that the pilot can control through thought impulses. As soon as the pilot detects a threat, either visually or on a scope, his thought impulses will direct a missile to that threat, without so much as pushing a button." If Elon Musk took over the guitar, it would be self-playing, kind of like his self-driving cars don't need driver input Air guitar gives me total thought control, and I don't even have to plug in, LOL The Rock Band game is kind of the same thing too. an illusion of mastery...using a fake guitar  All amusing thoughts, though this idea may play out more strongly than we suspect. Time will tell. |
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Post by newey on Mar 23, 2023 5:29:48 GMT -5
ssstonelover- On a more serious note, we have talked here for years about digital switching, not wireless, but internal to the guitar. Something of that sort would allow for the same myriad combinations without the need to have a second item (one's phone) in hand, charged and ready. I could envision a system where a little LCD display would slide out of the side of the guitar when needed, with a few buttons on the guitar to page through menus on the display showing the various settings . . .
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Post by cynical1 on Mar 23, 2023 9:00:10 GMT -5
It is so human to take drum, put a string on it...and a few thousand years later we have digitally controlled instruments. Progress demands complexity...and additional syllables...
If Musk did start building guitars, I see a world where they'd all play "Tie a Yellow Ribbon"...then likely burst into flames...
One thing I have noticed about the guitar buying public over almost 50 years is that they're not an adventurous bunch, by and large. Most guitars sold today still cling to a model from the last century...amps, too... Listen to interviews with Nuno Bettencourt. He can play the Hell out of a guitar, but he only seems to carry a rudimentary knowledge of his instrument's inner working.
Granted, most of us here long term buck this trend, but we are the minority of the industry's customer base. I wish SD luck on this...but the "GeeWhiz" syndrome has a shelf life...remember self tuning guitars...
Have you had a chance to play with this thing yourself yet?
HTC1
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Post by sumgai on Mar 24, 2023 11:31:47 GMT -5
I wasn't thinking 'self tuning guitars' so much as I was synth guitars in general. Those vastly overpriced robo-tuning hack jobs were at least built by a (formerly) reputable company, with brand name recognition that lives on today, even as it has earned no accolades at all in the past 60 years. Talk about living on one's reputation.... But following c1's example, I digress..... But synth guitars started out with a bad name, and are still going strong on that front. Even Fender, with the GK Strat (synth built right in, with a minimal control setup) couldn't budge the needle. They are the poster boy for a niche market, if ever there was one. The family of Megaswitches (from Eyb) is another such, albeit with no previous name brand recognition, but at least they met two basic requirements: not overly expensive for what they did, and dead simple mechanical operation that depends on nothing but the operator (and being installed correctly). They didn't take the market by storm, but they certainly aren't going away any time soon. Ditto for the Freeway stuff - not for the majority of users, but also not fated to disappear any time soon. We've seen not just digital, but other switching/control systems that have come and gone over the years. Their major downfall - they require electrical power. Whether it's batteries or cable-supplied power, it's cumbersome to maintain, looks 'geeky', and doesn't add significantly to the musicality of one's playing. IOW, it's strictly a "Golly gee, would you looky there" bragging rights kind of thing. Useful to the player - perhaps. Useful to the listener - not at all. I do hate to put a damper on things, but I predict a short life for this thing, unless it drops in price by 2/3rds. It needs to be competitively priced before it can expect to find a lasting market share. And that's not because it's overpriced per se, but because no one will be able to service it, should (when!) the need arise. Troubleshooting Bluetooth on a computer or phone is bad enough, but on something that will require removal from one's axe? I think not. In essence, for both reasons, it's effectively a throw-away device.... and we all know how musicians feel about that one. HTH sumgai p.s. This is not to belittle you, ssstonelover (Bethany), it's always great when we learn about stuff from a fellow member who's looking out for items of interest to us modders, and then brings them to our pages. Pray, continue to do so. Just because I'm a mean-spirited old curmudgeon, that doesn't mean that others feel the same way, I'm sure.  |
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Post by ssstonelover on Mar 24, 2023 13:43:09 GMT -5
Well guys, It's all a new world and companies are trying to move the needle always, though often to an 'uncaring' and 'conservative' audience. Yes, many customers are still stuck in the 1950's.
I pass no judgment on that, it's just an oft cited statement by many and more true than not, and worse here than in most other industries.
- SD may fall flat on their face, or they may continue to iterate it until it becomes more useful or better in price. They take the risk, and I have no axe to grind (pro or con) though I wish them well.
- Fishman (Fender Acousasonic and Fluence) seems to have a good eye on 'modern' stuff, so maybe Larry Fishman could come up with a good answer (if it's of interest to him).
- Line-6 Variax... another example of limited customer interest to new ideas? They seem more focused on modeling honestly, so may make no moves into switching setups.
- EMG: seems content (and stuck) with what they have. Strange, once they were very innovative.
- MIDI: Roland, Keisel, Graphtech or whatever. A niche market that stays small year after year.
- Personally I like the Free-way switch stuff (Strat version anyway) as it simplifies connections for common add-on combinations for an easy user experience. I have not tried out their other stuff.
- Megaswitch: it has some potential but as it is "just" 5-combos...it's a bit hard to get excited about adding it on my builds.
- The superswitches are fine (4 banks of 5) as Mike Richardson, Phostenix and dozens have proven (on these pages) and can give impressive numbers of combinations (usually with helper switches like the S-1)
- I still like to mix it up with multi-switch switching but my customers are pretty leery. I've built with standard passive controls as well as with battery powered EQ (mostly building for myself).
- Personally I have no issues with batteries and active EQ (using standard passive pickups) and have built using Artec Sound (BCU, EXP, MT3), GuitarFetish (F29), Guitar Fuel (SEB series), plus own some Ibanez basses with active tone controls, etc. However once again it's hard to get any customer to buy any such system...so virtually always these all end up on my personal guitars and basses.
SD is getting a lot of free press out of this so whether it sells well or not, they have presumably increased sales of other products as a result and shown they are a 'leader' company.
Oh, and if it does not sell, the retailers may be having a firesale in a year or so...so hold on to your checkbook!
Thanks for all the comments to date. I did not think this group would leap aboard quickly (or at all) as there are too many caveats to this system -- as it is currently configured -- but it is still good to know about.
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Post by newey on Mar 26, 2023 15:08:42 GMT -5
- Megaswitch: it has some potential but as it is "just" 5-combos...it's a bit hard to get excited about adding it on my builds. - The superswitches are fine (4 banks of 5) as Mike Richardson, Phostenix and dozens have proven (on these pages) and can give impressive numbers of combinations (usually with helper switches like the S-1) The Megaswitches can't do anything that the original Oak-Grigsby Superswitch can't do. The switch "feel" is much better, however. It just feels like a higher-quality item. |
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Post by David Mitchell on Apr 3, 2023 9:15:42 GMT -5
Well, I suppose the day had to come, 5-way switching controlled by a phone app using bluetooth technology. It does have some interesting features such as handling a wide range of pickup types and combinations, of being stored in "memory" as groups of presets that can be recalled, and being basically solder-free yet very creative in coil selection and combinations. So yes, 5 combinations per preset, but that is just with one preset, and as you can have many presets stored in your phone app, you could call up lots of possible combinations without ever touching a soldering iron. All this courtesy of Seymour Duncan, but amenable to use with other brands, and as you can reverse coil direction, etc, all electronically, I guess it means that if you partially miswire something you can correct it by software without ripping into the guitar. You control the tone pots and capacitors by bluetooth presets too.... Cost of admission is not cheap, but it seems to be user friendly for the 'app generation' who do most of their sound by computer anyway (amp simulations, protools and whatever), are hooked on digital and know little about analog, nor care much about it. Personally, I like this idea. Not only do you not have to work out how all the wiring schemes work, nor find all the parts, you don't even have to solder (and buy or borrow everything needed for that, plus learn how to do it)! It also looks as if you could put together lots of schemes (or at least position arrangements) that wouldn't be practical with regular hardwiring. If there were an "LP" version, I'd probably go on and get it! |
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Post by thetragichero on Apr 3, 2023 21:29:05 GMT -5
my issue is that cell phone signals can be picked up by a coil of wire like a pickup (basically an antenna). i learned the hard way (thankfully with nobody in the room) that i couldn't play bass at church with my phone in my back pocket because my bass would pick up little 'blips' from my phone
i find it a lot easier to flip a physical switch on my guitar than having to open up my phone...
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Post by sumgai on Apr 4, 2023 0:00:44 GMT -5
i find it a lot easier to flip a physical switch on my guitar than having to open up my phone... Presumably, a tablet with Bluetooth capability will also be able to run the app. This would allow for a less-easily-lost item to be set on the table/amp/floor (dangerous!), or other horizontal plane within reach. And it could be left open to the app, so no phone 'lid flipping' or 'side button pushing' should be needed. Turn off any phone capability the table might have, and you should be good to go. Ports to MacOS and to various flavors of Linux will be forthcoming, I'm sure. If not, then look for an early funeral, because there are a whale of a lot of musicians that use Macs in their musical lives. HTH sumgai |
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Post by sumitagarwal on Mar 11, 2024 12:59:22 GMT -5
Has anyone actually ended up trying this out? Seems like there are some significant limitations: - No parallel wiring option for humbuckers
- No series wiring option between pickups
It's equipped to handle 3 humbuckers, but it's unclear if it can support other ways of using all those connects, such as a 4 single coil guitar (like a Teisco or Steve Morse)
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Post by unreg on Mar 11, 2024 16:38:11 GMT -5
Seems like there are some significant limitations: - No parallel wiring option for humbuckers
- No series wiring option between pickups
What a “limitation”! Perhaps I’m reading this wrong… but if you have two humbuckers and you can’t wire them in parallel AND you can’t wire them in series, then… well, then I guess I’d wire them in celery. You’d have a unique sound with humbuckers wired in celery. |
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Post by sumitagarwal on Mar 11, 2024 17:04:17 GMT -5
Seems like there are some significant limitations: - No parallel wiring option for humbuckers
- No series wiring option between pickups
What a “limitation”! Perhaps I’m reading this wrong… but if you have two humbuckers and you can’t wire them in parallel AND you can’t wire them in series, then… well, then I guess I’d wire them in celery. You’d have a unique sound with humbuckers wired in celery. Sorry, I should have clarified: it doesn't have the ability to wire the coils of a humbucker parallel to each other. |
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Post by newey on Mar 11, 2024 17:05:26 GMT -5
Perhaps I’m reading this wrong You are. No series between 2 pickups. No parallel coils in a HB. |
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