Graph Tech's ghost Pickup System Introduction

[tehsamjones]

freaking genius!

[NotImune]

Very nice!!! ...but did I get it right (?):

If I want this in my TOM/string-through guitar - without the Midi capability, but with Magnetic/Mix/Piezo-switching - I need that Ghost TOM Bridge (which is a Resomax Bridge?) and an Acousti-phonic Preamp-kit (with volume knob and 3way switch for the piezo included?) ? I do not even have to solder it? Cool.

now I'm completely sold on that system... :-O

[darren0512341]

how low can these pickups can pick up?

I'm currently in drop b...

[00hazel001]

@darren0512341 i didn't know metal heads even knew that there were such htings like acoustic guitars.

[Fritters87]

@00hazel001 That just shows who's the more ignorant, doesn't it.

[GuillermoSmyser]

I want the piezo for an Ibanez (fixed bridge) 7 string! Much better than any other piezo I've ever heard.

[caulinrocker1]

BLACKBIRD!!!!!

[bobgatewood]

man i hate to say this but i think your guitar is out of tune.

[wilsonsann]

what'sthe song at the end?

[iodo2004]

@wilsonsann blackbird by the beatles

[freeus333]

Any ghost System Saddle can fit the VG300 Bridge??Thanks



[caulinrocker1]

@freeus333 yea its a standard wilkinson style saddle and they do make replacements

[mojoefly]

makes me regret getting lr baags x bridge.

[mojoefly]

i think the ghost sounds better then the lr baggs x bridge.

[zigzaghookie]

How do you get the acoustic system to sound like it does in the video?? I have this exact same system but when I play it through my electric amp it doesn't sound as rich as this video does. Someone help?

[MaestrosounD]

Good pitch!

[Jadguitare]

why is it called ghost pickups !! it's more of a bridge than a pickup !! They should call it Graph tech's Ghost bridges

[ArtuRider]

Because the sound is caught by the pickups, but there are not normal pickups on the guitar (they seem to be hidden), so they are in the saddles

[Jadguitare]

and what about your 'real' pickups, so if I understand well, the electric guitar sound comes from your real pickups, and acoustic + synth sound comes from ghost pickups

[ArtuRider]

Yes, you're understanding well. The electric guitar sound comes from the 'real' pickups, but the other 2 sounds comes from the saddles (ghost pickups)

[getvicky13]

@Jadguitare

its just the saddles. the entire bridge would consist of the tremolo springs, the bridge itself, AND the saddles. Check out the LR Baggs Piezo system. You'll see what its like

[nitipongtoon]

cool

[adrs2]

comprise / consist of

[gxtksh329]

What are you using the GK-3 with? A Roland GR synth? External gear? Sounds like your guitar isn't set up properly. I had similar experiences with the GK-2A and thought it was useless until actually spent some time tweaking it. Now it tracks very well. Make sure the guitar is tuned and properly intonated, put the GK pickup as close to the strings as you can. You may have to adjust the string height. If you use a GR synth you can set the levels for each string.

[maryanbed]

i'm impressed

[tubaeli93]

which sounds better this acoustic or the l.r. baggs piezo's? i don't like dark acoustic tones more like Petrucci's piezo tone... and i know he uses l.r. baggs but can this get the same tones?

[gypsyguitars]

bohs1984 makes a grrreat comment ! Rush is a great endorsement for Graph Tech mods... i own a Carvin DC400 w/ Graph Tech custom mods & it is the most versatile electric guitar that i own w/ the most "lush" / smooth, warm glass-like clean sound i've ever heard from an electric coming thru the Acousti-phonic preamp... & IMHO the LB63 licensed Floyd Rose allows for the most subtle nuances of expression & phrasing like a decent Flod Rose product should perform =GRAPH TECH ROCKS !

[espinola1497]

The Graphtech's systems, rocks!!!

[guitargeek57]

I wouldn't ever use this for recording... unless I'm going for that specific sound... but for live this would be huge!

Pearl Jam has been known to use a Hamer Duo Tone (similar concept) on most of their tours for some "acoustic" needs.

[bohs1984]

you critics are idiots. The system was good enough for Alex Lifeson during the last Rush concert and yeah, the acoustic guitar sound might not have been "perfect" but it was good enough for a live show. By the time you mic up an acoustic and try to mix it and blah blah... this is WAY better for a live application. I have nevery head a live performance of a real acoustic in a rock concert that sound any good. This is a great system.

[zigzaghookie]

@bohs1984 I have a question, I have this exact system in my guitar with just the acoustic option. I play it through my electric amplifier but it doesn't sound like it does in this video. How do I get it to sound like the video?

[bohs1984]

@zigzaghookie

Probably because you are going straight from the piezo transducer into an amp without a good preamp. These types of pickups REQUIRE a good preamp to get a great sound. The little built in ones used in acoustic guitars suck ass. If you want a great sound try the D-tar Solstice Preamp.

[zigzaghookie]

@bohs1984 What if I bought like the BOSS acoustic simulator or the Fishman Dreadnought acoustic imaging pedal? Would that make it sound good?

[benjaminshinobi]

1:03 HEXSHAFONIC...lol I'm sorry

[JoeGuitarGuy]

2:09 

SHOCKER!!! lol

[ReductioAdAbsurdum]

"Studio quality guitar"?!

I'd be more open to the guy's sales pitch if he didn't open by telling me red was green, and relying on me being colorblind to not tell the difference. A *passable* acoustic guitar sound, suitable for life use in a pinch, would be a far more honest assessment of that sound.

[3Deity]

Know ye of a better live solution? I have heard lots worse and none of them could you use on your fave guitar with MIDI option as well. If its good enough for Godin...

[ReductioAdAbsurdum]

"Know ye of a better live solution? I have heard lots worse "

Um, "I've heard worse" and "studio quality" are not even in the same ballpark. My point is only that the hyperbole is counterproductive -- if you open your sales pitch by holding up an apple and claiming it's an orange, you destroy your credibility for the rest of the presentation.

[3Deity]

Hehe - I see what you mean! :o)

As a tool for gigging with it looks great. Interesting (to your arguments) Gogle blocks GraphTech's website and the string-saver saddles I bought are too wide to fit on a USA standard trem! The ones I have could be counterfeit however, I am looking into it now.

[stratman06]

I've been suprised in the past by how great quality recordings have been made with this kind of equipment. Valve amp + 4x12 cab + Shure SM57 might be the preferred setup, for example; but most studios these days have a Line 6 POD in their arsenal, and not just for the effects.

Maybe the acoustic model here wouldn't be good for a solo fingerpicked acoustic song, but for strummed chords EQ'd to mainly use the percussive sound (common in pop music), is realistic imo.

[toyoubecritic1]

I dont really like the all effects, but your string saver saddles are so much better than standard saddles on any guitar. I have them on my les paul and my strat. It made them louder and clearer. Now I just need to change the nuts on both. Thank you for making such a great product and keep up the good work.

[3Deity]

That is the most jaw dropping product I have seen in 25 years as a guitarist - And I've been around, and I'm a luthier, oh, and a programmer and electronics bod. I'm buying one, no, I'm buying several!!!

[stratman06]

Have you seen the Roland Synth pickup, Fender VG Stratocaster, Line 6 Variax etc?

[3Deity]

Yeah, The Line6 is 'crumbly', the Roland pickup is never at the right distance from the string but the Fender VG is a new one on me - Thanks for the lead!

[TreizeKu]

This might sound cool... but..

The way I see it you're basically changing your guitar into a synthesizer. You're taking the pickup signal strength and using a microprocessor board to digitize it into a ranged signal, and then just mapping certain samples onto that signal, the way a synth does. This means you're losing your analog guitar signal, which is really the essence of a guitar in the first place I believe.

Because.. with this system, and correct me... [read on in next comment]

[blackroseimmortal77]

Yes and no, The piezo crystals in the acoustic settings are literally pickup up the sound of the string form the bridge, the synthesizer which can be piggy backed onto the acoustic one is sort of an optional extra which tracks and processes the piezo acoustic output and translates it into something else. So the piezo acoustic bit is real. What you're saying does however apply to the digital output which will only work plugged into a roland Vsynth pedal or equivalent

[skruvmaejsel]

Are you able to connect these ( or even all ) midi pick ups to let's say reason and use reasons midi samples?

and what does these cost?

[TreizeKu]

...if I'm wrong, you could theoretically eliminate the need for different gauged strings and you could retune your guitar at the press of a button, since the processor doesn't care about the frequency your strings vibrate at anymore, it just measure the average signal strength from the piëzo pickup for each string.

It's a cool idea, and the next logical step, but I wouldn't want one. Though that might be because I prefer acoustic anyway..

Just thinking out loud..

[Mahavishnu80]

sounds very similar to the one in my ibanez SA. If you are thinking of going piezo i would say first it feels weird, and tonally the acoustic will sound far better with a les paul or even a hollowbody with thicker strings.

[kaiylahani]

Is this available for bass??

[tido1979]

i just read that this guy scares me....i am sorry but i just have to say, that this is the most easy going awesome guy you'll ever meet........he was a gigging musician and everything he devoloped was based on his experience......not sure why he'd scare you.....

[ilovelespauls27]

probably really expensive

[UndeadxWarrior]

The whole system costs about 250-450 USD, depending on the model that you get.

[MrStoneybroke]

you dont have to get the whole system you can also just get the acousti-phonic put in ..its an option if u just want acoustic and no synth as in the hex....cut yr cost in half

[mrkurdtmcbain]

ths guy scares me, I don't why but he does!

[Serpent1980]

WOW!!! I wont it!

[kewl2006]

really awesome... how much does it cost though??

[realmencandance]

@kewl2006 not expensive,.. like 130 total

[kewl2006]

@realmencandance yeah that's not too expensive. well at least it wouldn't be if i wasn't so damn broke!!

[iwillstompyourgrapes]

@realmencandance for the pickups. But the system itself costs another $150. So around $300

[jackass311]

@kewl2006 close to the same price as a lower end acoustic electric. it depends on if you get an entire bridge assembly or just the saddles for your existing bridge. the acousti-phonic preamp thing is $149.95. which could end up being around 250-350. hope that helped, i plan on getting the acousti-phonic for my Epiphone Goth Explorer, which wont be goth when i get it (im painting it). it's gon be two-jillion times more awesome!!!

[CyValkarion]

@kewl2006 depends on the model. The LB-63 Floyd Rose bridge that i've been looking at is about $260. Not too bad for the quality of the system

[RushedFatality]

@CyValkarion Really? I just bought the LB-63 in chrome off of their site for $180.

[CyValkarion]

@RushedFatality Yeah i know i realized that. But I wouldn't buy that crap now that I know it's a crappy zinc alloy. With the way I use floyds, it would break in a month or so like the last cheap zinc floyd I had. Should just get a piezo film strip and stick it on the tone block or something.

[aliensporebomb]

This really is amazing, I'm looking at retrofitting one of my Floyd equipped axes - it seems like the smartest way to do a retrofit without surgical modification of the instrument.

[fastabyss]

can't wait too see the floyd vers

[6whitewolf2112]

I installed a Ghost system into my OLP John Petrucci model guitar and love it. There was a bit of surgery required to make everything fit... drilling for the pickup wires and switch, routing for the circuit board and fabricating control covers... but the end result is nothing short of amazing! Quite simply, this is the best aftermarket piezo system for the money, bar none.

[EddieBear631]

Absolutely incredible and innovative!