# Project Ideas - Variax Guts/Midi etc.



## Trespass (Mar 8, 2008)

First things first, how does Variax technology work? Are they piezo saddles?

My idea is to take the acoustic variax system and rewire it for guitar, (those sound really good, if it works independant of the acoustic: hence the question above).

Basically, instead of having your normal piezo system, to have 15 different modelled acoustics or whatever, and I want to use midi to have another instrument in the mix (Probably Roland GK3).

The idea is to create a potentially very layered guitar sound. I say layered because I want to be able to, at the roll of a knob, or push of a footswitch, have a solo timbre being played. (Sitar break ) In other words, I want to take how Al Di Meola does it to the next level:


What he's doing here is all done through his GK3 (I'm pretty sure). 

Anyways, I just want to be able to play distortion, with perhaps a string synth underneath, or play with sitar and a midi cello. Or all 3 (clean tone mixed with acoustic, plus strings, with Al Di Meola's tasty mediterranean sound)

So 3 different outputs:
Guitar 1/4"
Acoustic Variax 1/4"
GK3 Midi
Thing for the workbench software. (VDI?)

I dislike the sound of a lot of distortion: Its rare that I like distorted sounds, and I play primarily acoustic and bluesy tones, and mellow jazz tones. 

So I ask you guys, can this be done?


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## Stitch (Mar 8, 2008)

I can't really understand some of what you're asking, but I'll tell you now that the Variax (electric) uses L.R.Baggs saddles that are fed into a computer. I'm positive it tweaks those sounds using EQ, compressors, band pass filters etc. rather than MIDI triggered sounds, because pick scrapes, pinch harmonics etc. work fine.

If you can cope with the wiring it MIGHT be possible to use Graphtech GHOST saddles. These act as piezo saddles but can also be used as MIDI saddles AT THE SAME TIME using Graphtech's modual GHOST preamp system.


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## Trespass (Mar 8, 2008)

Stitch said:


> I can't really understand some of what you're asking, but I'll tell you now that the Variax (electric) uses L.R.Baggs saddles that are fed into a computer. I'm positive it tweaks those sounds using EQ, compressors, band pass filters etc. rather than MIDI triggered sounds, because pick scrapes, pinch harmonics etc. work fine.
> 
> If you can cope with the wiring it MIGHT be possible to use Graphtech GHOST saddles. These act as piezo saddles but can also be used as MIDI saddles AT THE SAME TIME using Graphtech's modual GHOST preamp system.



Interesting. And yes, what I typed was pretty unorganized, a stream of conciousness with a little bit of concieved grammar and punctuation.

So Ghost is what I want, basically. I was going to buy an acoustic variax, rip out the electronics and rewire it into an electric (still haven't figured out how that will be done) and then I'll want to rewire the system to Ghost Saddles, so that I can run midi as well.

The alternative is I use a midi pickup; thats what Al Di Meola is using here. (Guitar Equipment | Al Di Meola Guitars and Guitar Synths)

Is there really any difference in sound quality between saddles? Any difference at all? And whats the advantages and disadvantages of pup vs. saddle midi?


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