How do I install a hexaphonic pickup
in my guitar?
Installing a hex pickup is just like installing a regular
pickup, except instead of one positive and one ground
wire, you have six positive wires and one ground wire. The
wires are color-coded, and go in this order, from high to
low: white, black, red, green, yellow, blue. If you
reverse the orientation of the pickup, it will still work
but the order will be reversed. The six positive wires
each go to a pin on the 7 pin output jack (included free
with purchase of a pickup and breakout box) and the ground
wire connects to the ground terminal of that jack. One pin
is left over (I remove this pin before shipping, to avoid
mistakes):
For 13 pin output jacks, the pinout is as follows: high
e: pin 1; B: pin 2; G: pin 3; D: pin 4; A: pin 5; low E:
pin 6. Pin 7 can be used for the remaining stock mono
pickup(s). 13 pin DIN panel mount jacks, as in the picture
above, are available for $10 each.
Other options are possible, such as adding a switch that
combines the signals to mono, or to different stereo
configurations, or adding volume and/or tone controls.
What color wire goes to what string?
They go in this order: white black red green yellow
blue. Which direction depends on how you orient the
pickup. It should be fairly easy to tell which side is
which by looking at the wires where they enter the pickup.
What are the specs of your pickups?
Standard coils have a DC resistance of around 7.5K ohms.
Plus coils have a DC resistance of around 3K ohms, but are
more powerful than standard.
See image below for the amount of cross-talk (bleed)
between strings:
Why are the humbucker versions so
much more expensive than the single-coils?
The humbucker
hexaphonic pickups require twice the materials and twice the
work and time to make, compared to the single-coil hex
pickups.
Do you do custom work?
I am not accepting
custom orders at this time.
I want to install individual pan pots
for each output. How do I do that?
Email me for
schematics.
How long does it take between when I
order and when you ship?
Generally about a
week. Pickups, breakout boxes, etc., are made-to-order, but
sometimes I make or start things ahead of time and they can
be ready sooner. Sometimes a lot of orders come in around
the same time and it can take longer.
Do you ship overseas?
I will ship anywhere in the world. To date, Ubertar
hexaphonic pickups have been sold to:
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China,
Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland,
India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, USA
Do your pickups work with Roland or
other guitar synths/MIDI instruments?
Yes.
For best results, install the pickup in bridge position,
and adjust the pickup height so the pickup is as close to
the strings as possible. They may not be compatible with
all older models.
Can your pickups work for an acoustic
guitar?
Yes.
I also carry sound-hole adapters so you can mount the
pickup on the instrument with no permanent modifications
to the instrument. You'll still need to put the jack
somewhere, though. If you're a sit-down player, you may
want to remove the strap peg on the butt of the
instrument, and use the remaining hole for the jack.
You'll need to use strings designed for use with
electromagnetic pickups. Examples of these are GHS White
Bronze, and John Pearse 960L.
Adjust the height of the pickup so it is as close to the
strings as possible.
.
What does "plus" mean?
How is it different from standard?
Plus
pickups are made with HC-series coils. They are more
powerful and have better tone (to my ears) than standard.
They are the best choice for guitar or bass (or anything
else that can stick to a magnet and vibrates).
How does the hex+stereo
box work?
It
works the same as the standard box, except it also has six
switches and two additional outs. This video demo explains
in more detail: