Hex Distortion Pickup with Hex Clean Outputs

The SynQuaNon Hex Clean Output Pickup has an active polyphonic design using twelve individual string coils arranged in six humbucking pairs. The individual string outputs are routed separately through dedicated two-stage voltage-controlled distortion circuits.

 

This approach creates a unique distortion sound full of rich harmonics and devoid of the usual distasteful intermodulation distortion in typical mono pickups. The six distorted signals are summed in an output mixer amplifier for the final mono output via an EMG-compatible header; the six clean coil signals are buffered and made available through the 10-pin HEX COILS OUT header for processing by BOSS/Roland GK Synthesizers.

The first distortion stage is controlled by the GAIN1 control voltage (CV) generated by a potentiometer connected to the GAIN1 header, while the second distortion stage is controlled by the GAIN2 CV through a second potentiometer connected to the GAIN2 header. At the lowest potentiometer settings the distortion amplifier gains produce a gain of 19dB, which is equivalent to a clean boost. The GAIN1 potentiometer may be replaced by a trimpot on the rear if so desired.

A voltage-controlled low-pass treble suppression filter is available via a shorting block to automatically reduce the treble content as the distortion is increased, as necessary.

The mixing volume for the top three strings (E4, B3, G3) can be adjusted via the three trimpots on the rear according to user taste. The string potentiometer adjustment is an improved equivalent of a mechanical solution using pole pieces (screws) on the pickup. This allows you to adjust the volume balance between wound and bare strings.

The six individual string clean outputs are active low output signals suited for further connection to Roland GK-3 internal boards as a substitute for the GK-3 pickup.

The pickup is currently available in a nickel or black plastic cover, with additional finishes planned for the future.

Furthermore, it is possible to customize the pickup during production to suit individual needs - mainly the levels of gain and harmonic frequencies, both for all strings simultaneously and for each string separately. This would require a special order and minimum order quantity.