Hoag Instruments introduces ELI (Extreme Low Impedance) magnetic guitar pickup technology. It is now possible to have the guitar string act as the pickup. A simple impedance matching mechanism is used to achieve this. The string is insulated from metal parts that will complete an electrical circuit with other strings. Also, the bridge and nut must be made of nonconducting materials. The metal frets are okay as long as they don’t complete an electrical circuit.
This is an extremely low impedance pickup and the resistance of other strings will be a hindrance. Each string is the pickup and forms a single loop of wire when connected to the input of a low to high-z transformer. A magnet is placed under the strings to energize them with a magnetic field. This is a divided pickup or could be made mono. The divided mode will allow each string to have its own EQ and effects. Also, it can be used with a MIDI connector package, permitting a guitar interface application.
Hoag Instruments is a research and development company in the field of optical guitar pickups and now ELI magnetic pickups. These technologies are available to instrument manufactures for their own application.
For more information, visit their web site at www.opticalguitars.com.
