Seymour Duncan HyperSwitch Install And Demo (NAMM 2023)
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- I was sworn to secrecy until the Tuesday Before 2023 Winter NAMM but now I can show you the @seymourduncan HyperSwitch.
This technology was developed by Marconi. When Seymour Duncan saw it they partnered with Marconi and developed it together. Now, after years of R&D it's finally ready... or is it?
Join me as I explain, install, and demo this amazing piece of technology while it is still in its infancy.
00:00 Introduction
01:36 First look
02:30 What I'm going to do to show this will work with any brand of passive pickup
03:14 HyperSwitch vs Freeway Switch
04:08 Evaluating the guitar before installation
05:13 Pickup output
06:54 I need to make the wires longer
08:04 Hooking up the switch
12:09 Opening the app and setting up the switch
13:10 The app starts crashing
14:11 Programming the switch
16:45 Operator error
18:26 Checking pickup readings
20:14 Showing the different tonal options
25:16 Programing the positions and how the pickups interact with each other
31:13 Demoing the clean tones
33:30 Let's add some GAIN!
36:16 Conclusions and warnings
I took one of the positions and connected it to Spotify. Hit that switch and sit back with a coffee while the audience goes wild.
I have no idea what that means.
As painful as it was watching you struggle though the app, I'm glad SOMEONE has finally shown what the actual settings DO on the thing. Pretty exciting way to really open up some new possibilities for tone shaping. Thanks!
Thank you!
I got this thing before it was available because I have OEM status with Duncan. But… I couldn’t show the video until they unveiled it at NAMM
As a condition of them sending me one early.
This video did really well for a while but then bigger channels did goofy videos about it and mine just got buried. That’s ok because they earned their viewers by being around before me but I really felt some of them “phoned it in”.
So I appreciate you acknowledging how hard I worked on making the best video I could about how to use this switch. It’s actually very cool.
So cool in fact that I am going to put it in a completely different guitar with really weird pickups and other options just to be different.
@@REXYLAB That's what we need, exactly! I want to know how the switch does with all kinds of goofy stuff. Can it do Filtertrons? How does it sound with Lace Dually"s, etc. Keep up the great work!
@@SDCromwell thank you again!
Yes, this will work with passive pickups with 2, 3, or 4 wire configurations.
Active pickups won’t work correctly and the invader doesn’t like it either.
I’m actually planning on really pushing the limits of this thing with a weird guitar I’m going to do in the future.
And just so you know I’m about to start doing videos for Kahler and we will be giving away an American Strat later this year to one lucky person.
Be sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell to all so out find out how you can get a chance at it!
This is such an amazing thing! Very creative!
It is lots of fun to play with.
Why doesn't the pick up industry standardize the color of the wires...I recently installed a PRS metal treble pick up on my PRS se 24 standard and I had to call PRS tech support because the colors were different from the factory installed pickup.
It is a pain in the ass for sure.
There are helpful color code charts out there for most pickups. I find it very helpful to test with a meter to know your start and finish wires. That way it is far less likely that you will have an issue.
It is annoying indeed.
OEMs would have to get together and agree on something though 😂
… or maybe things will standardize by market pressure and/or luck, like it happened with pedal power supply format (to BOSS’ 9v negative center).
Duncan makes pickups for a lot of brands already so their color scheme is dominant (probably on the PRS SE) but the others don’t seem to want to consolidate (DiMarzio, PRS, Gibson, Fender, etc.).
Thanks for sharing this with us. Must admit I'm liking my Blade Guitar which uses the Variable Spectrum Control but this looks really interesting. Best wishes from the UK. 👍👍🎶🎶🎶🎶😎😎😎😎
I made it so there would be something out there that wasn’t obviously a Seymour Duncan commercial.
This is my real world result. I’m glad you liked it. Thank you for watching it.
I just looked at the variable spectrum control. That looks interesting.
I might have to get one.
@@REXYLAB It works really well to be honest. Sounds great with regards to Strat and Tele tones to 70's Classic Rock etc...
@@digital-guitars-uk got a link where I can check one out and maybe purchase it?
Thanks for the vid. A ton of info there.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed it.
At least someone is innovating the guitar electronics. I just think we need to get away from solder joints and have more plug n play, the screw thing doesn’t work for me either.
There are definitely options now for hot swappable pickups and electronics.
This combines screws with soldering. Personally, I like to solder… but that’s just me.
This switch is fun in my opinion. It will eventually find its way into something a little more crazy in my collection of nutty guitars. For now I’m digging it where it is.
solder less is really great. the only thing stopping every single manufacturer from getting in it is cost and traditionalistic tendencies. and it really doesnt matter. i myself prefer the screw type. the push type is very flimsy and inconsistent.
@@coolboy-qc4eb usually I’m not so traditional but I personally really love to solder.
Cool pic by the way, Ricky. Don’t kidnap Alex Lifeson again to tell him about this switch. Even though he’s clearly a male prostitute that’s drunk as fuck.
I think the point at the end of the app is quite true. Builders should know.
Yes, tech in a guitar is risky… but it is super cool!
❤❤cool beans!!
Thank you!
Some of those early tones are "Frame By Frame" kinda vibe !! So what Frippery is going on Belew!??
This switch is capable of much more than I am showing. Especially if you wire in some switches for how the pickups interact when combined.
I've got a Free Way I've still got to wire up on an HSH.
This new Duncan one definitely has more options.
What do you mean? The one I installed is the one that just came out.
@@REXYLAB Well it IS new, just came out.
This was in contrast to the Free Way which I (and you) referenced.
@@sunriseshell I must need new glasses! I just saw freeway switch in your comment.
Oops! My apologies.
I actually prefer the freeway switch over the HyperSwitch. They are both pretty awesome.
I will eventually pull this switch out and put it something else I got a weird idea for.
Gonna wear out the switch with all the back and forth trying to get the app to work.
Hashtagohmygodlaughoutloud!
It’s a tough switch, I think it can survive my operator error.
Thank you for making such an in-depth video. So, if I understand this correctly, there is no way to choose a parallel option in-phase?? At first this seemed like the perfect product to convert a regular Strat into something that would be "Dann Huff Inspired" with parallel switching and coil splitting options, but if the only parallel option means that it must be out-of-phase then I don't think it would be the right tool for the job.... Unless, Seymour Duncan has updated the product since you made this video???
I think it’s still the same options.
For parallel in phase out of phase I like the freeway switch, specifically the 3b3. It will give you only 6 tones but they are
-Bridge
-Bridge and neck in parallel in phase
-neck
-bridge and neck in series in phase
-bridge and neck in series out of phase
-bridge and neck in parallel out of phase
Do that with coil tappable single coils or coil split or put your humbucker in parallel with a push pull and you have lots of options.
You can’t just reprogram it like you can with the hyper switch but it’s a fraction of the price. With the freeway switch you would have to resolder it.
They also make a 5b5 that does 10 positions I am very fond of.
@@REXYLAB Thank you for taking time to respond, and for passing along this info. I really appreciate it. I'll take a look at those Freeway switches as well! Thanks!!!
I just got my hperswitch set up & connected to the app successfully.On the guitar I have a single coil EJ pickup & the other 2 are Duncan hot rails.It's a Fender guitar with 1 volume pots & 2 tone pots.On the app I see all 3 pickups as single coil pickups for some reason.I dont see the 2 Hotrails pickups or the North South indicators.Is this some malfunction or an issue with the wiring? Attaching pic of Hyper app.
I didn’t see a picture. You can email me one at eddie@rexylab.net. I’d have to see it to have an idea.
You know what would be even cooler, If you can use it permananty on and use it to switch presets in effect app. Or vice-versa have modeler change pickups along with presets.
Permimantly on would drain the battery very fast. They would have to figure out a way to phantom power it.
That would be cool but that isn’t what it does.
this would work for me because i can program to make the first position of the switch for the bridge pickup, and the rest of the switch would be the bridge and center pickup. this way i wont make a mistake changing pickups during a song
You absolutely could do that.
How many hours does the 9V battery last? Having to take off the control cover to change battery is a big hassle. What happens if you disconnect the battery and try to play? Do you get any output at all? On a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Classic one can at least change the buffer amp battery without a screwdriver. Same goes for the piezo amp on Taylors. And in both cases the guitar remains usable without a battery.
That is a good question because the answer is NO!
Not only will it not work with the battery but you have to wake it up by flicking the switch a few times or it is off.
The literature from Duncan claims it lasts an unreal amount of time with the app off. With the app on it gets eaten pretty quickly.
I don’t go by what the manufacturer claims though because sometimes they are wrong.
I can say this. I used this switch in two demo videos that had the app open a lot. Plus I took it to my local guitar store and demoed it with the app open a lot.
It ate the battery quickly.
I have since changed the battery and not opened the app at all. The battery is fine. I’ll have to spend some time with it to be able to say how long the battery lasts in real world applications.
The switch is rock solid when you are using it after being programmed. But if the battery died mid gig your guitar would just stop working.
Очень интересная технология. Главное что у нее есть огромный потенциал. Будет круто, если производитель сделает возможность через приложение менять (моделировать) модели разных звукоснимателей. Дополнительно можно объединить эту технологию с positive grid или ik multimedia и получить еще FX (гитарные кабинеты и примочки). Технология за которой я сейчас слежу с большим интересом это гитары - Mooer GTRS. Я думаю что за моделирующими гитарами будущее, а если туда вмонтируют еще и беспроводные наушники и гитарные кабинеты и эффекты и возможность записи, backtracking и возможность модифицирования звукоснимателей, то это будет прорыв!
Радует что технологичность проникает в музыкальный мир гитаристов.
I’ve never heard of the Mooer GTRS guitar, I’ll give it a look.
Sadly this switch hasn’t been very well received. Most guitar players don’t embrace technology on their guitars. But, some of us do.
After it's been programmed, does it still need battery power for the switch to work?
Good question, yes it does.
You also need to walk up the switch or it won’t work. You do that by moving it back and forth a few times.
It’s the old EBMM Gamechanger system available as an aftermarket part for $149. I think it is pretty cool.
This has a few similarities but it’s nothing like the Ernie Ball system.
i wonder what happens if the battery dies? does the switch still work?
That’s easy, if the battery dies everything quits working.
I found that out after making the video.
My only question is, what's the battery life?
That’s a good question. My answer is I don’t know yet.
Unlike active pickups you can leave the guitar plugged in. You don’t change the jack so the battery isn’t activated by plugging the guitar in. The switch goes to sleep after a while and you have to wake it up by moving it. You get to decide how long the switch is awake in the app.
Also, when you close the app it drains much less power. Nice the switch is programmed you can just close the app unless you want to re program it or change to a different switch setting you already made.
I haven’t used it long enough yet to have a battery die.
@Rexylab So, I called Seymour Duncan today and asked the customer service rep. He said the battery lasts 6-8 hours continuously connected to a device with Bluetooth. 2,000 hours if not connected. Apparently the Bluetooth really deains that battery so it's best to disconnect from your phone/tablet ASAP after changing profiles or settings.
@@ThisJust-In that’s what it says in the literature. Personality I like to make sure if this stuff with my personal experience.
The second you are done programming it you can shut the app off. You can also program how long it’s on in the app. When it hits your time limit it shuts off.
The cool thing is you can save a bunch of presets and then open the app and switch from one to another. This makes it a super versatile thing to have.
If you were to combine this with push pulls or mini toggles for how your pickups interact it becomes even more versatile.
I put it in this guitar with Tom Anderson pickups just to show it would work with anything. But when I did that I was limiting its potential. Eventually I’ll move it into a different guitar that I have an idea of making. Then it will be loaded with all its crazy potential.
If this switch interests you I think you’ll dig that thing for sure.
@Rexylab I'm ordering one to throw in my "project guitar." It's an old ibanez Rg470 but everything on it has been replaced at this point. It's currently set up in a kinda HHH configuration. I replaced the middle single coil with a hot rail. I've tinkered around with alligator clip leads and found some really cool tones when connected directly to my amp. Problem is, I'm bypassing the pots/caps when I do that so there's no idea what it'll really sound like until it's all soldiered in. That's where I think this switch will really shine. We'll see when I get one 😁
From the demo, this feels more like a luthiers tool rather than a consumer product. I feel like for anyone with multiple guitars, you buy 1 of these, and a bunch of super switches or push pull pots. You use the hyper switch to decide which combos you want the guitar to have, then you hard wire it in with the superswitch and push pulls. So its kinda a buy 1 and done deal for me... so yes, i will be buying 2 😂
You can do a lot with this switch. Much more than super switches and push pulls.
That being said I prefer the freeway switch.
@REXYLAB I was actually wondering if you would have a preference. I think I like the idea of effortless versatility more than locked in versatility... but 10 options for 1/3 the price... I guess it adds up 🤣
In the seymour duncan video, the reverse polarity and the parallel options were separated
That is correct, it’s parallel/out of phase that I’m complaining about. You can’t make it parallel without it being out of phase.
@@REXYLAB I don't like that either. A lot of people like to use parallel instead of coil split.
@@rodedawg77 I am one of those people! In parallel it’s still bucking the hum and your potentiometer and capacitor value can stay the same.
I did tell my guy at Duncan I think it’s a mistake to not have it just parallel. We shall see what they do.
@@REXYLAB Nice! Yeah, that would actually be a deal breaker as to me dropping 150 bucks on that
@@rodedawg77 that is why I made the video.
Have you checked out the freeway switch?
What makes this more convenient
I dont see the point
all that trouble of some extra tones you never gonna use
That is why I made this video.
If you only use the stock tones if your guitar (or only the bridge pickup with everything wide open) then this would be a waste of money.
This is for people who like to experiment and get as much out of their guitar as they can. If you are happy with your guitar as it is this product is not for you.
The good news is you save $150 because it is expensive. And if you don’t do your own tech work there is the install fee as well.
Personally, I like it. But I am happy with just one and won’t be getting another unless I have a real good reason.
Plus this isn’t the guitar it will stay in. I’ll be doing something really weird with it in the future. But I’m a weirdo, I like experimenting with weird stuff.
The color combinations would have threw me off. This is like
Star Trek meets rock!
I know you would figure it out. I don’t have a doctorate degree or anything so I think you would be ok.
It totally is Star Trek meets rock. Remember when the space hippies almost converted Mr. Spock?
Hey brother!
Looks like a solution in search of a problem. Major install, adding a battery, to get sounds you could mostly get with a simple EQ adjustment. Fun toy for gearheads.
Those are all good points except one.
EQ will not simulate the sounds that this thing can produce by changing polarity on your pickups or a host of other things. However, there are other ways to accomplish getting your pickups to do these things with different, non-powered switches.
People add batteries to guitars for active pickups all the time so the battery thing I don’t think is a big deal.
My single biggest issue with this switch is that if they stop supporting the app it will eventually be useless. That is something to be concerned about.
This is a fun thing to tinker with but when everything is said and done I prefer the freeway switch. It doesn’t have any of the things you said going on and gives you lots of tones. It definitely isn’t for everyone and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone that was happy with just a few tones from their guitar.
Peavey and EVH Wolfgangs have hotter pickups in the neck.
The neck isn’t so much hot as it just has a massive output. When you listen to this pickup it’s actually quite mellow.
I was a little shocked as I have had this guitar like this since the early 90s. That was long before I understood DC resistance and things like that.
These Tom Anderson pickups work great for pushing the amp old school as opposed to the modern way of everything being hotter than the devil’s taint.
Don’t get me wrong though, I like pickups like that as well.
it only configures pickup arrangement? for each position? I thought it added effects? now that's the ticket, this is just looking for trouble with more to go wrong... unreal, yea wanna pay $150 to have a battery fie onstage or have the bluetooth decide to disconnect.. thought it injected effects of your choice.. dumb
I said it wasn’t for everybody.
I'm glad there's no time in my life "before I did my own work." If there's one thing I've learned in the last 4 years, being back into electric guitars. It's that with UA-cam there sure seems to be alot of followers? I try'n keep an open view on new gear and prefer to watch channels that do too. Just because "big Phil" or "Fluff" say they don't care for something, means absolutely nothing to me. I know what I like and want, and I take this journey seriously. I don't have time for endless reviews on outrageously expensive gear and/or the cheapest Amazon guitars. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle, and are doing as much work on their own as possible. Who gives a shit what some fat loser that has way more gear than they could possibly use in 10 lifetimes thinks? Gotta do you.
I meant absolutely no disrespect towards Philip McKnight with that little clip in the beginning. That happened as I was editing this video and I thought it was a cute way to open the video.
Philip has done lots of really good stuff and he has actually helped out the nonprofit I do with terminal kids. Don’t misinterpret the intro as a jab at Philip McKnight. It was meant in good fun.
@@REXYLAB Phil is great, and I didn't mean anything personal on him. He's just another UA-camr with an opinion many take as gospel. Everyone likes different stuff. I just try'n stay in my lane I guess. I like to ruffle feathers sometimes, when I feel the person takes a stab at me. We all can be wrong sometimes.
@@andrewbecker3700 no harm, no foul. I’m glad we got that straightened out.
Philip definitely does a lot of good for the guitar community and I’m glad you and I agree on that. Like I said, that intro was just too perfect not to use.
At any rate I hope you enjoyed this video. It’s a cool product. While it’s definitely not for everyone it’s a fun thing to mess with.
Eventually I’ll pull it from this guitar and put it in a fun build I’m planning on doing with a third pickup and probably some other switching options. But for now this thing is a kick in the pants to goof around with!
Again, it’s all good and we’re cool buddy! And thanks for watching my video, I really appreciate you spending some time with me.
Can I interest you in a bad monkey for $1000? 😂
I sat in music go round for an hour and was amazed at the issues people were having 😂 kid missing a string mom wanted one string replaced, all others were dead almost rusty, one guy couldn't tune his bas......
Hyperswitch !!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yes, it is called a HyperSwitch.
Soldering is a thing of the past, the industry should have moved beyond using soldering for electronics in the 80s and the 90s, there is literally no reason to be doing it anymore DuPont connectors and JST connectors exist.
Time to update the industry if you want the big bucks for guitars get with the times when I want vintage I'll buy vintage inspired and or vintage instruments.
I understand where your coming from and respect your opinion.
Personally I prefer to solder, but that is just my preference. Fortunately there are options for us both.
@@REXYLAB It wasn't my intention to offend, Nice video by the way well done, DIY like a warmoth and tinkerers there will always be soldering, you will have people that have done it for over 30-50 years and will continue doing it because they like doing it, for manufacturer mass sales guitars are really what I am referring to, it's just a matter of getting your money's worth, musicians no offense are terrible prosumers and consumers. Guitars have been stifled when it comes to technology and progression in the industry due to stuck in the past preferences(which don't get me wrong there is a market it just shouldn't be 80-90% of the market).
I picked up last year on the Christmas special from Sweetwater a Relish Trinity it was one of the first Gen that was originally $1300,got it for $450 on a limited stock flash sale, I have a switch arriving today I think I am going to install it in that might be interesting to swap pickups out and play with the app for getting interesting possibilities.
@@nocturnal101ravenous6 I am not offended at all. It is my goal that everyone that visits the channel feels respected.
I also understand soldering can be frustrating some times. It is very difficult to do without a good iron and good solder. My first Iron was from radio shack and I couldn’t do it. I thought perhaps there was something wrong with me. But then I got a better iron and worked very hard to become proficient and now it has become something I enjoy.
Just because I like doing it doesn’t mean I think it’s the best way, there are many ways to do most anything. I do my best to be up in as many as possible.
So don’t worry at all, buddy. I appreciate you watching my video and I am happy you took the time to comment. There is plenty of room in the world for every type of player so I welcome everyone and appreciate everyone as well.
So please, feel free to comment however you would like. I’m just happy you are here.
This will go nowhere.
You seem like someone who is fun at parties.
Thanks Karen.
@@REXYLAB Its for a very small number of people who like to tinker with this sort of product, but for others it is way to complicated - and besides that - guitarist are for the most part very conservative when it comes to their gear.
@@Steinstra-vj7wl nobody knows that for sure.
I remember back in 1990 when the Ibanez universe came out. Everyone was excited!
Then it flopped, not just bad… but as bad as bad could happen.
Then a tiny little band called Korn got popular. They played the Ibanez universe almost exclusively.
Meanwhile Ibanez was blowing them out and calling it a loss. The day that the last 7 string left the warehouse (and Ibanez was glad to be rid of it) they stared getting lots of orders for them.
Now we have 8 string guitars that are budget models because of the demand for extended range guitars.
Another example is the very recent company formed by Philip McKnight and The Tone King, Badlands guitar company.
Everyone couldn’t wait to say how terrible these guitars would do. How it would flop and they were stupid for trying.
Three days later the first run was sold out.
My point is twofold.
1. Nobody knows if this will do well. Not me, not you. Only time will tell.
2. Just because you or I or anyone else does or doesn’t like it don’t mean a thing.
In closing you are already wrong about this switch going nowhere. It was not developed by Seymour Duncan. It was developed by a small company called Marconi Lab. Duncan saw the tech and bought it and brought the guys from Marconi over to develop it further with their resources.
So this switch was already believed In enough for one of the biggest aftermarket pickup companies in the world to bet millions on it. That is a win for the guys that developed it when nobody thought it was a good idea.
I’ll tell you without reservation that this is not my favorite switch. It’s expensive and it is kind of limited in what it does in certain ways. However, it is unbelievably cool with what it can do.
So to me it has already succeeded.
If you have nothing nice to say, well… you’ll probably say the not nice things because people have forgotten how to be supportive. That’s sad because that closed mind is keeping you and people like you from encouraging your fellow human beings.
Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean you need to shit all over it.