Hello, I'm a newcomer in this group. I'm the designer of the Cycfi Neo Aura pickup. I'll help Bill answer some questions.
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@reclavea, there's no such thing as "completely noise-free". We've tested a lot of pickups and there is noise in various degrees. Push the gain up to very high levels, move in front of a stage light or any transformer, or even your desktop computer, and you'll get noise even from humbuckers. ..........Traditional humbuckers, having a wide aperture, have phase differences in both coils. But no, humbuckers do not have such a weak output.
Aescher:
Not to disrespect other manufacturers, but virtually ALL electromagnetic pickups in the industry to date
(other than X Series pickups) since the late 1920s, use the same crude manufacturing methods and materials
The finewire is typically wound onto a rectangular bobbin with a radius at each end,
and long straight loose strands on each side.
Even pickups of this type which are 'potted' are still relatively loose and act as 'near perfect antennae'!
The core magnets are all extremely weak, often only magnetised steel rods, with very poor inductive coil coupling (due to the bobbin),
and very low flux density, especially compared to Neodymium, which has the highest flux density (in Tesla) and highest energy product in Joule/mm³
of Any Magnetic Material. Neodymium allows massive miniaturisation of EM transducers, with massively
increased output.
The X coils have a 10 mm Ø x 3 mm T solid disk coilform of tightly wound extremely fine wire, which makes the
worst possible antennae,
The coilform-core is not only rock solid, but entombed in a solid cast acrylic slab, which makes the coils impervious to microphonics.
Many guitar pickups are so microphonic, you could use them as stage mics!
Nothing is Absolutely noise free. This is so obvious that it's not even worth mentioning.
Humbuckers were never claimed to be noise free - they are simply more hum supressive than common single coil pickups.
Inductive EMI interference from stage lighting and transformers is not the same thing as RFI.
coils which are absolutely immune to EMI could not even function as transducers!
Most modern amplifiers no longer use big leaky transformers.
and any player daft enough to stand in front of a high voltage AC source will get what they are asking for.
The X Series coils are the most accurately made in the industry,
and far more inductive with a much higher voltage output than any other passive pickups.
Due to a proprietary winding method and the highest grade materials - Polysol insulated oxygen free copper finewire
manufactured for Æ by Elektrosola in Germany, with solvent welded coil forms,
directly wound onto N52 Neodymium cores. The X coils are 100% free of microphonics, unlike most common pickups.
The solvent welded coils are absolutely solid, RFI screened and do not act as antennae.
These pickups are extremely fat and punchy and have a very wide frequency response with very low THD.
X coils are also produced in 9999 purity silver finewire - manufactured for Æ by Elektrosola in Schweiz.
which is 7% more conductive than copper and has even better high frequency response."
I am in the process to evaluate the Aescher system and pups and post my review and video upon install.
I do find your pickup approach fascinating! Yet have always had reservations with active systems. Not a EMG fan at all and even replaced all the EMGs in my vintage GL Steinbergers!
Either way technology is moving along quite nicely! Finally
I do see where your going though,,,,that would be a cool feature,,,dial up a Duncan Pearly Gates response,,,then dial up a Bareknucle Warpig,,then a 60's strat tone,,,,, would be sweet for sure.
