Get more out of your guitar with T4RS
Guitar amp settings that sound great with a bridge pickup don't necessarily sound great with a neck pickup, and vice versa. The T4RS system, when installed in an instrument, sends each discrete pickup signal through a single cable to a breakout box, where each signal can be routed to a separate amplifier , recording input, or processor. In recording situations with T4RS-equipped instruments, engineers will have these unique-sounding signals as options toward building a composite tone by layering one or more sounds. With simultaneous discrete access to the sound of each pickup (and pickup combination), guitarists can unlock the tonal possibilities inherent in their guitars by dialing in multiple amp settings that flatter the unique voice of each pickup in their instrument, and then record or perform with all of those sounds at once; a modern spin on a classic studio production workflow.
The T4RS kit includes a jack, cable, and breakout box and, once installed, is fully backward-compatible with regular instrument cables. Installation is simple: replace the output jack on your instrument with a T4RS jack and, when a T4RS cable is plugged in, all distinct signals from your instrument are routed individually through the outputs of the T4RS breakout box. No irreversible changes to the instrument are necessary; just swap out your output jack for a T4RS. Alternatively, plugging your guitar directly into an amp with a regular instrument cable will function as it always has.
The T4RS allows for four different signals from your guitar, including the output of the onboard electronics, to be sent to the T4RS breakout box simultaneously (with additional combinational signals available at the breakout box), enabling use with two-pickup or three-pickup guitars.The T4RS jack uses active analog circuitry, as to best preserve the tone of your pickups. Power for the necessary buffers is sourced from the breakout box through the T4RS cable, which enables the multiplexing circuitry each discrete (non-summed) pickup signal is routed to the breakout box without hitting this buffer. Additionally, the power to the guitar from the T4RS breakout box can be tapped to supply power to active pickups or other onboard electronics, as to eliminate the need for batteries when using the T4RS system.
For a three-pickup instrument, the breakout box provides the following individual unbalanced 1/4" outputs:
1) The pickup signal selected from your existing toggle
2) The neck pickup by itself
3) The middle pickup by itself
4) The bridge pickup by itself
5) The neck and middle pickups summed
6) The middle and bridge pickups summed
7) The neck and bridge pickups summed
For a two-pickup instrument, the breakout box provides the following individual unbalanced 1/4" outputs:
1) The pickup signal selected from your existing toggle
2) The neck pickup by itself
3) The bridge pickup by itself
4) The neck and bridge pickups summed
