A guitar pickup with a separate sensor and output for each string is called a hexaphonic or divided pickup. I have passive, electromagnetic, hexaphonic pickups for sale. (Email me: paul [at] ubertar [dot] com.) These fit in a strat-style single coil space, have excellent separation and excellent signal-to-noise. The output is somewhat lower than the average guitar pickup*, but the signal-to-noise is so good, all you have to do to make up the gain is turn your amp up a bit. Most hexaphonic pickups available are piezoelectric-- those work well for MIDI, but don't sound as good straight to an amp as electromagnetic pickups. As far as I know, the only other electromagnetic hex pickups available have active electronics. Those color the tone-- whether you like that or not is a matter of taste. I'm not a fan of active electronics for guitar pickups... they are essentially the cheapest, smallest preamps possible, and there are better ways of getting a stronger signal. The pickups are $115 or $135 each, for type 1 and type 2 hex pickups respectively.
*This is only true through the regular breakout box. My type 1 pickups through a turbo box have higher output than a regular pickup, with no loss of separation, and no active electronics.
Quadraphonic bass pickups are also available, and also come in type 1 and type 2 options, for the same prices as their guitar cousins. Right now I have P-bass style covers... J-bass is also a possibility.
Type 1 hex pickups have a brighter, more detailed sound and have individually height-adjustable coils. Type 2 have a warmer, fatter, more humbucker-like sound (but are still composed of six single coils) and have higher output than type 1*, but still have a little less output than the average standard guitar pickup. For recording directly into a computer or to tape, both types 1 and 2 sound best plugged directly into a microphone preamplifier, rather than first going through a direct input (DI) box.
*Through the regular box. With the turbo box, the type 1 has higher output. The turbo box has no boosting effect on type 2.
People like to wire these all kinds of ways, but one of the most popular is to wire the hexaphonic pickup to a 7 pin din jack, then use a 7 pin cable to connect to a breakout box with a 7 pin input and six 1/4" output jacks, one for each string and corresponding coil. These breakout boxes are also offered for sale, at $50, and the cable for $15. I'll include a 7 pin output jack at no extra charge. "Turbo" breakout boxes are now available, which use passive electronics to boost the output of the type 1 pickups. With the turbo box, a type 1 will have hotter output than the average standard pickup. The turbo boxes are $75 each. I haven't tried this yet, but the output of the type 1 through a turbo box should be hot enough to trigger MIDI in a Roland guitar synthesizer or similar.
Oh-- and I guess I should say... my name is Paul Rubenstein, and my company is Ubertar LLC.
A Matsumoku era Aria Pro II, with two hexaphonic pickups-- the standard type 1 in middle position, and type 2 in bridge position. Each is wired to a 6 pin dip switch so each coil of each pickup can be individually turned on or off. The output is 7 pin din. Type 2 pickups are now available. They have a warmer, fatter tone than type 1, and have somewhat higher output. Type 2 pickups are $130 each.
Sound samples:
http://www.ubertar.com/creot/stereo.mp3
This is a totally clean, unprocessed sound. One side was recorded direct, and the other was through a amp, recorded with a microphone.
http://www.ubertar.com/creot/stereo2.mp3
This one has two overdriven amps, actually two little tube signal tracers used as amplifiers. In the second part, one of the signal tracers is replaced by a little solid state Marshall practise amp, with a phaser pedal.
http://www.ubertar.com/creot/hex_demo1.mp3
This one is very processed... each string is panned separately, with different digital effects for each. The panning is binaural, so it sounds best through headphones. Actually, all of these are probably best appreciated through headphones.
"I've seen a lot of guitars. Heck, I've owned a lot of guitars. Those HS (hexaphonic stereo) Guitars are some of the best I've ever seen (or heard). Good job."
--Steve
Ripley, designer of the Kramer
Ripley stereo guitar, including the one used by Eddie Van
Halen
