February 19, 2016
These new XRs with soapbar baseplates will join the XR family very soon. The pickups will be available in both active and passive configurations (for both
Nu Series v2
The Nu Series Modular Active Pickups are hacker friendly, general purpose pickups that can be used in a variety of applications.
Nexus v2
The Nexus is a small, flexible, and hacker friendly breakout box that connects your multichannel guitar to the outside world.
The Flex Switch and Active Volume
February 11, 2016
We have a new 5-way “Flex” switch and a new Active Volume Control (with integrated preamplifier). These are designed for the all-passive XR pickups introduced at NAMM 2016. The new
February 8, 2016
At first glance, it looks just like a Nu multichannel pickup set. But look underneath (info-graphic below) and you will notice the difference. It’s the Nu
February 2, 2016
Now that the hectic preparation for NAMM, and the show itself, is behind us we are excited to return our focus to the Nu product
Nu Update: Hitching a ride to NAMM 2016
January 24, 2016
Ricky Graham is truly a 21st century guitar player. As a composer and Assistant Professor of Music and Technology at Stevens Institute of Technology, modern 21st century
Road to Anaheim Pt. 3 – Crystal Clear
January 18, 2016
Going to NAMM 2016? Take some time to check out our pickups and support electronics from the inside and out. This demo XR-8 (eight string) system is
January 8, 2016
It is always a treat to work on guitars that have been on the road and seen the world. In this case the guitar in
January 4, 2016
We use solder-free connectors to make it very easy for you to install the pickups and support electronics. There’s one snag though. The connector itself might not
Road to Anaheim Pt. 2 – Strandberg Boden OS7 Install
December 30, 2015
In less than a month NAMM 2016 will be bustling with the usual fervor. Every year brings something new, and for us here at Cycfi
December 26, 2015
What do I do on Christmas eve? What else, but hack some C++ code. I got a new highly optimized sustain driver design that also acts
Quad Mounts for Fanned Fret (Multi-scale) Guitars
December 7, 2015
The extended response of our XR pickups has naturally brought us to the attention of extended range guitarists, many of whom use fanned fret instruments.
Road to Anaheim: Strandberg XRs
December 2, 2015
These custom Quad-coil XR7’s are going to NAMM 2016. They will be installed in a Boden OS7 from Strandberg Guitarworks that is to be displayed at their booth (#3383, Hall-D). This
We’re kicking off Black Friday early with a sale going on through Cyber Monday.
November 26, 2015
We are offering 15% off as a thanks to all our supporters. Visit cycfi-research.com to view our store and use the coupon code 15off at
November 21, 2015
Meet The Nexus. This small, hacker friendly breakout box connects your multichannel guitar to the outside world using a specialized (LEMO compatible) multi-pin connector for up to
November 17, 2015
The FPC experiment is a success! This is the first time we tried to use such connectors and they are amazing! The zero insertion force connectors we chose
November 12, 2015
“An extended range guitar of course calls for extended range pickups.” Here’s Chris Varnon’s gorgeous guitar: an Agile Septor 827, 27″ scale equipped with two 8-string
XR Series Pickups Now Available On Continuous Basis
November 11, 2015
The Cycfi XR series pickups have been very well received and as a result our past manufacturing runs have sold out very quickly. It is our
Nu and XR Updates: The Elves are Busy
November 7, 2015
The Elves are Busy. Here are some pictures. It’s always like Christmas every time a package from Mouser arrives. Now we have lots of Bourns
Computational Hexaphonic Guitar
November 2, 2015
It’s nice to see our pickups in the academe. Chengxiang Ren and Jeffrey Huang, Cornell University, Electrical and Computer Engineering, used the Cycfi Neo (now Nu)
Nu Update: Mounting the Modules
October 24, 2015
Last time, I hinted at ways to mount the pickups. Surely, a guitar builder will find a zillion ways to mount these modules. I’ve had
October 22, 2015
The XRs, especially the XR8s and XR6s, are often out of stock. They sell out quickly! So sorry about that 🙁 My intention is to have a steady stream
October 19, 2015
Cycfi XR pickups are not made with alien technology or special exotic materials to allow them to perform far beyond a normal pickup (although they
October 7, 2015
How do you mount the Nu modular pickups? You’ve seen the basic Nu capsules before. Mounting these miniature pickups might be tricky. One way involves making a printed
September 22, 2015
The Nu modular pickup is ready. It’s been ready for quite some time now. The design and implementation is just about perfect, I would say. The
August 18, 2015
We are pleased to announce that our second production run of the Cycfi XR series is now available for purchase at cycfi-research.com. We have worked
August 14, 2015
I have high regard and affection for anything Japanese. I love the people. I love the food. I love the unique culture, Japanese music, arts and certainly their craftsmanship.
July 18, 2015
After a long hiatus, I think the Nu is just about ready. This is the next evolutionary stage of our flagship multichannel pickup. Originally named the Neo, the Nu
July 6, 2015
I am incrementally updating the XR Data Sheet. I’ll post updates here every once in a while. Here’s the schematic of the XR preamplifier. The circuit
June 19, 2015
The very first XR, serial number XR156-1 ready to go! This one goes to Charles Richardson. I feel some kind of attachment to these pickups, like
June 16, 2015
I have mixed feelings with the Soapbar ring idea. Many like it, but some don’t. Jon Chang suggested transparent rings for that modern look that fits the XR’s unique
June 14, 2015
With the current open-coil XR Quad coil 7 and 8 string design (image right), there’s empty space at the sides when placed in a guitar with
June 10, 2015
“And of course, I had my problems because so many people weren’t ready to accept it”. —Les Paul My hero! June 9 would have been his
An amazing reception for Cycfi XR pickups
June 10, 2015
Thank you all for your enthusiastic response to the release of our Cycfi XR series pickups! Due to the overwhelming demand we have sold out
June 9, 2015
We are pleased to announce the official debut release of our Cycfi XR series extended response pickups! The production models consist of 6, 7 and
June 3, 2015
Here’s a customization test case for a bass guitar. I needed to know if it is indeed feasible to provide custom pickups for users with very specific
June 2, 2015
It’s taking shape! That’s a lovely pair in a humbucker width configuration. You already know the XRs, they’ve been the focus of our recent developments,
Per Nilsson demos the Cycfi XR 8-string pickups on .strandberg* Boden 8 headless guitar
May 29, 2015
Per Nilsson is an incredible guitar player. He surely knows how to use all 8 strings! Here’s how our Cycfi XR8 sounds on a Strandberg Boden 8-string. The
April 26, 2015
After a long and arduous detour with the development of the XR series pickups, we’re back on track! Here’s the evolved modular Neo with better crosstalk performance using permalloy shields
The Long and Winding Road… ahem Coils
April 18, 2015
I’ve been asked many times: What time frame are we looking at until the release? To be very honest, as of now, it’s quite a struggle to
April 10, 2015
We have a new name! We had a fun time thinking of a new name for the Neo Aura. Thank you all for your suggestions. Naming
April 9, 2015
From our Spicetone friends! 6APPEAL: Polyphonic Overdrive and Breakout Box for Hexaphonic Guitars. We share a common ideal: Hexaphonic processing is the future! “A whole new sonic
April 6, 2015
The Resonant Filter allows you to dial in the characteristics of virtually any pickup with two high quality dual-ganged Bourns potentiometers. The Resonant Filter offers
April 2, 2015
Before we finally get these pickups released into the wild, here’s something to whet your appetite. Notice the oblique orientation of this Quad 8 string. This one is
April 2, 2015
What’s in a name? A lot of course! I just received a cease and desist order from Fishman for the name “Neo Aura”. I realised
March 28, 2015
It’s been a while but we’re almost there! I always underestimate the time it takes to bring an idea from concept to prototype and then to actual production. I
February 28, 2015
Hello Y’all. Since our NAMM debut in January 2015, we’ve been very busy going into limited production for the first batch of Auras. For those of you who have been eagerly waiting, thank you very much for your patience. Many of you know that we’ve been working on the Neo Aura project for quite some time now. This project turned out to be be a lot more complicated than we initially expected because it’s not just a pickup but a whole modular infrastructure!