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Some time ago I got a Yamaha G50 Guitar-to-MIDI converter and a hexaphonic pickup relatively cheap.
This allows me not only to play bass but to trigger any
synthesizer or soundmodule.
The tracking is ok if you take the time to install
and setup
the pickup correctly and also setup the G50 right.
Here are some sound samples. Bass is on the left channel, the triggered signal is on the right channel.
Bass & Piano 1 (95kB)
The strings are not properly muted in the following example. Unwanted triggering is the result.
Bass & Piano 2 (81kB)
To avoid unwanted triggering of the MIDI signal, it is necessary to damp unplayed strings! This makes necessary a change of playing habits because unintentionally stricken strings don't sound that negative most of the times with normal bass sound as they do with the triggered signal.
The piano sound is not so "trigger-friendly", an organ is much better.
Bass & Organ (449kB)
The instrument which shall be triggered plays a considerable part in how good the midisystem can be triggered. Synthesizersounds are much fun also!
It should be mentioned that the connectors on the devices of all the converter and pickups are the same and always a 13 pin cable is used to connect them. The pickups are nearly all the same; some say that Axon uses Roland pickups.
I can't say anything about the tracking of the Axon and Roland
converters but will happily take hints from someone who does!
Axon has converters with built-in sound modules but unfortunately
the prices are in the higer range.
The new Roland GI-20 seems to be interesting because of its small enclosure (9.5", 1U).