tulk1 Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 Here's my thing. I've never been a true fan of the HRWs in a live situation. I've had them in two guitars, and ended up pulling them. To my ears they tend to get a bit "hi-fi", if you can understand that concept. Plus, for me, they tend to get lost in a mix. Perhaps thats the "hi-fi" issue. But for me, they just don't cut it. EXCEPT!, in single coil mode. I must say, I've never heard a split humbucker that sounded this good. Well, the one in my Legacy does, but I'm almost ashamed to admit what that pickup is. And I don't want it in one of my Heritages, plus it sounds like poo in HB mode. I don't mind using the HRWs split, but every now and then I need that humbucker sound. And these aren't cutting it. At least, not in the 555. But then, I pulled them from the Millie, too. So here we go pickup shopping, again. Who's splitting HBs that they like in both split and HB mode?
MartyGrass Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 I agree that HRWs split well. I've split 59s and Schallers. They were ok put didn't seem hot enough to compete with a Tele. The Custom Custom was better. The biggest surprise to me is how well Super Distortions worked out. I play mostly clean. I got Brent's Lizzy close to a year ago and thought the Supers would have to go. Not true! I backed them down a little and split them. The HB mode seems kinda like a brighter Seth with maybe a touch of grunge. Split- WOW! A nice Fender sound. I've become fond of the HRW. We had a discussion about this a month or so ago. Howard (H) also called it hifi. To me, it has good note separation, which maybe means a faster decay. It also seems brighter than a 59 or Seth. I wish there was some serious information out there on the differences in tone. The HRW is proprietary and top secret. But someone certainly could do a frequency spectral analysis comparing H150s with different pups. Jay Wolfe must have enough H150s with GHS 10s and variable pups to collect some files. There's a periodical on guitar tone I saw a few months ago. I forget the name of it. Maybe they've done such a test.
SouthpawGuy Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 Here's my thing. I've never been a true fan of the HRWs in a live situation. I've had them in two guitars, and ended up pulling them. To my ears they tend to get a bit "hi-fi", if you can understand that concept. Plus, for me, they tend to get lost in a mix. Perhaps thats the "hi-fi" issue. But for me, they just don't cut it. EXCEPT!, in single coil mode. I must say, I've never heard a split humbucker that sounded this good. Well, the one in my Legacy does, but I'm almost ashamed to admit what that pickup is. And I don't want it in one of my Heritages, plus it sounds like poo in HB mode. I don't mind using the HRWs split, but every now and then I need that humbucker sound. And these aren't cutting it. At least, not in the 555. But then, I pulled them from the Millie, too. So here we go pickup shopping, again. Who's splitting HBs that they like in both split and HB mode? I mostly feel the same about HRWs, I have them in the VIP2 which is an odd beast, a set neck strat, all maple body with a flat mount Kahler. In that guitar they are split, it has a factory installed D-VIP. I have them screwed right down below the top of the pickup mounting rings and they are still too hot. That guitar is odd though as the pickups are mounted very close to the strings, unlike an arch top. I don't use them split much, usually leave them on humbucker. As for Legacy's the Duncan JB is more than adequate when split but no cigar as they say. The only humbucker I really like split is, this may come as a surprise, a shock even, is ... the P-Rail. The P-90 sound is great, the actual "rail" single coil sound depends a lot on the pickup height. If set for volume matching with other single coils the series humbucker is way too loud. Parallel bucker mode is very clear, great for clean rhythm playing. If you get the chance to try one it might be worth a look.
MartyGrass Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 Good to know. I'm expecting some of the old (not hot) P-Rails soon. There's been mixed reviews on them. But isn't that true about everything?
tulk1 Posted January 7, 2011 Author Posted January 7, 2011 After I posted I went over to the SD site and revisited the P-Rail vid. And a couple on U-toob. I may just try those. Maybe set it up Series Bridge/Parallel Neck? Or use that switching system they've developed. Black P-Rails in an all white guitar. Think? On doing a frequency comparison, that is right up our very own Mars_hall's territory, I bet. Wonder how we could get him to do that?
smurph1 Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 My 2 cents..I've never heard a split humbucker of any type that I liked..But thats just me..My solution is to have a Lover equipped 535, and a gibby LP with P-90's..When I want a different tone, I change guitars..YMMV..
tulk1 Posted January 7, 2011 Author Posted January 7, 2011 My 2 cents..I've never heard a split humbucker of any type that I liked..But thats just me..My solution is to have a Lover equipped 535, and a gibby LP with P-90's..When I want a different tone, I change guitars..YMMV.. Pappa, I'm talking a live situation here where we're pumping out songs one right after the other. I have many many guitars to choose from. But when space and time are limited it generally falls to one axe to handle the load. Having one that is as versatile as the White H555 was a bit of a God-send. If not for the fact that I don't like the HRWs. So yes, my mileage varies quite a bit. Next up is to get a decent piezo bridge installed, as well. Just to help cover some of the acoustic duties. Add to that my Mandolin, Banjo, Dobro and sometimes Keys duties. You can see why I want less on stage.
smurph1 Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 Pappa, I'm talking a live situation here where we're pumping out songs one right after the other. I have many many guitars to choose from. But when space and time are limited it generally falls to one axe to handle the load. Having one that is as versatile as the White H555 was a bit of a God-send. If not for the fact that I don't like the HRWs. So yes, my mileage varies quite a bit. Next up is to get a decent piezo bridge installed, as well. Just to help cover some of the acoustic duties. Add to that my Mandolin, Banjo, Dobro and sometimes Keys duties. You can see why I want less on stage. Yep i sure can..understood..
MartyGrass Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 Pappa, I'm talking a live situation here where we're pumping out songs one right after the other. I have many many guitars to choose from. But when space and time are limited it generally falls to one axe to handle the load. Having one that is as versatile as the White H555 was a bit of a God-send. If not for the fact that I don't like the HRWs. So yes, my mileage varies quite a bit. Next up is to get a decent piezo bridge installed, as well. Just to help cover some of the acoustic duties. Add to that my Mandolin, Banjo, Dobro and sometimes Keys duties. You can see why I want less on stage. And you need a MIDI pup to cover the piano, horn and violin tones.
mars_hall Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 Here's a thought that just occurred to me that may or may not help you Kenny, but someone may want to try it. Most coil-splits that I have seen are actually using 1/2 of a DPDT switch and shorting the point where the coils connect to each other to ground to enable the single coil mode. The other half of the switch is typically not being used. With the other half of the switch, one could wire in a resistor/cap circuit that is only active (i.e. connected) when the single coil mode is not being used. With a hot pickup, the over-the-top edge could be slightly bled off by putting the resistor/cap in parallel with the original HB mode pup coils and switched out of the circuit leaving a sufficiently strong single coil when so desired. The resistor value would be relatively high so as not to overdrain the HB signal and the cap would have to be worked out through experimentation, but this just might work. Anyway, it's food for thought and necessity is one of the Mothers of Invention, along with Ansley.
SouthpawGuy Posted January 7, 2011 Posted January 7, 2011 After I posted I went over to the SD site and revisited the P-Rail vid. And a couple on U-toob. I may just try those. Maybe set it up Series Bridge/Parallel Neck? Or use that switching system they've developed. Black P-Rails in an all white guitar. Think? On doing a frequency comparison, that is right up our very own Mars_hall's territory, I bet. Wonder how we could get him to do that? There are a couple of different versions of the P-Rail, the original and now the hot version. The general consensus is the original is the way to go, check out the SD forums for more info. If you like the JB you will love the P-Rail. I got a set including the triple shot mounting rings for a really good price not too long ago, on Ebay, for the Carvin CT6. If they are for the 555 using the mounting rings is the way to go, no need for push pulls or mini switches. At the risk of repeating myself I'll repost this shot of the 535 SSB with P-Rails and T-shots. In a lefty guitar the mini switches are at the high E string, on a righty they would be at the low E string. Suits me fine as I can change settings with my middle finger and still hold my pick over the strings. A righty would have to slightly raise their picking hand to get to the switches.
tulk1 Posted January 8, 2011 Author Posted January 8, 2011 I would be putting these in the PSPIII White H555, which already has two toggle switches for splitting the HRWs. So, I was thinking of just adding the correct on-off-on mini's for the switching. That should work, shouldn't it? And maybe see about the SD switchy thingy for Series/Parallel switching. If it was reasonable. BTW, my Legacy didn't come with a JB in the bridge. Wish it had. But, alas, it was "customized" before I got it. Argh!!! extreme technical stuff way beyond my comprehension ........... Wha? ............ Sorry Mark, way beyond my comprehension. .................... And you need a MIDI pup to cover the piano, horn and violin tones. I'm not mentioning that to Tracy. Nope, not ever!! I don't even want to imagine what she'd want me to do, then. Altho' .............. that GraphTech Ghost system can handle midi. Hmmmmmmm. .
MartyGrass Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 I'm not mentioning that to Tracy. Nope, not ever!! I don't even want to imagine what she'd want me to do, then. Altho' .............. that GraphTech Ghost system can handle midi. Hmmmmmmm. . I forgot how wickedly nice that 555 of yours is. Wow!
FredZepp Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 I forgot how wickedly nice that 555 of yours is. Wow! That is the truth.. but what happened to that cat in the background? .. something insidious there..
FredZepp Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 But to comment on the split coils, the Sheptone PAF Tributes in my 157 do a great assortment of tones. Vintage, and airy, PAF tones and snappy single coils , and also honky out of phase tones are there . Not potted ...so you do have to control them, but it's not hard.
squawken Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 I would be putting these in the PSPIII White H555, which already has two toggle switches for splitting the HRWs. So, I was thinking of just adding the correct on-off-on mini's for the switching. That should work, shouldn't it? And maybe see about the SD switchy thingy for Series/Parallel switching. If it was reasonable. BTW, my Legacy didn't come with a JB in the bridge. Wish it had. But, alas, it was "customized" before I got it. Argh!!! [/i]Wha? ............ Sorry Mark, way beyond my comprehension. .................... I'm not mentioning that to Tracy. Nope, not ever!! I don't even want to imagine what she'd want me to do, then. Altho' .............. that GraphTech Ghost system can handle midi. Hmmmmmmm. . BOINNGG! That's the sound from the wood I got! Different version of my white whale. Nice Kenny!
H Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 Maybe you should look into getting some custom coil-TAPPED humbuckers made. A lower output humbucker with the tap set to give a decent single coil sound could sort this out perhaps. I have HRWs in my 170 which are not coil split and find the bridge pickup to be hifi. The neck pickup, however, is a thing of sonic beauty!
H Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 You could also go the Tyler Variax route.... Sheeesh, did I REALLY say that!!!
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