HRW review- the story of my struggle

[MartyGrass]

I have always wanted to like HRWs but they just never worked for me. I have them in a 575, a Golden Eagle, a H555, a Little One and a couple of H150s.

 

I tried them again in a H555.

 

(Gratuitous pic).

 

 

 

The same problems occurred. The trebles and mids were very chimey and sharp and the 5th and 6ths strings were boomy.

 

I first tried GHS steel 10-46s. So I thought I'd try warmer, bigger strings and went to pure nickel 11-52s. The brightness dropped some and was Gretsch-like (not at all bad). I then flipped the bridge pup so the pole pieces were toward the neck. That was a little mellower. So lastly I put D'Addario Chrome flats 11-50s on it. I almost puked. It sounded like it was both boomy and underwater.

 

Today I put the bridge pickup in the original way then canted it to raise the neck bobbin while bringing the whole pickup up quite high. I lowered the screws. The net result was that the pickup was high and working mostly off the neck bobbin.

 

Then I balanced the neck pup for overall volume balance with the bridge pup. That required dropping the neck pickup almost flush with the bezel. I then canted the neck pup with the bridge bobbin high, lowered the bass side of the pup, and lowered the bass pole pieces a lot.

 

I did all this with GHS Brite Flats 11-50s.

 

The end result is that I could balance the pickups and eliminate the boominess.

 

Believe it or not, that's the short version. I'm giving this overview because I wish I had read this two years ago.

 

I also realized that HRWs are the most sensitive pickups to attack I've ever used. I play mostly fingerstyle. That causes my thumb to hit each of the low strings at a slightly different place on my thumb. Those of you who don't use a thumb pick will know what I mean. The clarity of the bass notes changes dramatically depending on where on my thumb I hit the string.

 

I don't find it possible to get rid of the characteristic chiminess of HRWs. They will never sound like PAFs. But it's a powerfully good sound when managed with care.

 

HRWs are not forgiving when played clean. Every nuance is captured and amplified. The only way to hide imprecision is with distortion. And if you're going to do that, you don't need HRWs.

 

I often wondered why few, if any, professional guitarists use HRWs. Even Henry Johnson doesn't seem to use them.

 

 

 

I don't have an answer. Some may want more warmth. Others may just want something less sensitive.

 

I almost gave up on them. This is my sixth go round. I think I finally got it now.

 

 

 

And I thought balancing P-90s on a Super Eagle was hard. Sheesh.

 

Happy ending though. At least for now.

[Genericmusic]

I applaud your effort! You have much more patience than I.

[BrianToth]

I was taking lessons from Henry when he first got his signature model and he said that they were indeed HRW pickups. I didn't watch the video because I'm in a place of limited bandwidth, but it looks like there are 4 mounting point on those pickups.

[MartyGrass]

I was taking lessons from Henry when he first got his signature model and he said that they were indeed HRW pickups. I didn't watch the video because I'm in a place of limited bandwidth, but it looks like there are 4 mounting point on those pickups.

 

Doesn't have the two color toggle.

 

I'm glad he uses them at least some of the time.

 

I got my pup settings on my Fender. Now I'm working on how to bring out those sweet sound with my Mesa Boogie. It's coming along.

[BrianToth]

You know I noticed the toggle too, but I can't think of other PUs that have 4 mounts, though I'm sure that they exist. Funny on the website the small pic of HJ's guitar shows a white toggle, the large one shows black, but they don;t mention the pickups. The Super KB says HRW pickups but they only show 2 mounting screws and a one color black toggle.

 

It's a CONSPIRACY!!! They're messing with us!

[tulk1]

You know I noticed the toggle too, but I can't think of other PUs that have 4 mounts, though I'm sure that they exist. Funny on the website the small pic of HJ's guitar shows a white toggle, the large one shows black, but they don;t mention the pickups. The Super KB says HRW pickups but they only show 2 mounting screws and a one color black toggle.

 

It's a CONSPIRACY!!! They're messing with us!

The stock Schallers Heritage uses all have the 4 adjustment screws. And the HRWs are modified Schallers. So you can't determine HRWs by that alone.

 

I don't have the patience to go thru what Mark did to get them to work. I've had them twice, and swapped them out twice. Actually, come to think of it, the White PSPIII 535 Custom has them, too. So, that's 3. But, not swapping those just yet.

[JeffB]

They are not my favourite p/up but maybe I play the wrong sort of music to make them happen for me.

[High Flying Bird]

I liked them until played through the new Vox amp with my Firebird with Phat Cats. I just got my 535 back from the Fret Shop. They changed out the HRWs for a set of Phat Cats. Now all my guitars are set to my current taste.

 

Don't bother..... Millennium Maestro will have them in his hot little hands before most of you read this post.

[Kuz]

Actually, Jay Wolfe told me that Henry Johnson dumped his other pickup contract and uses only HRWs!!!!

 

I like them in archtops only. You really need to lower them into the body and then I have found them to have perfect string to string volume.

 

And FWIW, I way not assume that a guitar has or doesn't have HRWs based on the toggle dot. If they have screws per pickup, then they are Schaller of some sort and possible HRWs.

[H]

As others have written here, HRWs work best when sitting low in the mounting rings. I have the neck flush and the bridge about a millimetre proud of it. The action is as low as I can go before it buzzes on a lightish touch.

 

I'd love to know how to truly dial in the bridge pickup to play it on its own. I only ever play neck or both, never just the bridge on this guitar.

[MartyGrass]

I wouldn't assume it's not a HRW pair based just on the dot. But Henry Johnson doesn't sound like he's playing with HRWs either.

 

I found a recording artist who at least once used HRWs. Not only does he have the toggle switch cap but the sound as well.

 

David Paul is a really great guitarist. I haven't heard anything about him recently.

 

 

I would agree that HRWs do best with some distance from the strings. Thanks for the info.

[DetroitBlues]

While there are many great pickups out there and many more I still have not tried or listened to, to date, my favorite are Gibson's Burstbucker Pros.

[PAG]

Hi Mark, if you ever will change your mind about the HRW's (gold) and wan't to sale them lemme know pls.

[the jayce]

While there are many great pickups out there and many more I still have not tried or listened to, to date, my favorite are Gibson's Burstbucker Pros.

+1 on the burstbucker pro's. Gibson knocked it out of the park with those....

[Guest HRB853370]

I have always wanted to like HRWs but they just never worked for me. I have them in a 575, a Golden Eagle, a H555, a Little One and a couple of H150s.

 

I tried them again in a H555.

 

(Gratuitous pic).

 

 

 

The same problems occurred. The trebles and mids were very chimey and sharp and the 5th and 6ths strings were boomy.

 

I first tried GHS steel 10-46s. So I thought I'd try warmer, bigger strings and went to pure nickel 11-52s. The brightness dropped some and was Gretsch-like (not at all bad). I then flipped the bridge pup so the pole pieces were toward the neck. That was a little mellower. So lastly I put D'Addario Chrome flats 11-50s on it. I almost puked. It sounded like it was both boomy and underwater.

 

Today I put the bridge pickup in the original way then canted it to raise the neck bobbin while bringing the whole pickup up quite high. I lowered the screws. The net result was that the pickup was high and working mostly off the neck bobbin.

 

Then I balanced the neck pup for overall volume balance with the bridge pup. That required dropping the neck pickup almost flush with the bezel. I then canted the neck pup with the bridge bobbin high, lowered the bass side of the pup, and lowered the bass pole pieces a lot.

 

I did all this with GHS Brite Flats 11-50s.

 

The end result is that I could balance the pickups and eliminate the boominess.

 

Believe it or not, that's the short version. I'm giving this overview because I wish I had read this two years ago.

 

I also realized that HRWs are the most sensitive pickups to attack I've ever used. I play mostly fingerstyle. That causes my thumb to hit each of the low strings at a slightly different place on my thumb. Those of you who don't use a thumb pick will know what I mean. The clarity of the bass notes changes dramatically depending on where on my thumb I hit the string.

 

I don't find it possible to get rid of the characteristic chiminess of HRWs. They will never sound like PAFs. But it's a powerfully good sound when managed with care.

 

HRWs are not forgiving when played clean. Every nuance is captured and amplified. The only way to hide imprecision is with distortion. And if you're going to do that, you don't need HRWs.

 

I often wondered why few, if any, professional guitarists use HRWs. Even Henry Johnson doesn't seem to use them.

 

 

 

I don't have an answer. Some may want more warmth. Others may just want something less sensitive.

 

I almost gave up on them. This is my sixth go round. I think I finally got it now.

 

 

 

And I thought balancing P-90s on a Super Eagle was hard. Sheesh.

 

Happy ending though. At least for now.

 

Congratulations on your patience. You have much more of that and a more discerning ear than I do. Glad you got it right.

[koula901]

Henry Johnson's tone is amazing - is that a Golden Eagle?

[Spectrum13]

Henry Johnson plays a "Henry Johnson" 17 inch, double pickups, sharp cutaway blocks.

[Ray]

Just confirming that all of Henry Johnson's guitars have HRWs - they are his favorite pickups. He used to use Bartolini pickups, but switched to HRW.

[J010226]

I just acquired a H575 with HRWs in them. I can't for the life of me get a dark jazz sound out of them. I can get bassy and boomy, or shrill - but dark mids just aren't be outputted by the pickup. I'm going to try swapping it out and hopefully it'll give me that Martino / Adam Rogers / Jim Hall tone I'm looking for....

[sonar]

I just acquired a H575 with HRWs in them. I can't for the life of me get a dark jazz sound out of them. I can get bassy and boomy, or shrill - but dark mids just aren't be outputted by the pickup. I'm going to try swapping it out and hopefully it'll give me that Martino / Adam Rogers / Jim Hall tone I'm looking for....

 

 

I had a H-575 with HRW's in it and thought it was the only 16" guitar I ever had sound like an L-5!

 

Lush, Hi-Fi, with that percussive bounce that make the notes pop out.

 

At the time I used a recent Polytone amp with a nice contour circuit in it and a 15" speaker (mini-Brute III?). I can't remember. Had reverb and a piezo bullet in it though.

 

I think I was using pretty heavy Thomastik-Infelds Be-Bops (14's) on it.

 

Worked for me.

 

I think HRW's sound a lot like real PAF's, but perhaps with some extra clarity.

 

'Course my ears are shot for highs. VMMV